New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-12-29
TEMPERANCE IN SWEDEN.

TEMPERANCE IN SWEDEN.
The recent speech of the King of Sweden on opening
the Session of the storthng Estates at Stockholm
rises above the comnonpaces generally uttered on the
ike occasions For the first time words uttered from
throne deal with subject deeply related to the
morality of the people The question Of Temperance
has received SO to say royal conservation Ga speak
he OF the scanty harvest the King denounces the waste
of grain TO a great extent in the fabrication OF
.sli0uor. (AcohoD the abuse Of which threatens to
undermine the most noble faculties OF ourpopuatlon
Further he states that from all parts of the kingdom
petitions have been presented to me soliciting that
limit may be put to tie present exravagant abrlca-
tions of strong drink and 20 the immoderate abuse
which is the consequence of the facility of obtaining
cit \ proposition embracing tile important subject
" will be presented 10 the Diet aud | am convinced
that it will with eagerness, meet my paterna wishes
There is reason to receive with satisfaction these
declarations Of crowned head, and especially be-
cause We may find in them a new Illustration of
the truth that what Is good and moral often rises
from the people, and is oifshoot of the demo-
cratic element. The King is urged by petitions that
is by the people to set on foot this romenous re-
form Tie history of this movement is instructive.
In several districts of the southern part of sweden
where alcohol Is distilled from grain AID potatoes, the
neople some time since rose and threatened the dis
teres with destruction and were only prevented from
executing their threat by the promise that those esab
shments should be Immediately shut up, and the de-
struction of food arrested But Sweden Imports
large quantities of alcohol from Prussia the northern
parts of Germany, and through the port of Dantzic
even from Poland in all Of which countries potatoes
form the basis of agriculture aud are produced in im-
meDse quantities by the owners of large estates In
those countries THE vegetable is used mainly for dst
aton There too, the poisonous drink is sold at the
lowest price possible owing to the great competition
among the dstiers We trust therefore that together
with the law announced by the King prohibition
of foreign liquors will ao be passed, and thus vast
deal of immortality prevented and the national wealth
preserved and directed in better channel
The temperance movement is not new in Norway
md around the Baltic where its whole character is thor
ougLy democratic The producers of alcohol are ex-
clusvey the large land owners most Of whom are
mobiles In some Of the regions in question the mobiles
also have the exclusive right of selling liquor in bar
rooms or inns licensed by them From this retail bust
ness large branch of their income is derived. OF
course from this class temperance agitation could
never be expected. But for years the exhoratiORs OF
Father Mathew have found echo and disciples there
and the temperance pledge has been signed not only by
individuals but by whole communities. As extremes
meet the strict observation of temperance has pro-
crossed slowly but uninterruptedly in the immediate
vicinity of the greatest drunkenness In the Swedish
doninions the Norwegans were the first TO begin the
movement at least ten years ago In several plscesn
Mecklenburg and Prussia the reform dates from about
the same time The Government remaining passive, the
opposition above all in Mecenburg has come from the
alcohol distilling and retailing nObliy-by the way
the most stupid and rerOgrade of their whole class in
Europe In the Baltic provinces belonging to Rus
a and especially in Courland and LivOna the greater
part of the peasantry belong to temperance societies
As in these provinces the Russian Government does
not sell liquors. but leaves the trade to the mobiles ia
the villages and 10 licensed sellers in cities, it has not
interfered With tho movement, though it has prevent
ed its introduction into Russia proper where the traf
fc furnishes Of the principal revenues of the State
In Poland, where the nobility enjoy the same right as
in the Baltic provinces some twelve years ago the in
troducto1 of temperance movement among the peas
antry was attempted, but the Imperial Government
prohibited it under the plea that political purposes
aud excitements might be easily coupled with it.
We would fain hope that other crowned heads and
political bodies of Europe may follow the example
given by Oscar of Sweden and act under the noble i'm
pulse which hus comes from the humblest classes Of the
people, often accused by rulers and mobiles Of i'm
morality recklessnes and incapacy to secure their
Owl welfare.