The daily gazette., 1881-03-17
INTEMPERANCE IN GERMANY.
RECENT LEGIsLATIoN IN THE INTER-
EST Of TEMPERANCE,

RECENT LEGIsLATIoN IN THE INTER
EST OF TEMPERANCE.
A letter irem Berlin TO the New York
Nation says
la the United States the Germans as n
people are accused of incorporate drink
ing, but this charge, like all other Rsuer-
allies, is exaggerated. There are, 1t is
true, Germans who are hard drinkers.
while others are abstemious; the great
majority however, drink light wines and
beer, and consequently do net impair
their health. Within the last few years
dram and whlskey-drinklsg has, with
fearful rapidly, spread more and more
among the working classes. Even ia
wine-gro~ing and besr-produeing coun-
tries alcohol IS taking the place OF lighter
beverages. The prices Of wine aud beer
have risen; poor men, In order 10 forget
their cares and troubles, or to snioy
themselves, prefer the meanest Whiskey,
which they can have for a few pennies,
Last spring, when spent some time In
Alsacs, everywhere heard the com
plants OF decent people that the higher
price OF wine was driving the poorer
classes to the dramshops. Under French
rule The AlsaLian wine culture had bean
artfully kept down for the purpose of
mixing the growth Of the German pro-
vince With the light wines of Bordeaux;
under the present rule the Alsatian wine
has found better market in GERMANY.
and has almost doubled In price. Tue
bottle OF light wine for which in 1873 |
paid cents cost me cents last year,
Or the northern Continental States be.
sides Germany, Belgium aud Holland
have removed all restrictions upon the
trafhc IN alcoholic drinks. The bad
consequences in both countries have
become SO evident that In Holland law
Is recommended which declares drunken
ness crime. In Belgium the consume
ton OF alcohol since 1910 has increased |
from 100000 to 100000 of francs, |
aud in the Industrial equities there IL |
one drAmshop for every six or seven
persons. Thus, in Belgium the working
classes spend between 100000 and
100000 OF francs for alcohol. The
same evil has manifested itself in Ger.
many. The free city of Bremen in 1905
abolished its license law. The number
Of dramshops instantly rose from SI2 to
72s, and III 1867 TO S2o, for which reason
|
PRODUCTION of the license law.
When, in 1869, the new law of the
North German Confederation dispensed
with tho proof OF the necessity OF
dramsbop for village or a town or a
street OF large city, within two years
the number of dramshops In Germany
grew from ll6, 81 TO 129,072, or IL, 26i.-
From October /, 1869, to January l, 1877.
me number OF inns rose from 1852 to
,rA |
Thinking saloons from 62,612 10 IS, 305. or
II per cent. In 1869 the percentage of
mus end dramshops to the number of
Inhabitants was 1913 to l00, 600 inhabl
ants, but III 1877 il had sen to $685.
The same enormous increase u anifested
tself all oser Germany, so that the ,
teichstag, In its sitting of July %, 1870, ,
made tho license OF dTamshop or of :
N Inn conditional on the necessity for
hem. Prior to granting such a license
he police anditwo authorities are asked !
or their opinion, which In case OF @
i Ratlvs answer Is never overruled by =
be Secretary of the interior This y
OF the number of dramshops, r
owever, Is not at all sufficient to sup 4
ress drunkenness. The smaller nun Der y
1 drinking places has attracted a larger /,
lumber OF guests whS enjoy themselves h
etter in greater crowd and IN rooms
omfortably heated aud better kept,
This money interest in whiskey per.
AIDES the whole landed aristocracy aud
reVents the present Government from
'vyiDg heavier tax ON the distillers OF l.
lcOholtc drinks. Thus, instead OF high
nposs on the whisky trade, as IN Eng q
md, where II yields some clio, zoo, 900, O.
10 impost with Us 10 not quite e. OOO,- Il
10. The Prussian Upper Chamber u
ould never pass law which proposed O
, raise the tax, and Prussian Minister p
Finance would never dare to propose 81
lch measure, az by Its iDtrodaction he Ia
ould instantly lose the support of the
nded interest. Bismarck, the only
IAN who is able to carry ii through,
ould add to his old merits that OF T
-eating wider Geld for morality and N
Is Toe, and increasing the revenues, but v
the Chan cellor is in the u
ands OF our EranRers, and complaining -