Morning journal and courier., 1881-03-12
Saturday Morning, March 12, 1881.
DRUNKENNESS IN EUROPE.

We have been told by Dr. Howard Crosby and other travellers in beer drinking and wine drinking European countries that drunkenness is comparatively rare there, and that fiery drinks are not generally and eager ly used. This has been said so often and by such men that it is quite generally accepted as true. But the wel-informed Berlin cor respondent of the Nation gives some testi- mony which goes to show that the travellers referred to did nor see all there was to see.
 He says that within the last few years dram and whiskey ey-drinking has, with fearful rapidity, spread more and more among the working classes of Germany, and that in the wine growing and beer-producing countries alcohol is taking the place of lighter beyer- ages. Of the northern Continental States besides Germany, Belgium and Holland have removed all restrictions upon the traffic in alcoholic drinks. The bad consequences in both countries have become so evident that in Holland law is recommended which de- clares drunkenness crime. In Belgium the consumption of alcohol since 1840 has in creased from IS to 43 millions of francs, and in the industrial counties there is one dram shop for every six or seven persons. Thus in Belgium the working classes spend between 50 and 60 millions of francs for alcohol. The same evil has manifested itself in Ger many. The free city of Bremen in 1863 abolished it's license law. The number of dram-shops instantly rose from 512 to FPS, and in 1867 to 829, for which reason the Senate made motion for the re-introduc- of% %ha 1oru Whaya 1890 fha new law of the North German Confederation dispensed with the proof of the necessity of a dram-shop for village or town or street of large city, within two years the number of dram-shops in Germany grew from 116,- 811 to 129, ,O72, or 12,261. From October 1, 1869, to January 1, 1877, the number of inns rose from 46, ,612 to 69, ,3O5, or fl per cent, and that of the drinking saloons from 62, SIP to 69, ,3O5, or II per cent. In 1869 the per centage of inns and dram-shops to the num- Der of inhabitants was 45.75 to 100000 in- .habitants, but in 1877 it had risen to 55.ss. The same enormous increase manifested itself all over Germany, so that the Reich stag, in it's sitting of July 23, 1879, made the license of a dram-shop and of an inn in towns or villages of less than 1 ,5OO inhabitants conditional on the necessity for them. Prior to granting such license the police and town authorities are asked for their opinion, which, in case of negative answer, is never overruled by the Secretary of the Interior. This reduction of the number of dram shops, however, is not at all sufficient to suppress drunkenness. The smaller number of drink ngplaces has attracted a larger number of guests, who enjoy themselves better in a greater crowd and in rooms comfortably heated and better kept.
 Another reason for the increase in the number of drinkers, the correspondent says, is the social position of the largest distillers of whiskey. In Germany, and especially in the eastern provinces of Prussia, whiskey- making is very aristocratic business, which is carried on by the nobility and the proprie- tors. of large estates. While OF a visit .ta. "A large farmer in Eastern Prussia the corre- spondent had an opportunity to see how 8 baron who ran several large distilleries opera ted. ''The lady of the manor and the young baronesses attended to the retail trade On Saturday evening I saw them in the base ment of the old and noble baronial hall standing behind counter, selling whiskey to the servants and workingmen, who had just received their wages, filling bottles, gills and tumblers with whiskey, changing dirty small money and doing very lively business till late in the evening. On the following Sun- day morning the same ladies drove to church in splendid barouche, with coachman and footmen, two of the latter in full gala dress standing behind. The ladies, of course, did not know any of their customers of yester- day or reciprocate the humble bows of the poor people whose pennies they had yester- day not been too proud to take" This money interest in whiskey, it is stated, per vades the whole landed aristocracy and pre- vents the present government from levying heavier taxes on the distillers of alcoholic drinks
 The increase of drunkenness in Germany has caused a new measure to be prepared which provides that whosoever, by his own fault, is found drunk in any public place and excites public scandal shall be punished with Q fine of $26 or be imprisoned not longer than two weeks. If the accused has been convicted of the same offense within the last three years, or if he be an habitual drunk ard, he must be sentenced to imprisonment, which can be aggravated by the reduction of his fare to bread and water. The measure also regulates punishment for crime commit ted by anyone who has put himself in such control of his will