The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-09-21
Audersol Iatelligenter.
Getting Drunk in Russia.

a gentleman who has lived for severa
wears in St. Petersburg, Russia, gives the
following in reference to the liquor traffic
in that country: There is no attempt
at regulation, except that The govern
ment police, poHzci, keep sharp eye on
all the vendors of vodki and other intox
icating drinks. The dealer in Russian
whisky is protected by the law and is
auswerable to the law. He dare not
make use of his license to deal in vodki
as blind for robbery. Such things as
you Americans call dives are utterly
unknown there. No man can be tempted
to drunkenness and robbery while in a
drunken state without Furnishing the
dealer, which means the deprivation of
his license aud period of incarceration
in Jail with hard labor, followed, in
extreme cases, with touch of the knout
on his bare skin The terror of this
punishment makes each keeper of vod
Iii shop really conseryator of the peace ;
for, as soon as the liquor dealer sees that
one of his customers is liable to get vio-
lently drunk, he turns him out on the
street. And man already drunk can
get no more vodki."
"But suppose the drunken man kicks
up row, what then 7"
He is taken in charge by the police
and down to the station house. His
punishment then follows as q matter of
certainty. No matter whether rich or
poor, whether he belong to the noble or
the working class, he must serve eight
hours in the street sweeping gang. AT
6 o'clock in the morning succeeding his
Orgie hc has offered to him lump Of
bread and q glass Of whisky He may
or may not accept OF the prolIercd nuni.
cipal hospitality, but when 7 o'clock
strikes he has to go out Oh the street
gang, and with broom and spade make
the Nevskoi Prospekt, or any other
street he may work Oh, rs clean as new
pin"
But do they make no difference be.
tween gentlemen and workmen?"
None whatever; yet the-e ia differ
ence generally. The gentlemen who are
found drunk Oh the streets at night usu-
ally have black clothes. They are mark
ed on the back with great white Greek
cross, q cross big enough to be seen hall
square away. The moujik, or workmen
class, who, at least in summer, are found
with their dirty white shirts covering
their shoulders, are marked with an
equally conspicuous black cross. This Is
the only difference, and if gentleman
be with white or light colored clothing
on him he gets, also, the black cross
They are all classed as drunkards, and
treated without reference to their rank
"But you said these men have to dc
eight hours work on the street. DO yol
mean that they are kept eight hours with
out any rest2"
"No; the street.sweeping gangs ar,
accompanied by wagons which carry til,
tools, something like your hoodluu
wagons, and they also carry provisions
At II noon each gang is halted, and from
the wagon is offered to each individual ,
second lump OF bread, accompanied by
Dantzig herring. This luxurious far,
can be eaten or left, just us it suits til,
principal parties concerned. The mou
iks all grasp at the offered food /: occa
sionally you may see gentleman
Indignantly spurn it. But ell have I,
go to work again as soon AZ the gonI
sounds, and they must work three hour
longer. At the end of the eighth hou
the wagon comes along and gathers VI
the tools aud material that belongs t
the government. and the order is givel
to the idrunkards to scatter. They e
off; they have been thoroughly punished
for the indiscretion Of night, and tn,
,, streets Of st. Petersburg benefit by til,
indiscretion."