The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-15
DRINKING In OLD ENGLAND
Present Status of the Temperance
Question in That Country.
Slow Progress Toward Restriction and Bet
ter Regulation of the Business-Some
Recent Legislation.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal.

American public, no time could be more OPP
perfume for calling the attention of your
readers to the status OF the same question IN
England. Some months of careful observa-
ton will enable me to do this with fair de-
gree of accuracy, and should command for
my statements, l venture to think, if not an
unquestioning acceptation, at least respect
full hearing. l think, too that I shall have
still further established my claim to speak
with intelligence on this subject when men,
ton that the first twenty years of my life
were spent in this country; nor will it preju-
dice my case with the readers of the Journal
when they learn that have had the advant-
age since then of a residence for fourteen
years in the United States Putting the
latter and the former facts together it
will be seen that 1 have had
good opportunity to make my
self acquainted with the habits
and customs of both people, as well as with
the course of legislation in the two
countries.
Writing from such vantage ground what
strikes me first with reference to the liquor
question in England is, that, compared with
what is going on across the Atlantic, matters
over here are in an exceedingly backward
state. There are relatively fewer abstainers
0eT6 IMAM LQere, ana sentiment Is less
strongly set both against drunkenness and
its kindred vice of tipping. Another note
worthy fact is that public houses (saloons)
are more generally patronized here by people
OF acknowledged respectability, and that
less censure is visited upon the keepers of
such places. In regard to legislation the
difference is still greater. Prohibition is
scarcely as yet talked of in this country, nor
does the conscience of the people rebel to
any considerable extent against licensing the
hat R ~1NH Ill
one deems possible here for many years to
come, is the restriction and better regulation
of this business. Not few people in
America are laboring under the i'm
preston that the English House
of Commons has declared in favor
is thought OF the oft-repeated statement that
the last session of Parliament had before it
no less than twenty distinct temperance
measures But these things need explain
ing Most OF these so-called Temperance
measures were local bills asking simply for
the closing of public houses in particular
communities on the Sabbath day. One
which was laid over to next session, went so
far as to ask the favor of Sunday closing for
the whole country-a favor which will, no
doubt, be granted after a while. This, how
ever important and desirable as it may be,
will scarcely entitle England to claim rank
in temperance legislation with a country
like the United States, and it will really,
considering that partial closing on the Sab
bath day has SO long been rigdly enforced
here, notbe very much of an advance. AS to To-
cal option: FIVE give to that term the meaning
attaching to 1t in America viz, the determ-
nation by majority of the voters of the
question whether or not the retail liquor
trade shall be carried on in particular To-
cality then most emphatieally the English
Parliament has not pronounced in favor of
such measure. The attempt to secure that
form of legislation was given up when, after
repeated defeats by overwhelming ma orities,
the old permissive bill was abandoned.
WHAT is PROPOSED TO BE DONE.
What the so-caled local option resolution
passed at the recent session, contemplates, as
announced at the time by some of its leading
supporters, is simply the optional granting
or Withholding of licenses to public houses
by board elected by the rate payers Nor
is this board TO be elected on this special
issue. Mr. Gladstone, at least, said he should
not favor such a course. This new power,
from present indications, will be vested in
some body that has other neighborhood in
terests to look after, and which will be an
swerable to the voters for its action toward
the liquor trade in the general sense simply
OF public servants who are charged with the
duty of conserving the public good. At
present the licensing power is in the hands
of the magistrates, who are responsible only
to the Home Office, and who perform their
duties in many instances without either
knowing or caring what the wishes or needs
of the community may be. The new regime,
therefore, will be an improvement on the
old and 1T will no doubt, when introduced,
considerably lessen the number of drinking
places. But that it will result anywhere in
practical prohibition by enabling the ma
jority to close the public house against the
minority, who may wish to use it. is not an
ticipated so far as ] can learn by even the
most radical teetotallers; much less does it
enter into the calculations of the statesmen
of moderate views whose votes will be nee
essary to enact the proposed reform into law
Thus England is still in these matters sadly
behindhand-only, as it were, learning the
alphabet of temperance legislation, while the
United States is struggling with great propo-
sitions, and bids fair ere long to master the
whole system.
But this solid old country is catching up
She has not travelled rapidly, but she has
made some progress, and with every step for
ward her rate of advance must be acce lerated
She may be going at caterpiliar's gait now,
but by and by the crawling insect will take
wings and fly. II is not natural to look for
violent changes of any kind among people
noted for their strong conservatism, and
there are special reasons why temperance re-
forms could not be for the present either nat
ural or possible here The education and
habits of the people make such thing out
of the question. Nearly all the middle aged
English people of the present day were train
ed, like myself, to regard alcoholic slim ulants
as one of the necessaries of life and
to look upon the tavern as a
place scarcely less reputable than the
church. We imbibed these notions from
our mothers breasts. They were, in fact,
bred into us, the instincts of nature being
afterward strengthened by parental teach
ing and example. If as was often the case,
this early cultivation OF a love for the social
glass was accompanied by careful training in
the duties of morality and religion, the
deeper, as matter of course. was the con-
viction we formed of the strict propriety of
such conduct and the more tenaciously
net rlv pofr al,