The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-01-16
DRUNKENNESS IN EUROPE

DRUNKENNESS IN EUROPE
One of the fruitful sources of poverty and
distress among the people of Europe is the
drinking habit, which in some localities
greatly exceeds the consumption of intoxi-
eating liquors in this country. In London
while the laws regulating the traffic seem to
be strictly enforced, they are so liberal that
the business has assumed immense proper
tons. The drinking places there are obliged
to close at midnight, and to all appearances
the regulation is rigidly enforced But twice
on Sunday, at noon and at about in the
evening, the shops are allowed to open for
an hour, during which time the streets are
literally alive with persons going to buy
Old topers of both sexes, and children with
pewter or earthen mugs or tin pals, all 60
ing for their 'alf-and af, porter, or bitter
Oee a5o.,srdernable amount of nronerty nj" ',nt
II DC Sdine Is true IN
Liverpool, where saloons are closed
at IL NJ. There. with the
coming OF nghtfall, the streets are swarm
ing with drunken people of both sexes, dis
turbances are frequent and arrests numerous
The same state of affairs exists in Dublin
and Glasgow. On the continent while vast
quantities of liquor are drunk, there is not
so much drunkenness apparent, probably on
account of the mlder character of the
beverages consumed In Paris there are COM
paratively few intoxicated people to be seen,
though nearly everybody drinks daily
bottle or two of light wine, while many
indulge in vermouth absinthe and cognac.
But now the greatest complaint comes from
Switzerland, where drunkenness is rapidly
increasing and has assumed alarming pro-
portions. A letter from Geneva to the
London Times gives depiorable
account of the situation there.
property are aarmingly on the increase. The
| Official Gazette can hardly contain them.
| AS a natural consequence, land is depreciat-
ing in value, and mortgages who are COM
PEELED to foreclose can often find neither buy
ers nor tenants. The evil affects all classes
and is even rife among women. In several
communes OF Ajoe the consumption of
schnaps is at the frightful rate of eight litres
(more than two gallons) per month per head
of population. In one village, with pou-
lation of six hundred single aubergiste has
sold in one month 200 litres (more than
three hundred gallons) of cograc alone, equal
to daily sale of forty litres. The associated
mayors of Ajoie and the clergy have exerted
every energy in vain to counteract the grow
1874, when the constitution now in force, by
instituting what is called complete liberty
Of establishment" deprived the cantons of
the power which they previously possessed
of regulating the traffic in drink. The effect
of this was TO sweep away every local restric-
ton that had previously existed, and make
the trade in strong drink as free as the trade
in bread and meat. Before 1874 the checks
imposed by cantons and communes on the
vendors of alcoholic beverages were numer-
Gus and minute. AS consequence of the
abolition of these restrictions the number of
public houses has increased from Ii, 807 in
| 1870 10 81, 73S in $780, In other words while
the population has increased by per cent,
the taverns have increased by % per cent.
The two extremes are Geneva, where there is
public house to every seventy inhabitants,
and Tessin, which has one for every 23l.
Taking the confederation throughout the
proportion is one to every 1880 Deducting
women, children and the sick, that gives one
tavern to every thirty persons. In Canton
Thurgae there is q kneipe for every eighteen
voters-men of twenty and upward. The
result OF this unlicensed traffic in ntoxicat-
ing liquors is the inlpoverishment of many
workmen addicted to strong drink. Their
scores at the public houses are greater than
their wages, and their families are reduced
to the verge OF starvation. No remedy can
prove effectual until the people bring back
to their immediate control the supervision
OF this business, when, by observing the
evils about them, they can take such meas
ures AS viii restrain it.
-
COMMON sense and practical wisdom tri
umphed in the City Council last night and