The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-26

national income. The Puritans wer,
, frightened by the apparition Of thi,
new emissary of Satan, and. beinf
powerful in Parliament. they caused
It's importation 10 be prohibited in IG77
Ihis produced an unexpected dsve. on
ment IN the manufacture of gin and
WHISKY. Parliament then removed the
prohibition and eudeavOTed TO stem the
Ilde OF drunkenness by high license.
ms remedy proving insufficient. the
| INSULATION OF grain was forbidden bv
law in l75S. but. finding il useless 10
struggle against the evil By such means.
liberty OF fGbrications was granted. and
me product was treated afterward sim
ply as one OF the fiscal resources OF the
government.
In the sixteenth century the Russian
government monopOlized the sale OF
alcohol. IL took the product from the
manufacturers and sold it to the re-
taiiers. This method not proving salts
factory, the wholesale trade was farrned
out 70 a class Of persons. who grew
rapidly wealthy while the government
received little. While in 1853 Alexander
II. proposed 10 recall this privilege the
farmers offered S2i 600 900 tor il, thus
showing how immense had been their
Prohts. This fact furnished an effective
dramatic incident TO the author OF
the Daniehetfs. There are said to be
Az distlle-ies in Russia. The manu-
tacture and the trade in alcohol are
free, but the duty is nearly So Der gal-
lou. But the country is cold. and Rms
slams. noble and pleasant alike. drink
the strorg liquors containing a high
per cent. OF bad alcohol as other people
OF other nations drink wine or beer.
The tax on alcohol in the United States
Is reserved TO the genera! gov
eminent BY the constitu-
ton. which did not avail itself
OF this important resource till the |
breaking out Of the war OF the rebellion. |
In lI65 the tax produced IS. l65 $50. The /
iollowing'year II was raised TO IS a gal |
lon and the production increased six
fold. The tax, after various changes,
was IN 1877 liked at 1922 a gallon (near- |
~ where II has since remained. Mon
taigne considered the Dutch as the l
drunkards par excellence OF his epocb.
They certainly did drink hard and they |
have not by any means yet lost the ap-
petite Tor liquors containing a high per
cent OF alcohol. of which they make a i
great variety and immense quantity i
The tax Is now SIS per twenty-five gal /
Ions. In Germany il is $96 for the i
same quantity, in Austria 1925, in 1
Denmark s.. in Belgium Sill so, in Spain
$500. and IN Italy SlI. As a conse-
quence OF this low duty, drinking shops
abound in all the countries last men
TONED, where liquors with a high per
cent. OF alcohol, called rum. gin. cog
mac. aEiset. chariTeuse, curacao. bens-
dictine, and numerous others can be
had az two or three cents a glass, and :
small bottle for a nominal figure.
The consumption Of alcohol in Eng
land in 1916 was ., S24 $50 gallons at
tording revenue of $780, coo, near
~. According to the statistics il had
somewhat diminished in 1854. The con-
sumption in Russia in the same yes
was 90 10000 gallons. sensible fall
ing OF from that OF ISIS. The income
o. the United States was a little over
$50 coo, 600 in 1864 and in 1884 about $50
OOO. 900. In France in 1885 II reached
nearly $40, 900 900, while in Germany II
mas never exceeded 81. 10000. the sg-
gregste OF the tax IN 1885. Italy has
never realized more than s.. 400 600. IL
IS country in which the vice Of drunk
enness has never attained serious pro-
portions.-S. r. Chronicle.