New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-04
GERMAN LIQUOR LAWS.
VIGOROUS OPPOSITION TO VARIOUS ITEMS
IN THE NEW BILL
Berlin, September 10.

and opposition. II is impossible. people say, tlaC
there should be such law In Germany. ffihce
Bismarck has promptly and publicly declared MS
hostility to it, and promises to lead the attack
npon il in the Reichstag. Naturally, oil his par
tisans follow him. But there arc also very many
men Of wide influence who are counted among thc
Emperor's strong adherents who will also oppose
IT, The proposed law has been prepared at the
direct command Of the Emperor, and he has revised
il carefully and put 1t IN exactly the shape In
which he wants II adopted. His partsans, there.
fore. arc bound TO urge its passage without the
| alteration Of O single word. And cvery man who
votes for the slightest modification of It will by
that very act be ranked among the enemies OF
the Empcror Nevertheless. the opinion seems 70
prevail generally that the bill will not pass unles
in greatly modified form
The bill does not propose 10 intcrfer at all with
the beer and wine trade, but only with distilled
spirits The common impression that Germany
drinks only beer must, therefore, be regarded as
mistaken. The consumption of brandy and other
ardent spirits is 50 great as TO lead the Emperor
himself to take tie lead In trying TO check IL.
OF the four sections iuto which the bill IS divided,
only two are 10 be considered critically g. they
contain all the really important provisions. The
others numbered three and four, only deal with
some subordinate details. II is In the first sec
ton that the pith Of the proposed law Is found
It Is there provided that any person deslrous Of
erecting restaurant, tavern, or shop for the re-
failing of brandy spirits, shall not do until he
shall have obtained permission; and before this
permission or license be given, the local police ana
the authorities of the commune are 10 be heard on
the subject retail dealers shall not ne permitted
70 sell brandy or spirits in quantities Of lees tLan
half n lire; retailers of brandy spirits in places
with more than five thousand Inhabitants with the
exception of pastry cooks, apothecareS, druggists
and vendors of dclicacies, shall only obtain
license Oh condition that they do not combine their
brandy and spirits trade with any other form OF
trade and this regulation can, at the pleasure OF
the local government authorities, be extended to
places Of less than 5000 inhabitants. LANDLORDS
Of inns and tayerns shall take such measures that
customers may be able to obtain, besides splrituous
liquors, such solid food Is generally consumed
in the locality in question, and the local police
can prescribe what bill of fare shnll be provided
I'm individual inns and taverns: landlords of inns
and taverns shall he held responsible for the
maintenance of order on their premises, and for
the absence Of everything that furthers the abuse
Of spirtuous liquors; special provisions may De
made as TO the appointment OF women as attendants
in inns and taverns the police officials shall oe
authorized II they think fit, TO prohibit the retail
sale of sprituOus liquors before q. m, and to
order that the premises where the sale Of such
LIQUORS takes place shall remain closed till that
hour; the landlords of inns and taverns shall not
give 10 persons under the age of sixteen, who are
not in the company of persons of full age sprltuous
drinks to be drunk on She premises, except when
such minors require the drink as reflcshment when
travelling or when out excursion; landlords
of inns and taverns and retail dealers are prohib-
tied from supplying brandy or spirits to persons
| .fl.l In cfa fn Int
those who to their knowledge have within the last
three years been convicted either of disOrderly
drunkenness or of being habitua drunkards; and
such landlords and retail dealers may only trrn
off their premises person who las become drunk
from the liquor supplied By them, provided that
they take measures 70 see that he is duly con-
veyed home or to the police-station, the expense
of such q measure being covered by the drunken
person
| The grounds of opposition to these proposals
| are numerous Perhaps the chief Of them is that
| the law would give so much more power to the
police That In itself would not necessarily be OBJ
jectionable But in Germany the police are in no
way subject 70 Parliamentary authority, but are
under the orders of the Crown alone. 1t is not
! TO be expected, then, that Parliament VIII with
| ont q struggle confer such a measure Of arbi-
| trary power upon an agency over which 1t has 20
control, especially since that power could readily
be used for political purposes. This is the strong
est objection, but 1t is General In its character,
and has no relation to the particular topic of the
bill.
! On the ground of temperance itself various
| other objections are made. The clause fOrbidding
the sale of less than half litre, for example, it
Is argued, would only impel hard drinkers to buy
| in quantity and then fiji themselves at home OF
| elsewhere. Indeed, some say it would actually
promote hard drinking, since many would buy a
| half-litre and drink 1t all, which, If it were not
| for the law they would be content with single
| glass. The exception in favor of pastry cooks
and others gives much offence, because it makes
them a privileged class. The cry against such
| favoTjtism Is loud and vigorous. People laugh,
also, at the idea of giving the local police author-
ity TO draw up the lists Of eatebles which inn
keepers are to be compelled TO keep Eight o'clock
In the morning, also is said 10 be much too late
an hour for the opening of drnking-pleccs, as by
that time most Of the customers would have gone
TO their days work without their morning drinks
And the clause forbidding the sale of drinks to
boys under sixteen gears old is denounced as i'm
practicable, because bartender could accurately
determine the ages OF his customers.
| IL is provided in the second section that no
| keeper Of an inn tavern shall retail on credit
any spirituous drinks TO be drunk the premises
and that everybody who, In consequence of drunk
| enness cannot look after bis own affairs, or ex-
poses himself or his family 70 want, or endangers
the safety of others, shall be deprived of the rights
of q free citizen and be placed under guardian
such person being treated n minor who has
not exceeded the age Of childhood. The former
part Of this section is pronounced impracticable
and an unwarrantable Interference with u mans
right 10 conduct his trade as he peases. The
latter part, however, is generally approved.
Such are the principal regulations OF the trade
in spirits proposed by this bill The penalties for
violating them also prescribed. For supply
ing liquor to young people under sixteen, TO
| people who have already been convicted Of drunk.