The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-11-09
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
LIQUOR IN GREAT BRITAIN.
The Traffic In Alcoholic Stimulants In
creases Yearly.

The Traffic In Alcoholic Stimuiants In
creases Yearly.
The situation in Great Britain as re.
yards the temperance question much
resembles that in the United States.
The masses of the people are either in
'avor of the liquor traffic, because they
ire themselves drinkers, or they are in
lifferent on the subject. Public opinion
aas not yet been educated up to the
point of recognizing its evils. But
here, as here, there is class of tenn
perance people who are over-zealous in
their methods, which are impracticable
N the present state of British opinion;
they bitterly oppose any remodeling OF
The liquor laws, and demand the utter
extinction of the traffic-which is en-
tirely impossible of realization at pres
snt in that country, as, with popula-
ton much smaller than ours, it spends
over 500. 600, 900 year for intoXicants.
Meanwhile, the traffic increases in vol
ume yearly, and its opponents are pre-
pairing to discuss methods of dealing
with it at the approaching session Of
parliament, instead of bending their
energies upon the education of the peo-
pie.
The problem is even more difficult
one with our English cousins than with
us, for the government derives reve-
nue from this traffic of over S150.000,-
200 a year. No plan has any chance of
adoption which interferes with this rev.
enue, for there is absolutely no means
whereby this sum can be otherwise
raised, except by direct taxation, and
no English statesman dares propose
an increase of this. There are at pres
emit in England and Wales 10000
places where Intoxicating drinks are
sold, or one to every 200 of the popula-
ton. With us the matter is one for
the states to deal with individually
| the supreme court of the United States
having so ruled, it will be remembered,
in the California cases; and it would be
comparatively easy for any state to
provide means for raising any revenue
now derived from liquor in some other
way.
The liquor question entered largely
into the late parliamentary elections in
this wise: The United Kingdom ALI
ance, temperance organization, has
for several years been actively wagine
the adoption of what is there called the
direct veto system" which is prac
tically what we know as local option
| All public houses and other drinking
places would be closed if q majority Of
the voters demanded it, and no pro
vision for compensation to their keep
ers was another feature of the ALI
ance's programme. This reused the
vested interests" OF the liquor traffic
and in the recent parliamentary strug
gle quite a number of liberal candi
dates were defeated through the saloor
influence. So strongly did the rum
power make itself felt that the liberia
leaders are seeking some less radica
plan Of action.
The following scheme has been made
public through one of the liberal semi
official organs and it is being ACTIVELY
discussed by the English press at the
present time:
Existing saloon licenses to be confirmed fo
| three years, but in order to lessen the number
within that period provision to be made for tn,
| surrender OF licenses on payment equivalen
to Ole years profit Loans might be author
lied for that purpose At the end of three
years all licenses should expire, The local au
thorities, the town, village, or county council
| should then fix the number OF licenses to b,
| issued--in no case TO exceed the proportion O
| one license for each 1000 inhabitants: Thos,
| licen ses which are to run five years should b,
| Offer ed at public auction to the highest respon
! sible and reputable bidder. Any profits TO b,
! deriJed from this plan should be applied for tn,
| com pensation of those who surrendered the
licel SEES during the threeyears period Al
licensed houses TO be subject to the closest pc
lice supervision and subject to the regulation o
the local authorities A conviction of license
holder TO be followed, according TO the gravit!
of the ofIense, by forfeiture or by the indorse
ment of the offense on the back of the license
to be followed by forfeiture in the event of REP
ettion.
Whatever be the plan adopted, it will
fail to check the evils of the drinl
habit. There is but one final mode o
dealing with the traffic and that is it
extinction. All that stringent licens
or regulatory laws can do is to curb
somewhat But. a prohibitory Law
would not and could not be enforced il
England, in the state of public opinion
The work to be done, then, is to brin,
to the attention of the masses the trutl
about rum, and the unnum bered woes
physical, moral and political, whicl
result from the drink habit Until
large majority of the people waken I
a realization of these, and are deter
mined that they shall be cured, it is idl
to attempt to enforce prohibition, o
to pulverize the rum power.-Toled
Blade.
| CURED BY A JOKE