Evening star., 1893-11-20
CONTROLLING THE TRAFFIC..
Rev. DIR. Mckim Advocated the Swed-
fsh Liquor system.


The Church Temperance Society of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in a circular
which was generally distributed throughout
the church. and which was signed by nearly
all the bishops. recommended the preaching
and promoting temperance on the part of
the churches Yesterday was set apart to
be observed as temperance day. An inter-
esting discourse was delivered yesterday
morning by Rev. DIR. McKim, the rector Of
the Church of the Epiphany. His we'll
known sentiments on this subject led to his
being asked to discuss this subject before
the church congress at its recent session in
New York. Personally DIR. McKim believes
in total abstinence. In the course of his
sermon, which was couched in the vigorous
and convincing language for which his pull
pit utterances are famous, he said that the
drink curse is the greatest work of the
devil The saloon, he said, is entrenched in
our social system. He thought that il was
futile TO hope to conquer the saloon by
legislative enactments alone. The question
Is largely a social one. The environments
OF the laborfng man must be improved. He
must have light in his home and healthful
food on his table. The monotony of his
life. which now drives him to drink, must
be relieved. Temperance people must draw
him away from the saloon by providing
something better.
Tne SWedfsh system.
He believed that the doctrine of state
prohibition rested on false principle.
Local option was wise and had met with a
large degree of success. High license when
properly guarded had produced excellent re-
suits.
But after all, said the preacher, he be-
lieved that the Gothenburg or Swedish sys-
tenn was the one TO be desired. 1t rests
upon the principle, he said, that the state
should control the traffic in intoxicants just
as ii controls the location of powder maya
zines and the manufacture of dynamite Ii
does away entirely with private gain and
intrusts to a company composed of the best
citizens the exclusive right to issue licenses
upon certain stringent conditions chief of
which is that all profit from the business
over five or six per cent shall be turned
over to the state for certain specified uses.
including hospitals. public libraries gymna-
Sums. public baths. sailors homes, rescue
homes and other charitable purposes The
system also requires that food shall always
be procurable with drink, which is, he said,
a most important consideration.
The sale of provisions as well as tea coffee
soda water and cigars is obligatory. The pro-
fit accruingfrom these sales goes entirely to
the dealer, while the sale of liquors is ex-
granting the license. The motive of gain Is
thus transferred from the sale of intoxi-
cants to the sale of food.
The greatest advantage, he said, is that
the saloon is taken entirely out Of politics.
good authority declaring that the saloon is
absolutely without political significance un-
der this system. The system had been tried
twenty-five years and drunkenness had de-
creased under it, 1t ought to appeal to diff
ferent classes of thinkers on the temper
ance question, because it combined the
high license and the prohibition principles
1t was also local option system. because
it gave every community the opportunity
to decide for itself whether II would adopt
the license regime or the plan OF prohibition.
1t was reported from Sweden and Norway
that the system had resulted in practical
prohibition In the country districts.