The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-05-11
ALCOHOL A LA SWISS.
RESULTS OF SIX YEARS OPERATION
OF THE MONOPOLY PLAN,

hN1
readers Because of the Fact That some
what Similar Methods Are Proposed L
Parts Of This Country.
The particular method of dealing witt
she alcohol question which is now adopt
ed i'll Switzerland is discussed by MI. W
Milllet OF Berne III a recent publication
OF the American Academy of Politica
and Social Science.
There Is, It seems. no appreciate cur
rent OF opinion among the Swiss in favo]
OF total abstinence. considered either a.
a voluntary act or as the outcome 81
prohibitory legislation. 1t is true chat
by an amendment of the federal consti.
tuition passed in 1885 the cantnnal leg.
isladures acquired the power ef restrict,
ing the number Of places for the sale OF
llquor within their respective inrisdic.
lions. The power has osten-iblY been
exercised in II cantons. but ever in
these. taken as d whole. the number of
taverns has somewhat increased.
No substantial result, ther fore. has
Followed the concession Of restrictive
power. Such Is not the ca Q with the
alcohol monopoly introduced in 1887.
This has accomplished two things. 1t
has greatly improved the quality of the
distilled liquors CONSUMED in Switzer-
land. and has caesed a maj zed reduction
in the use OF them. The Urinary aim of
the monopoly was to bring about the
substitution of ferinentad for distilled
liquors. and short "a is the period dur
ing which the experiment has lasted the
results are encouraging.
Before the creation Of the alcohol mo-
nopoly, Switzerland suffered from the
practice of peddling distilled liquors
and from the existence of a multitude
OF small stills IN agricultural districts.
The product of these stills. by reason of
the primitive methods of manufacture
and the absence of rectification, was ex-
from the general market and
was consequently consumed bv the peas
ant dlstillers themselves. The effect of
these small stills was to make the daily
drinking Of ''schnapps." as the domestic
liquor is called. almost universal
among farmers and agricultural labor
ers. 1t was the alarming spread of alco-
that ensuea which brought about
the change in the federal constitution
whereby limited rights of interference
with the liquor traffic We're granted to
the authorities. both federal and can
tonal.
Since the creation of the alcohol mo.
nopoly. i.400 large and small distilleries
nave been suppressed by appropriation.
from the remaining G. or 20 distilleries. |
the monopoly administration is the orlv
purchaser. The product does not &c d.
from distiller to purchaser. Tie
takes it under fixed con.
and brings it back to the trade
,niy after It has been duly rectified. Of
ne profits OF the monopoly, one-tentl.
low amounting to about sito. 900 a year.
~ applied to the struggle with al
9lism-that Is to say, 10 the lnainte-
lance of the poor aud the insane whose
nlstortunes may lie traced to that mai
dy.
Now az TO the effect of the monopoly
n the quantity Of spirits consumed. H.
$50 the consumption Of distilled liauofs
er capita was 1896 l~iters; in 1891 it was
My S.32 . part Of this decrease is due
, the cessation Of smuggling Of distilled 3.
quors from Switzerland into the ada +,
snt countries. But after reasonable de- :
ucflons on that score have been made. :
Is estimated that the shrinkaee in the .
Sc OF ardent spirits by the Swiss them !.
Ives is not less than % per cent. The :
consumption is obviously due :
1t only to the extinction of private . !
Ills, but to the fact that a higher price :
ust be paid for the product of distil- :.
ries. The joint effect of diminished !.
assumption and of the greatly improved .
lality of the liquors sold is expected :.
on to show itself in the statistics of al :.
holism. u
haye said that the purpose of the Z
v1ss legislature was not to abolish the "
e OF distilled liquors. but gradually to u
it by that of wine or beer. To
at end. while the price of spirits was II
ised, that Of fermented liquors was a
by relieving them from certain =
else duties. So far as wine is con- "
med no marked change took place in n
volume of consumption between 1885
Tf6o0. This is attributed, however.
~ remarkable decline Of the home RI
Enction in the period named, a de- ~
Nhiuh had to be made good by i'm ot
h d,
49, Ga of beer, On the other hand, /,
SlScts3 the liquor monopoly On the ed
6o1la Swiss people Is unmistak- ye
lS0eoensumption of beer in Swift of
.fant increksed between 1885 and 1890 "
10 ss eh1ssA per capita to 45 liters, W
oxsnafanadvstAe of some 25 per cent. as
far py6fH SYfspexperiment has gone, en-
seems. to show the possibility of sup eli
to a considerable extent the use +,
ardent spirits by that of those fer ST,
'nted liquors, such as beer, which con- de-
n relatively little alcohol. New as