Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-07-26
ALCOHOL A La SWISS.
RESULTS OF SIX YEARS OPERATION
OF THE MONOPOLY PLAN.

Inc particular method of dealing with
the alcohol question which is now adopt.
ed m sSwitzerland is discussed by AR. ".
M1ilief of Bernie in a recent publication
OF the American Academy of Political
and Social Science. oTsZ EAugLThoiT
, There u.s. seems, no appreciable cur
rent Of opinion among the Swiss id faypr
OF total abstinence. considered either as
a voluntary act or as the, outcome of
prohibitory legislation. 1t is true that
by an amendment of the, federal consti-
tuition passed in 1885 the cantonal leg
islatures acquired the power of restrict
ing the number of places for the sale Of
liquor within their respective jurisdic-
tons. The power has ostensibly been
exercised in IA cantons, but even in
these, taken as whole, the number of
|; taverns has somewhat increased.
L No substantial result, therefore, has
followed the concession of restrictive
power. Such is not the case with the
alcohol monopoly introduced in 1887.
This has accomplished two things 1t
bias greatly improved the quality of the
distilled liquors consumed in Switzer-
land, and has caused n marked reduction
In the use of them. The primary aim of
the monopoly was to bring about the
substitution of fermented for distilled
| liquors, and short as 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
e IL
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-
cluded from the general market and
was consequently consumed by the peas
ant distillers themselves. The effect of
these small stills was to make the daily
drinking of ''schnapps," as the domestic
raw liquor is called, almost universal
among farmers and agricultural labor
-ers. 1t was the alarming spread of alcp-
, holism that ensued which brought about
the change in the federal constitution
whereby limited rights of interference
with the liquor traffic were granted to
the authorities. both federal and cam
tonal.
& Since the crestian Of the ~alcoh6l sno,
corey, l goo largesanI sin;M dimIlsries
Saye been suppressed by appropriation.
From the remaining 60 or 20 diStilleries,
the monopoly administration is the only
purchaser. The product does not go d.
rectly from distiller 20 purchaser. The
administration takes it under fixed con-
dltl2nS and brings 1t back to the trade
onE sftesit has been duly rectihed. OF
the profits of the monopoly, one-tenth,
now amounting to about $40 900 a year
nut be applied 70 the struggle with al
| coholism-- that is TO say, to the mainte-
Rance of the poor and the insane whose
hnisfortunes may be traced to that NAL
| ady. NE
| Z. Now as to the effect of the monopoly
| On the quantity of spirits consumed. In
1885 the consumption of distilled liquors
per capita wasif0. SO ifters; in 1891 it was
only 6.32, A part of this decrease is due
to the cessation Of smuggling of distilled
liquors from Switzerland into the ada
cent countries. But after reasonable de-
ductiotis On that score have been made.
it is estimated that the shri1rkage in the
use ofardent spTits) blythe Swiss them
selves is'not; Jess than y per cent The
decreased consumption IS obviously due
not. only to. the extinction of private
stills, but TO the fact that a higher .price
must be paid for, the product of ;distil-
leries. The joint effect of diminished
consumption and of the greatly improved
quality. of the liquors sold ,is,expected
soon to show itself in the statistics of al
eoholisIn. il ,ai -G-,a'
Wehave said that the purpose of the
Swiss legislature was not to abolish the
! use Of distilled liquors, but gradually to
supplant it by that of wine or beer. To
! that end, while the price of spirits was
raised, that of fermented liquors was
lowered by relieving them from certain
excise duties. So far as wine is CON
cerned no marked change took place in
i the volume of consumption betweeniSS5
and $780, This is attributed, however,
J to the remarkable decline of the home
| production in the period named, de-
cline which had to be made good by i'm
| portation.
In the case of beer. on the other hand,
the effect of the liquor monopoly on the
habits of the Swiss people is unmistak-
able. The consumption of beer in Swift
zerland increased between 1885 and 1890
from 30 liters per capita to 45 iters,
showing an advance of some 25 per cent.
| So far as the Swiss experiment has gone,
it seems to show the possibility of sup
planting to considerable extent the use
of ardent spirits by that of those fer
mented liquors, such as beer, which con-
tain relatively little alcohol. - New
York Sun. :
An Old Custom Seldom Followed.
/. In many old families the custom has
| obtained from time immemorial of mt