The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-04-05
The TREATING HABIT MUST GO.
american Iutemperance Largely At
tributed TO This Custom.


A Massachusetts legislator has under
taken to strike at the root of the tree 10
his effort to cure the drink evil. He pro-
poses to abolish treating. He has OBJ.
served, as has every person who has given
the liquor question thoughtful attention,
tina; drinking is in the main merely a
social custom. More men drink to be-
socisble and courteous than because they
really want the beer, wine or spirits they
consume or enjoy themselves in the pro.
cess of guzzling. Treating is peculiarly
an American custom. not but that people
in other countries occasionally pay for
what their friends consume at the public
bar; but IN America it is a common and
accepted method of extending a courtesy
1t shows personal consideration and good
fellowship. In the mining camps Of
early days it was mortal offense to de.
cline an invitation to drink. The treating
habit no doubt is responsible for the con
sumption OF great quantity of liquor that
would otherwise remain in the barrel oil
in the corn. This custom not only mani
tests in the invitation OF one man to an
other to step into saloon and imbibe al
| his expense, but it is further shown in
the invariable offer Of the one treated to
return the courtesy. II there are half q
dozen in the party, the usual outcome
is treat by each one OF them, making
six drinks where they only cared for one,
| or possibly some OF them for none at all
1t may be set down as indisputable
that the American custom OF treating il
the strongest intrenchment OF the saloon,
yet it does not follow that it can be cap.
tured by legislation intended to render
treating a misdemeanor. Fixed social
customs are not broken up in that way.
The Wisconsin legislature attempted it q
few years ago, by enacting that two per
SONS should not drink together at bar,
and the saloons built stalls in front Of the
bar, so that customers could 90 into sepa-
rate compartments, from the front oil
which they could protrude their heads
and hands over the edge OF the bar, klink
glasses and be as sociable as ever. This
made the law appear as ridiculous as it
really WAS, and put an end to the effort
to stop treating by legislation. All these
patent methods Of bringing about quickly
bv legislation what can only come gradu-
ally by education are destined to speedy
failure. 1t is one thing to recognize that
the social drinking custom is responsible
for the excess of drinking as well as for
fastening the drink habit upon individu-
ais, but it is another thing to prescribe O
specific for it. Harry George thought he
had discovered one when he proposed
that the tax be taken off whisky, so that
it would be almost as cheap as water. He
argued that no man would undertake to
compliment man by asking him to par
take of an article so cheap as whisky
would then be. Yet whisky would even
then scarcely sell for less than FIVE cents
glass, the present usual price of beer,
and the treating custom in beer is as ex-
tensi re as that in whisky. The cure for
the drink evil is a gradual education Of
the people not to drink. As for the treat
ing custom, few more years OF hard
times would do more to starve it to de ath
than all the laws wiseacres can Frame
Oregonidn.