The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-18


liquor traffic presents many interest
ing facts CLEANED during a prolonged
study Of that now celebrated Swedish
idea. Mr.. Goadby points out, at the
beginning, that the excessive use OF
brandy among the masses of the Swed-
ish people was what set intelligent men
to thinking out a remedy. In conse-
quence of the enactment of law CIV
ing every man the right to distil spirits
upon payment of small fee we are
told that:
Brandy became so cheap, so abundant,
so readily procurable, that an epidemic Of
intoxication swept over the country. The
natural effect was terrible. Mr.. s. Laing,
who visited Sweden in 1888, testified that
in 1880 the consumption of brandy was
eight gallons per head of the population,
to nineteen pints per head in Scotland. In
England it was only a little more than a
half a gallon per head. In an ordiaary
way every adult male in Sweden took
three drains daily to his meals, or about
five ounces of neat spirit. In an eXtraor-
dinary way he took a good deal more.
Brandy could be bought in every cottage.
Farmers converted their grain into
brandy, and took it to market. 1t was
easier to carry 1t in this way than 10
transport corn and potatoes over bad
roads and long distances. The residual
products of the manufacture were used In
feeding pigs and tor manure. Drunken
ness was common everywhere. The stat
ure of the people suffered. From 1881 to
1910 no less than 30 per cent. of the con-
scripts were rejected al unit for military
service. Farmsteads were suffered to run
to ruin. The brandy was wasted. Every
wave of commercial prosperity increased
the demorali2ation. Not even the beg
gary of the large landowners, which
stimulated the peasants to buy Their own
farms, made much appreclable difference.
The peasant owner was as drunken as the
peasant serf.
The People Find n Cure.
The consequence of this demoraliza-
tion was a popular recoil which, in 1855,
effected the enactment of substantially
the present Gothenburg system, which
Is thus summarized:
1t abolished domestic stills, and con-
verted the manufacture of spirits into a
controlled undertaking. Moreover O It
gave to every commune the right to decide
whether it would have any retail trade in
brandy within it's boundaries or not. (2)
The right to decide how many public
houses, If any, should exist, and then to
sell them by auction, the proceeds to go
to the locality; and (9 to turn the right
of limitation mentioned above under No.
2 only; and In addition it set forth that
where a company or Bolag was formed to
take over the brandy traffic, the town au-
thorties should confer upon 1t all the IL
censes which would otherwise have been
sold by auction to individuals.
Thus 1t will be perceived that the
Gothenburg system combines local OPP
tion with entire or partial prohibition;
and leaves to each community the de-
cision whether, if liquor Is to be sold in
that community, the sale shall occur
under private control, or under the con-
troll Of a company which must hand
part Of it's profits over to the commun-
ity. 1t is pointed out by Mr.. Goadby
that wherever local prohibition has
been adopted under this optional plan,
it has been more or less of a failure;
but in theory, it is still feasible, and
lacks only right public sentiment to
make 1t successful in practice.
Private Profit Abolished.
The "Gothenburg system" as we
know it, has reference, not to the gen.
eral Swedish law, which is virtually
local option, but to the experiment in
CatS,,., ~ J.. ~ 80 ou1n Vi
- ,,,,,e ~ ~. oc W nunu o,ei
-, 49, p' 1o puoN' nouse
M ,s n, 49,, w epi e.
' eoApy' We "ne 'oiu' .oheieteu VI
IL, .mu neS nes. anu iiios' pupiic,sp'rl'ea
"a 'o"n' anu the hrst
80. Vi VIC company was " use
'"~i o"n "o'u.'
oo W iherse .he lraiic III such pubic
49, 80, n ,oaSo s sue ~ W es'apiish .hat
eatinr-bouses for tha n,ar,,, as uG o,aan ,ao.o
choosing for them healthy 1,gbt and
roomy localities. where as was nronosed
by the municipal authorities of Stockholm
for the eating-houses in their city, hot
food is to be provided at least at stated
meal-times."
But the central and supreme princi-
pie of the new company was that all
the traffic was to be conducted with
out any view to private profit" The
shareholders were allowed 6 per cent.
beyond that they do not draw a far
thing; whether business was large or
small apter that did not affect them; all
the surplus went to the public funds.
ana every act or the company was
uictateu ny this principle OF refusing
~ run she PUBIC houses Tor private
p,o,l' for instance IN the contract
wi'a every manager employed TO con-
uuo. 'ne puoiie-iouse, there was the
eApi.es .,, S'a.eiei' ~ ina. the company,
dvins oousu themselves TO conuuct
.n. n, 'a'u ,'. =. a'"1 s Nn ulahuV WIN the
sole onJee. oi .,ilp'oVi.s .he moral anu
e. a..,.,. Sn " ."en oWl priVate
p.on., .,,, nel W. ensase as l,iahaser ior
.ne p'o,,e Nv 1 p'e'''''es' ~ IN tne
.,. no' ~ IT,. aia | 9
peo.ns "' ., ous ao.,a anu ., se..o eo-
.ionsa oh,aa.s,, Al r,.thon a
.,v so,,.,ax =. 80, fnn .," ,nnn , p.e