Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-11-09
Russia and South Carolina.

we aTe lnueDtcu TO Inc NEW I or
Evening Post for an article of pee,
liar interest to South Carolina, esp,
cially at this time. 1t is on the 90,
ernment liquor monopoly in Russia
and rs our own Gar Of 1909
forced this Russian system u.'on Il
our people will naturally wa..t :
know how the experiment has fare
in this country whose combination c
socialism with despotism Tillma
aped. Yes, aped for although on
dispensary organs have declares
with pride that Russia followed tn
example of South Carolina the trutl
is that South Carolina followed tn,
example of Russia. Eight years be
fore our dispcnsary law was passct
tho identical system was put int,
effect in tho land of One Master.
The Evening Post says that cit il
now almost 20 years since Mr.
Emile Alglave began his agitation
in favor of committing the business
of dealing in alcoholic drinks to the
government" 1t traces the slow
progress of the idea in other countries
and co->vlaues:
"But it is in Russia that M. Al.
glavc's mission has been most sue.
cessful. The combination of senti-
mental despotism and governmental
corruption prevailing in that country
furnishes precisely the soil in which
such ideas flourish, and, beginning in
1885, the government has extended
its monopoly until it now produces a
revenue of 360,000,000 rubles."
1t can at least be said that in
Russia, the country first to adopt it,
the liquor dispensary has paid pretty
well. a silver ruble is worth about
DO cents in American gold. The
Russian monopoly, therefore, yields
some $144,000,000 a year. The Rus
sian empire contains less than 100
times the population of South Caro-
lima and its per capita wealth is much
less. Yet if the South Carolina dis
pensary were to pay as we'll in pro-
portion to population as that of Rus
sia the liquor revenue of this State
would be about 81 100000 anD:.ally.
The actual receipts are not .1e-third
rs much. Corrupt as Russian Off
cialdom is, there must be fewer leak
ages in its dispensary business.
Perhaps the Russians are not civil
led enough to give and receive re-
bates.
The Evening Post continues:
'That the finance ministers of
Russia should regard with favor an
undertaking which produces so large
return is altogether natural. The
schemes OF that empire
ire very expensive, and now that
his source of revenue has been
apped, it will be found indispensable.
)ther considerations are involved.
'owever, than those of fiscal char
ctcr, and the social results of the
government monopoly have been
evercly criticised. The Russian
society of Public Hygiene rcco ntly
ppointcd a commission to investi-
ate the subject, and the reports of
ONE of its members disclose q state
affairs which is certainly not ideal.
Borodine, in a careful review of
he situation, finds that the claim
nat intemperanco would be de-
reased under the government mo-
opo'v is untenable. When the GOV.
rnmcnt took control, it declared
lat It's film was not revenue, but
ocial Improvement. The debasing
'c::'re of private gain was to be re-
laced ~ the elevated desire to adj
ance tho public interest. Instead
saloon-keepcrs interested in hay
lelr sales of drink as large as posi-
c, there were to bo officers of the
tate charged with the promotion of
Unfortunately tho
ractice of the government has not
'rrespondcd with its professions" =,
How like, how like Word for
ord, letter for letter, these were
10 promises made for our "crcat
oral institution" and orc still the
cas- urged for it's continuance.
here never was a closer parallel be-
'ecn profession and profession, be-
'cen practice and practice.
But the resemblance does not stop
re. Russia, like South Carolina,
rbado the drinking of liquor in the
'vernment shops
"When tho sale of liquors to be
'unk on the premises was forbidden
G condition of affairs camo to re-