Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-10
;OUTslDE POINT OF VIEW.
written fer tho Times Republican

tOUTSIDE POINT OF VIEW;
Written fer tho Times Republican
Those who yesterday read in this coll
umn Mr.. Curtis letter on the Gothen-
burg scheme will be interested in the
other part of the article. He gives fig
ures in the following paragraph that
certainly Will furnish our prohibition
friends with food for thought" Con-
tinuing Mr.. Curtis says:
"A few years of experience in Gothen-
burg taught the necessity of certain
notifications in the original system and
in the law uron which 1t is based. Sub
licenses were granted to hotels and
large. respectable restaurants. to supply
liquor to their customers with meals.
and, to satisfy the demands of the work.
ing class, cheap restaurants were estab-
hshed in connection with the liquor
agencies, at which food is served at
nominal prices--a cup OF coffee, tea or
cocoa for 21i cents. and cents with
bread and butter, 7.s cents with meat
sandwiches. 10 cents with broiled egg.
and other. food and drinks at similar
prices. Reading rooms also We're estab-
llished in connection with the restau-
rants, in which newspapers, magazines
and books ale furnished free to all COM
ers at the expense of the bolag. No
drinks are served in the reading ROOM,
but persons buying sandwiches. eggs
and other food in the restaurant are. al
lowed one dram of liquor. @
I'm nearly every case the restaurants
are kept by the manager Of the agency.
and the profits on the sale Of food go to
him. Hence, as he receives salary for
managing the agency and his compensa-
tion is in nj, wise affected whether he
sells little or more liquor, it is to his pc
cuniary adva ntage to persuade callers to
take coffee. lea and food instead.
THE rasulrs of the Introduction OF the
Gothenburg system in that city, in
Stockholm and elsewhere are very ap-
parent. In the first place the number
of distilleri,s in Sweden, which, as I
have said. was 172,124 in 1850 was re-
duced to $50 in 1870 and to 126 In 1898.
~, per capita in 1850 was forty-five
quarts; in 1870 II was thirteen quarts; in
1898. eight Quarts.
BY exclu ling Individual profits as
stimulus for increased sales. by refusing,
to sell on ere dit. by opening we'll lighted,
healthy and clean premises In place OF
the former dark, wretched haunts of
vice and misery; by serving pure IN.
stead Of poisonous drinks: by establish
ing eating houses, and In other direc-
tons the bclag has certainly improved
the condition of the poor and decreased
drunkenness, and vice. The reports of
the police courts show this III remark
able degree. In 1855, when Gothenburg
had population Of only $4,000. there
were a,431 arrests for drunkenness: in
1876, ten years after the new system was
established. with a population of $4,000.
the number of arrests for drunkenness
was 2.49o; II, 1855. with population Of
$4,000, the arrests for drunkenness were
c,476. and III 1895, With population Of
i13. 600, they We're 3,516-only few more
than when the population was less than
c third as great
Now follows what would seem to be
unimpeachable evidence from disinter-
ested witnesses. 1t can be assumed that
these governors in reasoning power
are fully our eQaulS:
Similar reports come from every city
where the system has been introduced.
The publica tons of the Gothenburg So
cieties contain reports from the govern
ors OF nearly all the towns and prov
ircee OF Sweden. and while most of them
are conservative. they all testify to the
improved morals of the people. The
governor of Gothenburg says: There
can be no doubt that these measures
have brought about an improved moral
condition. and. altho fights and other
disorders can not be entirely prevented,
we must allow that the Intervention of
the police has been called for less often
than In former times. The governor of
Stockholm says: This company has
done excellent service in
which must ever attend the sale of spir-
It's The governor of Upsala says: The
company's operations have been. and
continue to be, of essential benefit In
promoting order and morality The
governor OF Jonkoping says: We do not
hesitate to Dear witness to the good re-
suits which. by diminishing drunken
ness and promoting temperance among
the working classes, the companies have
already achieved, The governor of
Kalmar says: BY adopting this system
a beneficial result has been obtained SO
far as the morals and the order of the
community are concerned
Similar commentators appear in
every official report on the subject that
I have seeil. and the system has met
with the approval of authorized COM
missions se,it by various municipal and
other governments to make inyestiga-
tons The best report on the subject.
am told, wis made in 1893 by the labor
bureau Of the United States
And here are more figures that are az !