The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-02-18
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF MTEMPERANcE.
A Lesson For the Advocates Of the Gov;
ernmept Control Of Liquor Irsdas
The Growth Of the Drink Curse In
Indis-FoTecd ON tho People.

The Growth Of the Drink Curse In
Indis-Forccd on tho People.
We had taken hold Of the government
OF a country which, by religion and life,
was abstinent, and had introduced into
th,t country Intoxicating liquor and en-.
~couraged its consumption. But in spite
OF that we believed that not more than
2o,0O0,OoO out of the 800. o00, o00-certainly
not more than 30, 000, 000-had ever touched
intoxicating liquor in their lives. We had
given Indian western civilization, govern.
ment and institutions, and We had forced
upon that country the most western OF all
institutions, namely, the excise system,
and with it the liquor shop, says W.. |.
Game, q member Of the British Par.ia-
ment. The Government Of India had long
since taken the entire control OF the liquor
trade into its own hands, and was practi.
cally, the POI. boy Of India. Almost al the
distilleries Of India belonged to the Gov
public auction to the highest bidder, not
the highest bidder in money, but the bid.
der who undertook to sell the largest num-
Der Of gallons of liquor from the Govern.
ment distilleries. It was the man who nm.
dertook to take the largest amount OF
drink from the Government dishlleries
who obtained the monopoly Of the hquor
shops. Year by year this competition
went on, and the result was that at every
turn the natives were encouraged in every
way to consume liquor. The consumption
was going by leaps and bounds; it had
doubled during the last twenty years, and
was four times as much az it was forty
years ago, according to the Government
returns. What, he asked, would be the
condition Of public opinion in this country
if we were told that the consumption OF
ardent spirit had doubled during the last
twenty years? There would be Q great
agitation gos up over the length and
breadth Of the land, and We should never
tide of evil. In India the advance went on
calmly, and the only protest that was made
was the protest Of the A~nglo-Indian Tenn.
perance Association. That association held
300 branch organizations, and had behind
them the opinion Of practically the whole
OF India. He was sure that IL q perfectly
free vote were taken in India nine-tenths
OF the population would vote for the pro-
hibition Of the sale of Intoxicating liquor.
That was the state of the society on which
the liquor trade was forced by the Govern
ment. There were q great many people
who advocated that the whole of the liquor
traffic should be in the hands Of the State.
This had been tried in Russia, with the re-
suit that the consumption had increased
under Government control by over sixteen
per cent. The whole business Of the In.
dian civil servant was to raise revenue, and
ninety-seven out Of every 100 rupees Of
profit obtained for liquor went into the
Golfers of the Government. While the In
dian Government could not see their way
to prohibit the sale Of ardent spirits to
children under thirteen years Of age, they
prohibited its sale to British soldiers, but,
Of course, the British soldier was Of much
more consequence, because be cost EGO o
year, and the sale Of liquor to him would
lead to his being incapacitated, and the
money would be wasted. The drink sold
in India was, perhaps, the most deadly of
all alcoholic drink ever invented, and it
had been known to have very speedily
brought about death. The excuse given
for the encouragement Of the sale OF this
liquor was that revenue must be obtained,
but We contend that no nation could ever
prosper out of a revenue that was drawn
from the vice md degradation Of the peo-
PIE. 1t was simply burning. the candle at
both ends. The additional cost OF the
people, owing to the results occasioned by
the consumption Of liquor, was very much
greater than the revenue drawn from the
sale Of intoxicating liquor. The Indian
enue q year If the sale of intoxicating
liquors were prohibited, but it would gain
much more in the prosperity OF the coun-
try. Out of the 800, 000, 900 OF people OF
India there were go, 900 900 total abstain.
ers. Although India was not, therefore, .
country that could be called q drunken
country, efforts must be made to stem the
growth in the consumption OF liquor, 50
that IL would not become 90.