The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-02-05
iHE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
The VICE OF iNTEMpERANcE,
Lesson For the Advocates of the Gov
erninent Control OF the Liquor Traffic
The Growth of the Drink Curse In
India-Forced on the People.

| -Ihe GrOwth OF the Drink Curse In
India-Forced on the 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
900 out of the 300, ,000, ,000-certainly
not more than 30, 1000, ,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. 8.
Caine, a member of the British Parlia-
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 pot boy of India. Almost all the
distileries OF India belonged to the Gov
ernment, and they let out liquor shops by
public auction to the highest bidder, not
the highest bidder in money, but the bid.
Ger who undertook to sell the largest num-
ber OF gallons of liquor from the Govern
ment distilleres. 1t was the man who un.
dertook to take the largest amount of
drink from the Government distilleries
who obtained the monopoly of the liquor
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 as it was forty
years ago, according to the Government
condition of public opinion in this country
il we were told that the consumption OF
ardent spirit had doubled during the last
twenty years? There would be a great
agitation got up over, the length and
breadth of the land, and we should never
rest until we drove ',ack the advancing
tide Of evil. In India the advance went on
calmly, and the only protest that was made
was the protest Of the Anglo-Indian TEN.
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 perfectly
free vote were taken in India nine.tenths
of the population would vote for the pro-
hlbition 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 a 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
proht obtained IOr 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 he cost f200
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 and degradation of the peo.
Pile, 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
Government would lose f4,000, 900 of rev.
enue a 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, 900 OF people of
India there were 270,000 900 total abstain.
ers. Although India was not. therefore, o
country that could be called drunken
country, efforts must be made to stem the
growth in the consumption of liquor SC
that it would not become So