St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-07-29
A Wide View of the Temperance
Situation.

0ik0okAVus
CONDENSED FRon THE LAST REPORT OF
THE NATIONAL TEMPERANCE SOCIETY
IN NATIONAL ADVOCATE.
All signs portend the MONDAY of vic.
tory for the temperance reform. deep
undercurrent is setting more and more
for the overthrow of the drink traffic,
and at the commencement of the TWEEN
tieth century we can look back with
thankfulness and forward with glorious
hope. Men may talk as they please
about an increase of social drinking,
especially among women, and of
marked increase of late years of the per
capita consumption Of liquors; but what
the condition of things would be in this
country to-day had there been no total
abstinence movement it is frightful to
contemplate. The world has never seen
as rapid progress in the fight for the
abolition of the saloon as it is witness
ing today. Never have the forces arrayed
against the saloon and its attendant
evils been so aggressive and persistent,
and so well organized as at present, and
never have they struck such effective
blows.
CRIMINAL RECORDS
show that from 80 to 81 per cent of the
criminals are drinkers.
DR.. Elisha Harris. secretary Of the
New York State Prison Association,
found out of seventeen cases of murder
examined by him that fourteen had been
instigated by Intoxicating drinks. He
SAYS that fully IS per cent. of all convicts
whom he has examined gave evidence Of
having been in some degree prepared or
enticed to do criminal acts by the ply
steal and distracting effects of alcohol.
Judge J. r. Thomas of the U. S. District
court said-"About eight.tenths of the
crimes in the Indian Territory can be
traced directly to the immoderate use of
Intoxicating liquor"
Judge Quinn, of the 18th Judicial Dis
trict recently said that 81 per cent. of
crime was due, directly or indirectly, to
drink. The statement being challenged
in private, the investigator was referred
to the court records, and it was found
that of the persons sentenced by Judge
Quinn during the FIVE years of his service
as Judge of that district there was,but a
single exception to the rule stated by
nlII. EtCIy case SOulu DC dtkilOalSd W
the use of intoxicating liquor.
The prison warden at Pittsburgh, Pa,
reports that of 1879 summary convic-
tions to the jail during 1902 nearly every
one was treated for alcoholism.
Mr.. Johnson, OF South Bend, Ind, who
had been the sheriff OF st. Joseph County
for years, says that he kept an accurate
account of the causes for arrest of every
one of more than 5000 cases that came
under his care during his four years as
sheriff, and when his term of office was
out he and his wife went over them
carefully and found that 9512 per cent
were directly traceable to liquor.
EXPERT TESTIMONY ON INSANITY
shows that alcohol and drugs. especially
among the young, are responsible for &
large per cent of the cases. The increase
of insanity in the cities is alarming. Ii
Brooklyn at Kings County Charity
Hospital, during 1901, 4S5 patients wer'
received; in 1902 they were received a
the rate of 1 200 per year.
THE ANNUAL REPORTS OF VARIOUS AsSUR
ANCE COMPANIES
give incontestible evidence as to the in
creasing harmfulness of intoxicants ant
the increasing health and longevity o
abstainers.
The Scottish Temperance COMPANY
presents table of mortality for twenty
years showing a ratio per cent. in tn
temperance section OF As per cent. and il
the general section OF II per cent. TIL
Sceptre Life Company gives tables TO-
nineteen years showing that in tn
general section the mortality was 70 pc
cent. and in the temperance section s.
per cent.
A striking answer to the question
whether abstainers live longer and hav
less sickness than non-abstainers is foun'
in the government report OF the Publ
Actuary of South Australia, Mr.. Fl
Dillon Gouge, F. S. S., in which he show
that the mortality per cent. OF member
actually sick among non-abstainers i
nearly double that of abstainers ant
that non-abstainers experience ten week
of sickness to six weeks of the abstainers
This comparison was made betweel
strictly temperate orders or societies
and orders in which most Of the me-
are sober and industrious and moderat
drinkers.
IN GREAT BRITAIN
the intemperance among the women
becoming a burning question. 81
Thomas Barlow, the Kings physician
breaches no futile gospel Of "moderat
drinking" to cope with the evil of inten
perance amongst women. We are tol
that no half measures will do in ths
respect. Sir Thomas is particular
severe upon those nurses and doctor
who often desire to give the female vi
tins OF drink during their convalescent
it may be "a little to stimulate thel
when they have this dreadful weakness
heart failure, and pain" "And it is jul
that damnabe thing" said Sir Thoma
"that you have to stop. These cast
can always be dealt with, and general
successfully, if the patient is surrounde
by friends who are not criminal lunatic
and if you have any cases OF alcohol
diseases among your friends, l beseet
you to get doctors and nurses who
teetotalers."
Lady Henry Somerset, on the eve
her recent departure from America, ga
expression to her views on this subjee
Sne said that nothing here surprised h
more than the sobriety of the America
people. English women, in partlcuia
She said, were much more given to drir
than American women, and how to &c
with this phase of the temperan
problem was one of the most serlo