Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-12-08
TEMPER ANCE
TOPICS.


fury, the problems Of transportation
constituted a powerful incentive to
the production of spirits in Sweden.
A principal article OF production in
the rural districts was potatoes. To
ship the surplus crop OF tubers two
or three hunderd miles overland by
teams was manifestly impracticable.
So the farmers adopted the general
policy of distilling their suplus pota-
toes and shipping the "branvin" to
the centers OF population for sale.
This policy grew until in 1921, there
we're more than 10000 stills In ru-
raj Sweden. The introduction of
railways throughout rural Sweden
had much to do with settling this
economic problem, though by no
means were they the sole influence
In the reform.
In the mountainous regions of the
South. there exists a breed of men
called "moonshiners." They are not
inherently bad men" Many Of
them are men Of standing in their
communities, workers in the noun
tain churches and who have the con-
hdence of the communities in which
they live.
The fact that they live far removed
from railways or other means Of
transportation has much to do with
their being 'moonshiners." They
cannot find a market for their sur
plus corn, owing to the natural diff
culties OF getting 1t to the market
So they have fallen into the practice
of distilling their little surplus and
sending the whisky to the market.
In the Southern States, the ref. se
of the sugar factories is now pure
waste.
In seasons of unusual crops in po-
tatoes, the price often drops far be-
low the cost of production and often
they are not dug at all. There is
partial or total loss of the crop.
In the far West, the inferior
grades of corn find no market and to-
tai loss is only averted by using 1t to
feed stock. In the fruit belt, the
"culls" and drops and seconds"
are marketed at loss because there
is no avenue open to consume such
products on a remunerative basis.
This portion OF the fruit crop is more
or less an economic loss.
The removal of the tax from alco-
hol, after it has been chemically
treated under Government supervis-
ion so as to make 1t undrinkable, will
solve this problem of waste of these
products of the farm by providing an
outlet for them for useful purpose
and at a reasonable price. The ref
use of the farm at once becomes a
valuable asset instead of trouble
some waste. Instead of shipping his
surplus corn to the far markets and
sending afar for his light and fuel,
the farmer can market considerable
proportion of his surplus near to
home, where it will be made up into
alcohol for light and fuel for his
own use.
1t will result in a heavy increase in
the production of alcohol, of course.
This, under the old conditions,
would be a cause for alarm. But
science has provided methods for the
treating of alcohol in such manner
that none but the most confirmed
dipsomaniac can drink 1t or does
drink it. This fact is not a theory,
because, after sixty years trial with
tax free alcohol treated in this way
for industrial purposes, the temper
ance leaders of England unanimously
declare that the policy has not been
prejudicial to temperance interests in
any way whatever. Such distin-
guished authorities as Lady Henry
Somerset, DR.. Dawson Burns, Joseph
Mains, after a lifetime of actual OBJ
servation, scout at the idea Of this
offensive tax free denatured alcohol
being prejudicial to the temperance
cause.
In France, Germany and Switzer-
land, where the largest use has been
made of the tax free denatured alco-
hol legislation, the temperance lead
ers are even more enthusiastic over
the results than in Britain. The con-
tinental temperance men are not only
friendly, but to man are earnest
advocates of this legislation on ac-
count of the good results for tenn
perance. 1t was this very law passed
In Germany In 1888, that opened the
door to advanced temperance legisla-
ton in the Fatherland. 1t did this
by stripping the drink traffic of the
Industrial support and compelling ii
to stand alone, on its merits, and il
had no merits. 1t removed the oppo-
sition of the powerful Agrarians, who
we're afraid that restriction on the
liquor traffic would interfere with
potato market, the source of much OF
the distilled spirits Of that country.
In England, where there has been a
boom in the use of Industrial alcohol,
there has been an accompanying rad
icaI decrease in the consumption OF
beverage spirits. This tendency has
been continuous for half a dozen
years. In Norway. where the Stats
tics are closely and critically kept
the same tendency appears.