The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-12-05
TEMPERANCE ABROAD.

TEMPERANCE ABROAD.
1t is not only south Of Mason anC
DiXon's lire nor only in the United
States that prohibition and other forms
of temperance work are being pushed.
The countries Of the Old World or some
of them, are feeling the same impulse,
and are making or proposing some ex-
traordinsry measures for the abate-
ment of the drinking evil. 1t was sup
posed years ago that the socalled
Gothenburg system in Sweden was a
permanent solution Of the problem, but
recently it has been deemed necessary
to revise that system in a radical man.
ner. In Great Britain in some way a
marked decrease in the consumption of
liquors is noted, and measures are in
contemplation for promoting that pro-
cess through Parliamentary or local
enactments. Now come reports to the
same effect from Germany. The Prus-
sian Minister Of Justice is leading a
movement for the abolition Of compul-
sorry beer drinking among university
students, and even to discourage yolun-
tary guiding, while a formidable petit
ton has been presented to the govern
ment for the separation of sober and
drunken persons on railroad trains by
the use of special cars, though there
seems to be some uncertainty whether
the cars should be reserved FOR those
who are sober or FOR those who are
tipsy.
Up in Finland the most remarkable
anti-alcoholic legislation of all has
actually been enacted and now awaits
the Grand Dukes approval, which it
may not receive. Largely because of
woman suffrage and the spread of the
Socialist propaganda, the most stringent
prohibition bill on record has been pass
ed by the Diet. This amazing measure
not only forbids all manufacture or
sale of spirits, beer and wine, but it
prohibits any traffic in alcohol of any
kind, save through strict government
monopoly. Churches are forbidden, IN
der heavy penalties, to use wine in the
communion service. People who had
wines in their possession before the
enactment Of the law may continue to
hold them, but any one hereafter ac-
quiring any liquors will be subject to
fine and Imprisonment. The police and
other officials are authorized, without
special warrant and on mere suspicion,
to enter and search any house for
liquors. Any ship entering Finnish
waters with a cargo consisting largely
of alcoholic liquors will be seized and
confscated. All the breweries, dis
tilleries and liquor stores and shops in
the country must at once go out Of bust
ness, without compensation. Indeed,
in framing the law the Diet seems
really to have acted upon the exhorta-
ton of one Of its members, Baroness
Gripenberg, to 'leave reason aside and
let sentiment prevail"
These things at least serve to en-
phasize the point which we have fire.
quently made in these columns, that
complaints Of puritanism and fanati-
clsm in this country as contrasted with
the liberalism Of Europe are not alto
gether well founded. More than one
European country is taking even more
advanced ground in temperance reform
than has been proposed here We can
not recall any American prohibition law
as stringent as that which Finland is
seeking to establish. When in one of
our states it was discovered that
through inadvertence the law was so
drawn as possibly to prevent the use of
wine at the communion services of
churches it was quickly and generally
conceded that an amendment must be
made so that there would be no inter-
ference with worship. But in Finland
the clause expressly banishing wine
from the communion table was purpose
ly inserted into the bill The interfer-
ence with personal liberty in sump-
tuary matters is far more marked in
several European countries than it is
here. The merits of some Of our tenn
perance legislation may be open to dis
cussion; but at least it cannot be truth
fully maintained that this country or
any part of it is alone or unique or even
extremely advanced in meddling with
mans supposed right to get drunk.
THIGH InT