The Dolores star. [volume] (Dolores, Montezuma County, Colo.) 1901-current, 1911-09-01
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66AAS
ALCOHOLIC PERIL OF FRANCE
Drink gvi's 0ssdiy Work In Provinces
-Abslnsh Taking rlrmsv Hold u
peepis Every Year.

MAKING w Inc Uuo8et1sy o0uC1t VIVA
which he was faced 10 . proposal q
suppress the privilege accorded to pri.
vats distillsrs. who In provincial
France still provide . good deal Of the
alcohol which under various names
the rural population consumss In large
Quantities. n. Rouvisr's proposals.
will In all probability become . law,
and the private distillers will Be sup.
pressed. But the Temps points out
that. though the French treasury may
expect its revenue to increase By such
. measure. since the private distillsry
had no duty to pay. yet thsrs are 9th
Or reasons which initiate against the
adoption Of this proposal and which
the Temps unites under the head Il
The Alcoholic PERIL" II says that
the French countryman will certainly
not modify his drinking habits any
more than he can alter HE Inevitable
parsimonious character. Under the
old regime he ut all events drank
good spirits. whereas under the new
regime. though the spirits may have
come from the licensed distiller, II 10
Of such q character that its effect
upon the health Of the Inhabitants IL
most disastrous.
In Normandy. says the Temps. every
one who IL not absolutely q beggar ut
noon takes . cup Of coffee freely d..
luted with cider brandy. This cider
brandy costs the private distiller from
franc and q half to two francs per
liter. and yet In towns spirit which
has paid duty both to the government
and to the local authorities can be
purchased for franc liter. The
Temps admits that this connection
may be a marvel Of chemical science
but its moral and physical effect upon
the consumers is disastrous. Taking
the town Of Caen. In Normandy, ~ an
instance. this journal says that before
the law making the drink trade free
was passed there were 200 cabarets.
or about one for every $50 inhabitants,
whereas today there are nearly 500
such establishments, or one for every
70 inhabitants. The trade. however.
Is prosperous, for whereas In 1853 the
town dues paid on alcohol amounted
to 10000 francs they have now In.
crsssed to $4,000 francs. or &c per
cent per annum. The population Of
the country. however. IL on the de.
crease. Last year in the Calvados d.
phrtment there were 1.223 maFe
deaths than births. Crime and theft
are on the increase. a. in 1890 the cor.
rectional tribunals registered $3.50
convictions. whereas last year they
noted 4.l49.
The drink question. this Journal
thinks. 10 not only fiscal one. but one
OF rational interest, and instead Of en-.
deavoring to realize the greatest pos.
sible financial profit from 1t the Temps
thinks that the production and con-
sumption Of natural and hygienic
drinks should be favored. while the
manufacture Of spirits. the basis of
which 10 badly rectifed alcohol. should
be watched over and hindered In order
to combat that which constitutes q
social and national danger M
The drink beloved Of the modern
Frenchman has had the misfortune to
attract attention itself. and the eye
Of the political economist has fallen
upon II unfavorably. The French
budget has need Of several millions Of
francs II II Is to approximate to 4
balance. and the amateur tax collect.
ors. who presumably do not drink ab.
sinthe. have suggested to tho finance
minister that he cannot do better than
put . tax upon the liquid. It 10 point.
cd out that absinthe pays no special
duty and IL only taxed on the amount
OF alcohol In II. The strongest absinthe
Is I'VE times A. deleterious ~ ordi.
nary brandy; the weakest, that which
IL sold In the drinking shops. 10 twice
or two and half times as poisonous
NJ the brandy sold In the same places.
The argument therefore Ia that taking
three times A. the average the duty
on absinthe ought to be three times
40 high a. Il 10. and % the hectoliter
ought to pay = duty Of $50 francs In.
stead Of only 220 francs. The advo
Gates OF this increased tax point out
that absinthe IL only very rarely Of
use incidentally. but that It's daily con.
sumption destroys the nervous system
and brings on epilepsy. paralysis and
madness. Every year more Of the
stun 10 drunk In France, and II 10
stated that to Ito use 10 due the great
mortality from consumption In the
French army. II 10 agreed that ab.
sinths 10 poisonous and that the
finances Of France want . new and
productive tax. but Il 10 doubtful
whether any minister will have the
courage to propose such . fnrreac hing
innovation.