The Washington herald., 1911-02-09
The Fight Against Strong Drink in France

Another heroic attempt is being made
by the French Parliament, or at least
section OF il, to combat the alcohol
scourge which already has wrought so
well-being of France. Every now and
then during the Iast twenty years ef-
forts leading to a reform of the drink
evil have been made spasmodically in
that country, but nothing tangible in the
way of enactments of law has as yet re-
suited from these endeavors.
There hardly is any doubt that the
drink evil exists to-day in France in a
most virulent form. Yet neither Pariia-
ment nor the public seems to be able to
agree upon a means of remedy or eradi-
cation In England the licensing law is
explicit and stringent and its tendency Is
to become more drastic every year.
What it is in America We all know. In
France, on the contrary. it is vague and
elastic, winking at known abuses rather
than striving to suppress them.
IN England a wider significance is given
to the term alcohol than in France. In
the former country it is held to include
both wine and beer while in France these
are exempt from the classification. and,
along with cider. are classed as ''hygienic
drinks The reason for this seemingly
glaring inconsistency is not far to seek.
Wine is the national drink of the
French people. 1t is also a very impor-
tant national product. and no citizen as
yet has been found outrageous enough to
come forward and say that its consump-
ton should be discountenanced or re-
stricted by act of Parliament.
Alcoholic drinks, from the French legis-
lative point of view, mean brandy. alb
sinthe, and whisky. which latter the Eng
lish influence is popularizinE. and those
aperients which have as basis a certain
quantity of alcohol.
French legislative remedies which have
in the majority Of instances sought to ac-
complish this end by the lessening Of the
number debts de BLOSSOMS. or retail
drinking places.
Some fifteen years ago an attempt was
made to minimize the evil OF intemper-
ance by tine introduction of a bill in the
Chamber Of Deputies. the author of
was so drastic. however-at least from
the French point of view-that every one
was ,afraid Of it. Deputies Stunned it as
they would have Stunned the plague.
Cabinet ministers were known to turn
male at the mere mention Of its title. So
il was quietly dropped. The bill still is
comfortably slowed away in one or an
other of the dusty archives of the cham
ber.
About ten years ago another PROPOSE
ton which sought to grapple with the
drink evil was formally introduced in the
French Senate. This bill was mild enough
in its way, simply aiming at reduction
in the number of debts de BLOSSOMS by
the process Of gradual extinction until
they had been brought down to the pro-
norton of one for every 200 inhabitants.
It set forth that when q debit closed
its doors for any reason whatever and re-
mained closed continuously for one year
1t should cease to exist. and that no fresh
establishment Of a similar nature be
opened in the locality unless the legal
population standard stipsiats1 was shown
to Justify the granting Of nsh license.
1t was computed by someNstatlD Dtician that
under this bill it would take nifty years
for the desired reduction to be effected.
This was q harmless enough measure
and yet % fierce and persistent has been
the opposition in Parliament and outside
during the past ten years that II is stu
struggling to become law and About -
| ar from bslng enacted - at the time q
| IL cs1ginal lnssoduction. Successive ~.
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