Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-11-19
Is THE GREATEST PUBLICAN
The Gar of Russia Owns 10000 Sa-
looms and 1000 DistiIIeries.

1t will come as a surprise to most
people to learn that the greatest publi-
can Of ancient or modern times is none
other than the devoutly orthodox czar
of Russia.
Vodka, the national drink of the
Russian people, has been crown mo-
nopoly continuously since the sixteenth
century. Today the crown owns 30,-
900 kabaks, or public houses, and 1000
distilleries. The annual income from
this source is approximately 100000
0OO
Public houses are open by imperial
command in that country. Every ham,
let, no matter how small, must have at
least one When a new town Is start
ed it is said the first two structures to
rise are the orthodox church and the
cozy pub" In order that the latter
may enjoy some semblance of nobility
and otherwise be distinguishable from
the ordinary run Of pure plebianism, a
picture of the czar is appropriately
royal welcome to all who enter.
Some time ago a movement was
launched in several communes to close
half the public houses and devote the
money thus saved to schools for the
children The idea seemed to be emil
nently proper, seeing the people them
selves were threatened with destruc-
tion by the million handed scourge of
ignorance and vodka.
Word came down like a crack of
thunder from the lofty heights Of st.
Petersburg that interference with a
crown monopoly would not be tolerat-
ed a single moment. And before the
reverberations had died away in the
distance, soldiers of the cZar swooped
down upon the scene, closed the
schools, re-opened the pubs" fined the
presumptuous communes and served
notice on all and sundry that further
offenses might mean an indefinite So
journ in Siberia.
Prominent physicians from all over
the empire met at Moscow some months
ago to discuss measures by which the
intolerable ravages of this monstrous
bat-winged vampire Of intemperance
might be stayed. They met in the name
of both science and humanity, but the
soldiers and police Of the little famous
czar harassed them until the congress
waS broken I'm in disorder
Before they disbanded, however,
some seeds were sown that may some
day ripen into a harvest of reform.
They showed that eighty per cent of
the male population of Russian cities
becomes addicted to the use Of vodka
before they are 80 years old; that for
ty-five per cent of all the girls in the
empire form a like habit before they
are IS; that ninety eight per cent of all
the crimes in both army and navy are
by men whose reason has been de-
throned by his majesty's special mono
poly; and that while the government is
spending less than I'd per head for
public education, the public brings an
annual blood toll offering of from % to
30s per head into the all-pervading
drink shops of the government.
The liquor business officially fostered
by the Russian government constitutes
chapter in contemporary history
which, in it's grim significance is prob
ably without a parallel in either an
cient or modern times. On the other
hand, the czar is the recognized head
of the great orthodox church and the
spiritual leader of millions of people;
while on the other he bears the distinc-
ton of being the greatest public house
| owner the world has ever known.-Tid
Bits.