The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-01-12
Wave Of Temperance Agitation
Is Now Sweeping Europe

of these consequences, direct and in
direct, to realize hat our country is
itself tainted in it's life forces. The
nation is no less sick than the
individuals whose intestines or lungs
Or kidneys have been affected by
alcohol"
All Are Taking Action.
The action taken to meet these evils
differs according to the countries Of
Europe, but in all some steps are be-
ing taken.
In France the officers of many
French regiments-With the assistance
of medical men and the travelling ex-
h~ibitions-are delivering lectures and
educating the army AVA from a1co-
hol. In Germany, additionally beer
sodden, an active campaign is going
on for the mitigation of the influence,
and. curiously enough, the kaiser and
the socialists have both espoused the
cause of temperance. In poverty
has been withheld and prevents the
establishment of prohibition. which
has been twice voted in the Finnish
assembly.
The higher classes" have blocked
similar movements initiated by the
common people and their representa-
tives in Sweden and Norway. Medic
al l1ISAA anu JOURNALISTS are lSIIAlS The
liquor traffic In Italy. A few daring
papers are struggling for a hearing in
! Germany, particularly in Prussia, but
most Of the German press is Subsidiz-
ed by the brewing interests to such an
extent that a speech of the kaiser'S, in
which he advocated temperance re-
forms, was 9arbled or wholly ignored
by more than 1000 German papers,
n even the accounts Of a long dis
! tlnnp foot r9pn wpra go fa1ciHoS oc +o
make out the a~bstaining runner were
those who dropped by the wayside,
when four Of the nine abstainers
competing finished in the first five.
In all these nations the upper
classes" r the obstacles to legisla-
tive reforms-the house of lords in
England being directly responsible for
bill, and the alliance of the eoclesias-
tics and brewers in 1904 allowing the
passage Of the licensing bill for the
British Isles, if Mr.. Gordon's citations
from the press Of the time are to he
credited.
Puts Blame on upper Glasses"
There Is a decidedly sociallstic bent
to the charge that he makes, further
more-that the interests of the upper
class have been indefinitely identified
with the traffic in alcoholism, and that
~ lSCSlNSS tIISlt SulSSU DOC
In support Of this latter statement,
Mr.. Gordon quotes the eminent DR..
Scharffenberg, one of the leaders of
the Norwegian struggle for prohibi-
ton.
THE tone-giving and ~propertied
classes" writes the doctor, hate the
whole advanced ti-alcohol legisla-
ton. They wish the temperance par
ty to be merely the ambulance for the
rescue Of the alcohol sick. Their at
titude is due-first to their ignorance
Of the hygienic consequences Of al
collol; second, to their love of drink;
third, to their financial interests. and
fourth, to lack of sympathy with the
under classes. The youth of the up
per classes, as a rule, despises the
temperance movement. Yet training
for sport has made many of them
relatively temperate. The farmer boys
Inc the working boys are, as a rule
easy to win for temperance"
Two Of the important factors in tho
European situation are the travelling
anti-alcoholic exhibitions and the rap
idly increasing advocacy of the pro.
hibition cause by the socialists. II
Switzerland, Sweden. and German,
several such exhibitions are main.
ltained, and any number Of small shor
window exhibitions displayed by bust,
ness men converts. The travelling ex.
hibits have numbers of charts of in,
formation and beer kegs arranged IL
sizes to show alcohol consumption b,
nations, with wooden. columns show.