The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-03-07

any other ma ton In the world
IN the form OF spirits alone IL tss
sestiIaated thai s 5.26 .0Oe 600 worth
VI as drum K Ia France during 1911
.f65UTnDIete pfoh3Ditfon IS beyond
the widest dreams OF any French
ifemperance TeEormer. says Henri
Schmidt who is author OF the Dill
about to come ore the House OF
IDepuffes. and the most we can hope
at present Is to forbid the opening OF
amy new saloons. by refusing to
grant new licences we hope in the
course Of hme, as some o. the prese5ll
drinking establ fshment fan or cease
10 exist Tor other reasons; to reduce
the average of drinking places to one
for two hundred Inhabitants. We
shall not; however, try to prevent the
opening of restaurants where drink
sold with meals.
BUT even such mild antFalco-
hoIfc measure as this is likely to meet
with much opposition in Parliametlf
How difficult It is TO pass temperance
Legislation in France may be judged
from the fact that In 1912 only II y,
out OF 500 deputies voted In favor o.
a milder bill which originated in the
Senate and was twelve years passing
through the upper house.
I'VE hope, however, that the gem
.eral elections this spring viii constd-
lerably increase the temperance vote
in the chamber aud we are organic
ing an energetic non-partyi campaign
throughout France, urging each polit-
ical group to obtain from their can
didate a declaration on the drink
question and, IL possible pledge to
support anti-alcoho1tc legislation.
After the passage OF the law at
present before the House there ARE
two other projects which we hope to
realize in course of time. One is the
absolute prohibition OF the sale OF
abslnthe. OfactaI Statistics show that
the consumption OF this liquor " hieh
stood at TOO, 600 lftres In 1874 had
increased to- rs, 0OO5008 litres In
1910. The Increase of crime in
France during recent years is large
ly due to Misunderstanding Our
mad-hpuses are filed with lunaticE
who would have been sane and
healthy men and women but for abb
sinthe.
rgThe second antl-alcoholic meas
ure will be for abo1ishing the priv
ilege" of spirit distillers to rinanufac-
ture quantity of spirit free from
taxation for consumption by them
selves and their families. The
amount of spirits thus manufactured
is enorm GUS, especially in the cider |
districts such as Normandy and Brit
tany where every peasant Is a distil- |
eminent has no check whatever on |
spirit manufactured under the priv !
fIege' and Of course it is not by any |
means consumed by the distiller and
his family. It is estimated that. If |
the spirits. .naanufactured under the |
privilege were taxed at the same rate /
as other alcohol it7would bring rev |
entie of at least $4,000, 900.
I'VE propose no legislation at pres
ent against the drinking OF wine In |
districts where nothing but wine is |
consumed there is very little aIcohol-
ism. Unfortunately inhabitants Of |
the famous ine-growing districts OF /
France are no longer content toi
drink wine alone. They have ac-
qutred the taste for more pernicious /
drinks and at the same time more alb
sfnthe is being drunk each year in the
Midi than in any other part Of
France"
Nine. Leon BFunschwieg, general
secretary OF the French Union for
Woman's Suffrage and prominent
temperance reformer- says: . An ti-al- /
coholism is one of the chief plaMks in |
our platform and believe the grant
Ing of votes for women viii be the
only means OF securing temperance
majority in the French Parliament