The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1914-11-27
CAR ISSUES UKASE
COMPLETE PROHIBITION
One Man Brought Sobriety to Great
Russian Nation.

| Petrograd, Nov. 1s.-Actual and com
plete prohibition is in force to-da,
throughout the entire Russian empir,
and not a drop of vodka, whisky, gin
brandy or any other strong drink is OBJ
tainable from one end to the other o
an area populated by $50, 600, 900 peo
pie and comprising one-sixth Of tn,
habitable globe.
In every foot of Russian territory the
word prohibition is taken literally. Il
does not mean a partially successful at
tempt to curtail liquor consumption, re,
sulting in drinking in secret places,
abuse OF medical licenses. and general
evasion OF subterfuge. 1t does mean
that vast population who consumed
81 100000 worth OF vodka year,
whose ordinary condition has been de-
scribed by Russians themselves as rang
ing from a slight degree Of stimulation
upward, has been lifted almost in one
day to sobriety.
On that day when the mobilization
began policeman visited every public
place where vodka is sold, locked up
the supply OF the liquor, which is al
most pure alcohol, and placed on the
shop the imperial seal. Since the man
ufacture and sale OF vodka is a govern
ment monopoly, it is not difficult to en-
force prohibition, and from the day the
shops were closed drunkenness van
ished.,
The results already are seen in the
peasantry. They are beginning to look
like different race. Marks of suffer
ing, the pinched looks of illness and
improper nourishment have gone from
their faces. Their clothes are cleaner
and both men and women appear more
neatly and better dressed. Homes OF
the poor, formerly destitute, now pre-
sent something like order and thrift.
In Petrograd and Moscow the effect
is fairly startling. On holidays inebri-
ates always filed the police stations and
often lay about in the streets. To-day
unattended women may pass at night
through portions Of these cities where
it formerly was dangerous for men.
Minor crimes and misdemeanors have
almost vanished.
This miracle virtually has been ac-
complished by one man. He is Michael
D. Tchelisheff, peasant by birth, orig
inally house painter by profession,
then mayor OF the city of Samara, and
now a millionaire. Physically he is
giant, standing over six feet four inches.
55 years old, his movements
display the energy Of youth, his eyes
are animated, and his black hair is not
tinged by gray.
In Petrograd Mr.. Tchelisheff goes
about clad in blue blouse with tas-
seled girdle and baggy black breeches
tucked into heavy boots. He offers his
visitors tea and fruit.
Speaking to-day to representative of
The Associated Press of what he had
for sobriety in Russia,
Mr.. Tchelsheff said;
II was reared in small Russian vii
age without schools. l picked up an
,ducation from old newspapers and
tray books. One day chanced upon
! book which treated of alcohol. It
tated that vodka was a poison. was
% impressed, knowing that everybody
Irank vodka, that asked the first ply
ician / met if the statement were true.
lie said yes. / decided TO take every
opportunity to discover more about the
Ise of vodka.
At the end of the eighties there
anne famine in Russia followed by
lgrarian troubles. | saw a crowd Of
easants demand from a landlord all
le grain and foodstuffs in his granery
nd / noted that every man who was
king part in this incident was drink
lg man while their abstemious fellow /
Ilagers had sufficient provisions in
leir own homes.
AT Samara / decided to do more
ian passiyely disapproye OF vodka. At r
lis time | was an alderman. Many a
nants in my houses we're working ?
en-. One night drunken father in
le Of my houses killed his wife. Then il
decided to fight vodka with all my 0
rength. n
On the supposition that the govern $
ent was selling vodka for revenue, I u
lculated the revenue received from y
in Samara. / then intro 4
iced bill in the city council proyid- +
g that the city give this sum to the 81