Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-11-19
| decided 10 fight vodka with all my
strength.
IOcul OptlOu lull~

strength.
Local Option Fails.
"On the suppostion that the gov
frnment was selling vodka for the
revenue. calculated the revenue re-
ccIved from its consumption In sa-
mara. ! then introduced bill In the !
city council providing that the city
give this sum TO the treasury This
bill passed and tho money was ap-
propriated. II was offered to the
government but the government
promptly refused Il.
"it then dawnod upon me that the
Russian bureaucracy did not want the
people 10 become sober. for the reason
that II was easier to rule autocraticaly !
q drunken mob than a sober people. |
This was seven years ago. Later |
| was elected mayor of Samara, eapi. |
tai of the Volga district, a district I
with over a quarter Of million in /
habitants. subsequently to holding /
this office was elected 10 the duma I
on an anti-vodka platform. In the /
duma | proposed q bill, permitting |
the Inhabitants of any town 10 close |
the local vodka shops, and providing |
also that every bottle Of vodka should |
bear a tablet with the word poison l
This bill passed the duma and went to I
the imperial council. where II was /
amended and finally tabled.
Audience With Emperor.
Il then begged an audience of En-. !
peror Nicholas He received me Will /
great kindness in his castle In the |
Crimea. not far from the scene OF the
recent Turkish bombardment. lie lis
tened to me patiently. He was i'm
pressed with my recital that most OF
the revolutionary and socialist ex-
and that the Eveaborg Kronstadt
and Sebastopol navy revolts and the
Petrograd and other mutinous mill
tary moves were all mace by vodka
Having heard me out his majesty
promised at once to speak to his
minister of finance concerning the
prohibitiin OF vodka.
disappointed at not being able to
get a government bill abolishing this
evil, had abandoned by seat in tho
duma. 1t was evident that bueau-
cracy had been able to obstruct the
measure. Minister of Finance Ko-
koysoff regarded II as dangerous IN
novation. depriving the government
of 100000 rubles $500. 100000, /
yearly without any method of re-
placing this revenue.
Nicholas Takes Action.
while lobbied In Petrogrod the
emperor visited the country around
and saw the havoc of vodka. He then
dismissed Kokovsoff and appointed
the present minister NJ. Bark.
Mobilization precipitated the anti
vodka measure The grand duke. re-
the dIsorganization due
to drunkenness during the moblliza-
tion Of 1904, ordered the prohibition
Of oil drinks except in clubs and first
class restaurants. This order en-
forced for one month showed the
Russian authorities the value Of alb
stenfion. In spite OF the general de-
preston caused by the war; the pa
ralysis of business; the closing of
factories, and the interruption of rail-
road traffic, the people felt no pri-
vation. Savings banks showed an in
creased in deposits over the preced-
ing month and over the correspond
ing month of the preceding year AT
the same time there was a boom in
the sale of meats, groceries. clothing, /
dry goods and house furnishings. 4
For Necessities OF Life.
"The thirty million rubles a day
that had been paid for vodka We're /.
now being spent for the necessities Of i
life. The average working days in
creased from three and four days to
six the numerous holidays of the
drinker were eliminated. The work
ing day also became longer and the
of the worker perhaps was
Women and children who
seldom were without marks showing 4
the physical violence Of the husband
and father suddenly found themselves 4
in an undreamed-of paradise. There |
were no blows, no insults, and no |
rough treatment.
There was bread on the table, milk |
IOI tuc bdbitS anu q 80 - 49,
kitchen. il
II decided to seize this occasiJii q
for press campaign, so far as this {
S a possible thing in Russia. ! or n
delegations to present petit I
lions to the proper authorities for !.
he prolonging of this new sobriety
'or the duration of the war. This
step found favor with his majesty and
IN order was issued to that effect i
Another sir. liar campaign to remove !,
he licenses from privileged restan- ]
ANTS and clubs was successful ana /,
strong liquor is no longer available =
in Russia, :,
Vodka Gone Forever. t.,
"The second month of abstinence
made the manifold advantages so !.
lear to everybody that when we call
d upon his majesty to thank him for !.
his recent orders, he promised that !
he vodka business of the government :
would be given up forever. rms !,
promise was promulgated In tele- !
,ram to the grand duke, Constantine {
"Thare remains only now to find :
Elsewhere the revenue which up 70 =
he present time has been contributed T"
,y vodka. There has been introduced
n the duma bill offering a solution
If this question. The aim of this bili :
S not the creation Of new taxes or
IN increase in the present taxes but