Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-11-24
iNisrellantous Reaaina.
PROHIBITION IN RUSSIA
Remarkable Achievement Of an Hum
BILE Peasant.

Remarkable Achievement Of an Hum
BILE Peasant
The miracle Of prohibition in Russia
according to a correspondent of the AS
sociated Press, virtually has been ac-
complished by one man. He is Mlchael
L. Tchlisheff, peasant by birth, orig
inally a house painter by profession
then mayor of the city Of Samara. and
now millionaire. Physically he is
giant, standing over six feet four
inches. Although SO 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 a blue blouse with tas-
selled girdle and a baggy black
breeches tucked in heavy boots. He
offers his visitors tea and fruit.
Speaking to a representative of the
Associated Press of what he had ac-
complished for sobriety in Russia, Mr..
Tchelisheff said:
Il was reared in small Russian
village without schools. l picked up
an education from old newspapers and
stray books. One day l chanced upon
a book which treated Of vodka. 1t stat
ed that vodka was poison. l was so
impressed, knowing that everybody
drank vodka, that l asked the first
physician l met If the statement was
true He said yes. l decided to take
every opportunity to discover more
about the use Of vodka.
AT the end of the eighties there
came a famine in Russia, followed by
agrarian troubles. / saw a crowd of
peasants demand from a landlord all
the grain and foodstuffs in his gran
airy, and l noted that every man who
was taking part in this incident was
drinking man, while their abstenti-
Gus fellow villagers had sufficient pro-
visions in their own homes.
AT Samarra / decided to do more
than passively disapprove Of vodka.
At this time was an alderman. Many
tenants in my houses were working
men. One night a drunken father in
one of my houses killed his wife. Then
| decided to fight vodka with all my
strength.
"On supposition that the govern
ment was selling vodka for revenue, /
calculated the revenue received from
it's consumption in Samara. / then in
troduced a bill in the city council pro-
viding that the city give this sum to
the imperial treasury, with request
that the sale of vodka be prevented.
This bill passed. The money was Of
fered to the government, but the gov
ernment refused.
1T dawned upon me that Russian
bureaucracy did not want the people
SOBER because ii was easier to rule au-
tocratically a drunken mob than a So
ber people.
That was seven years ago. Later /
was chosen mayor of Samara and sub
sequently elected to the duma on an
anti-vodka platform. In the Duma l
proposed a bill permitting the inhabi-
tants of any town to close the vodka
shops, and providing also that every
bottle Of vodka should bear label
with the word poison. At my request
the wording of this label, in which the
evils of vodka were set forth, was
done by Leo Tolstoi. This bill passed
the dums, but in the imperial council
was amended and finally tabled.
Il then begged an audience Of En-
peror Nicholas. He received me with
great kindness and listened to me pa
tiently. He was impressed with my
recital that most of the revolutionary
and socialist eXceSses were committed
bv drunkards. He promised to speak
to his minister of finance concerning
the prohibition of vodka.
Disappointed at failure of my bill,
had abandoned my seat in the duma.
1t was evident that the bureaucracy
had obstructed the measure. Minister
Of Finance Kogovsoff regarded 1t as
dangerous innovation, depriving the
government of one billion roubles $500.
000, 900 yearly.
While l lobbied in Petrograd the
emperor visited the country around
Moscow and saw the havoc Of vodka.
He then dismissed Kokovsoff and ap-
pointed the present minister of finance
NJ. Bark.
Mobilization precipitated the anti.
vodka measure. The grand duke, re-
membering the disorganiZation due to
drunkenness during the mobilization OF
1904, ordered prohibition, except in
clubs and first class restaurants. This
order, enforced for one month, showed
the Russian authorities the value or
abstinence. In spite of the depression
Of war, the paralysis of business and
the closing of factories the people felt
no privation. Savings banks showed
an increase in deposits. There was a
boom in the sale of meats, groceries,
clothing dry goods and house furnish
ings.
THE 100000 rubles day that had
been paid for vodka were now being
spent for necessities. The average
working week increased from three
and four days to six, the numerous
holidays of the drinker having been
eliminated. The working day also be-
came longer and the efficiency of the
worker was perhaps doubled. Women
and children who seldom were without
marks showing the physical violence
of the husband and father suddenly
found themselves in an undreamed or
paradise. There were no blows, no
insults and no rough treatment There
was bread on the table, milk for the
babies and a fire in the kitchen.
II decided to seize this occasion for
a press campaign, so far as this is d
possible thing in Russia. | organized
delegations to present petitions TO the
proper authorities for prolonglng this
new Sobriety for the duration 0f the
war. This step fourd favor with his
imperial majesty and an order was is
sued to that effect. A similar campaign
to relieve the reliances from privileged
restaurants and clubs was successful
and strong liquor no longer was avail
able in Russia.
The second month of abstinence
made the manifold advantages so clear
to everybody that when we called upon
his majesty to thank him for his re-
cent orders he promised that the vodka
nff fha wnlll1