Evening star., 1914-11-22
NATION OF 15O,OOO,0OO PEOPLE
GIVES UP THE USE OF LIQUOR
Prohibition In Russia Means Total Absti-
nence, Not Merel y Curtailment
of Drunkenness.

working men. One night a drunken
Iather In one of my houses killed his
wife: This incident made such a terri
hight vodka with all my strength
On the supposition that the govern
ment was selling vodka for the reve-
nue.. 1 calculated the revenue received
then introduced a bill in the city coun-
Gil providing that the city give this
sum of money to the imperial treasury,
requesting at the same time that the
sale OF vodka be prohibited. This bill
passed and the money was appropriated
It was offered to the government, but
the government promptly refused it,
1t then dawned upon me that Rus
sian bureaucracy did not want the peo-
PIE 10 become sober, for the reason that
1t was easier to rule automatically a
drunken mob than a sober people.
Proposed Bill in Duma.
This was seven years ago. Later I
was elected mayor of Samara, capital
OF the Volga district. district with
over quarter of a million inhabitants
Subsequently to holding this Office l
was elected to the duma on an anti
vodka platform. In the duma 1 pro-
posed bill permitting the Inhabitants
Of any town to close the local vodka
bottle OF vodka should bear a 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 the late Count Leo Tolstoi This
bill passed the duma and went to the
imperial council. where 1t was amended
and finally tabled.
then begged an audience of EN-
great kindness in his castle in the
Crimea. not far from the scene of the
recent Turkish bombardment. He lis
tened to me patiently. He was i'm
pressed with my recital that most Of
the revolutionary and socialist excesses
We're committed by drunkards, and that
the Sveaborg, Kronstadt and Sebastopol
navy revolts and the Petrograd and
were all caused by inebriates. Having
heard me out. his majesty promised at
once to speak to his minister of finance
concerning the prohibition of vodka.
Clung to Huge Revenues.
Disappointed at not having been
able to get through a government bill
regulating this evil, l had abandoned
my seat in the duma. 1t was evident
that the bureaucracy had been able to
obstruct the measure. Minister of FL
nance Kokovsof regarded it as a dam
gerous innovation. depriving the gov
-
OOo.O0O) yearly. without any method of
replacing this revenue.
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
fhn 0ky
1904, ordered the prohibition of all al
cohotic drinks except in clubs and
first class restaurants. This order, en-
forced for one month. showed the Rus
sian authorities the value of absti-
nence. In spite of the general de-
preston caused by the war. the pa
ralysis of business, the closing of fac
tories and the interruption of railroad
traffic, the people felt no privation.
Savings banks showed an increase in
deposits over the preceding month and
over the corresponding month of the
preceding year. AT the same time there
was boom in the sale of meats gro
ceries, clothing, dry goods and house
furnishings.
The 100000 rubles a day that had
been paid for vodka were now being
spent for the necessities Of life The
average working week increased from
three and four days to six. the numer-
Gus holidays of the drinker having
been eliminated
The working, day also became longer
and the efficiency of the worker was
perhaps. doubled. Women and children
who seldom were without marks show
ing the physical violence of the hus-
band and father. suddenly found them
selves in an undreamed-of 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.
Order Issued by Gear.
Il decided to seize this occa sion for ,
press campaign. SO far as this is a pos
sible thing in Russia. organized
delegations to present petitions to the
proper authorities for the prolonging
of this new sobriety for the duration
of the war This step found favor with
his imperial majesty. and an order was
Issued to that effect. Another similar
campaign to remove the licenses from
privileged restaurants and clubs was
successful, and strong liquor is no
longer available anywhere in Russia.
THE second month of abstinence
made the manifold advantages so clear
to everybody, SO that when we called |
upon his majesty to thank him for his |
vodka BUSINESS of the government |
would be given up forever This prom |
ise was promulgated in telegram to |
the Grand Duke Constantine |
There remains only now to find else
where the revenue which up to the |
present time has been contributed by |
vodka, There has been introduced in |
the duma a bill offering a solution of ,
this question. The aim of this bill is |
not the creation of new taxes OF an in |
crease in the present taxes, but an ef- |
fort to render the government domains |
and possessions more productive"