Evening star., 1915-12-12
Alcoholism
in Russia.

=.
! public opinion has been startled 10
learn that the finances Of the empire
have depended closely on one of the
vices most deeply anchored in Russian
life. 1t was not only the world OF
/ savants and statesmen who were in
! terested in the question. but the pop
ular classes and their representatives
in the duma, VINO demanded energet-
| ically that measures should be taken
| to correct the evil
1t was for a fact on the intervention
| of the present deputies in the duna
| that a law was voted in 1913 limitin,
| the time of the sale of the poison
| in retail shops. Public opinion WAS
sustained by anti-alcoholic press.
! which inspired the council Of the en-
/ pire to raise the tariff fixed by the
/ duma. 1t was this decision that caused
! Count kokoytzof TO resign his post
| of premier.
| The throne adopted anti-alcoholism
| and enjoined the new minister, NJ.
| Bark, to abandon the monopoly Of al
| cohol. At the moment of the war Sal
to 1000 demands had been formu-
| lated against the sale of alcohol,
and in order TO aid the rapid mobilza-
ton of soldiers, government interdict-
! ed the sale of alcohol throughout the
empire. The ordinance was definitely
approved by the car in a ukase, dated
October 1926, 1914. IL was a formida-
Bile revolution in the customs of the
country. but it was welcomed by an
immense majority. In their anti-alco-
holic ardor. both wine and beer were
prohibited, and this has proved a gros.
error.
How can such a grand action as the
prohibition of the sale of alcohol by
government be properly apprec'af-
ed? II carried with it sacrifices-finan-
cal. moral and economical. The tinan-
cal sacrifice exceeded in Importance
Il11 hos nm
pie. The remuneration of revenue
amounting to nearly the fourth of its
budget The moral sacrifice is dis
putable because of certain results due
to Justification of alcohol. which has
produced mental and physical disor-
ders. On the other hand. there has beer
a distinct gain in the ameliora ton Of
the condition of woman Con the author
ty Of the minister of justiceD. raani-
tested In the dminution of crimes and
misdemeanors, due to the abuse of al
cohol: from an economical point OF
view the progress is marked. the peas
ant has now considerable money, which
heretofore was wasted in expenses for
alcohol and the consequences OF its
abuse. The enforced economy has pro-
yoked an augmentation of savings
banks. The surplus before the war
rarely rea ched 10000, ,000 rubles. the ex-
cess now reaches fifty to sixty millions.
The capacity of production Of the la
borer has been augmented by two and
a half for 100.
According TO NJ. Bekterer, the savant
neuropath, there has been very decd
ed augmentation of mental troubles
due to the absorption of Industrial al
cohol. mettrylique acids. vitrol and
varnish. establishments for tho secret
manufacture of such Industrial alco-
hols numbered 2149 and Or. kouznetzoff
recently declared that at the ohouk-
novsky Hospital a PetroGrad, among
the victims of such alcoholic compost
tfons there were students from the
wi, -,NF
The prohibition of wine and beer Is
charged with this unfortunate side of
prohibition.
Nevertheless, prohibition is a meas
ure of public safety which honors
alike the duma and the czar.
CHI. CHAILLE-LONG