, 1915-08-07

interests of our community,
What can be done?
Many temperance people claim, that pro-
hibition would be the best solution, aud |
have often III Denmark heard prominent
busiuess men (who were not abstuiners
themselves even) hold the snme.
[ have not always fnyoured prohibition
not even since | became n temperance man.
/ thought, us many have done, that it would
be "a violation OF the individual freedom.
For several years [ have been OF the opinion,
that people were sufficiently protected by
their free will. But experience has taught
nae, that it is not so. The free VIII offers
too little protection to most people, if the
laws Of the community do not support 1t.
l could give many lstirring examples from
my experience among people u al classes.
Little by little fucts have convinced me, that
prohibition is what we need.
But let me explain what / mean, and what
have Advocated, as long as have advo-
cated prohibition: not prohibition against
the will Of the people, but only with the
consent of an overwhelming majority. Be-
fore prohibition should be introduced, nlI
men and women over IS years of age should
vote III the question, and if not as of the
votes are cast for prohibition, the time is not
il for it yet. Theu it would only-if adopted
cause distul bunce iii the community, nB
experiences have shown in other places.
Whether we could get such an oyerwhelm-
ing moiority i'll ST. Croix now, is of course
impossible to say, but we temperance people
are ready to make Il trinl, if Il proposal of
prohibition should be offered to us.
But if the casting of votes should not be
in favour of prohibition Tor if no such propo-
sal should be offered to us) what then?
Then l recommend the following proposal
for consideration:
All imported alcohol is to be taxed with
1900 ut least. At present the import duty
on bread is about $3.50 and on alcohol about
1921. That is q scandal. Bread is one Of
the greatest necessaries Of life, While alcohol
is q iurugy. Let it be taxed as a luxury us
they do III Porto Rico +. l.. 1t would cause
no trouble in our community ut all.
With regard to the duty on rum consumed
in our island, | nm Of the opinion, that 1t
ought to be raised, but the fixing OF that
duty should Of course be left to men, who
have full insight in the social machinery Of
our Community. let n committee be APP
pointed By The Goce,7one,.t (not hy a rum
sh p keeper to consider the question:
With regard to tie sole Of f1lnl, it should
be entirely taken over by the Government
as q temporary eojl, and consequently CON
Quoted IN such y way, that the rum did not
to such an extent us now become a snare to
all the many weak and unsteadfust. The
object should be to sell as Ahle as possible.
Such a Government rumshop should only be
open from "a AMI on Saturday on j from
9-12. The manager of the Iumshop should
have a fixed salary. In that way | am suro
that the rum-saIe would be reduced consi-
derably, even if the duty should not be rails
ed,--and many, who now emily in the morn
ing or late in the evening spent their money
thoughtlesly, would be protected by the
law of the community.
When SO many oil Get to he SO called Gov
erllment rumshops, | shall just call the ntten-
ton to q simI!ar arrangement, the G0teborg
system. winch has been introduced both in
Norway (4ince 1870 and IN Finland, where
it has proved u success and greatly helped to
reduce the drinking.
TIL above proposal has the advantage as
far as | can zee, that it gives spnce for u
sound transitional state, which causes no
sudden revolution III our community, what
We hardly can bear, but sttfl polnts for
Murd 10 better DAYS when the drink ques-
ton can be entirely solved.
FredeIiksted, Aug. 4th, 1915.
I ARE