Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-27
FRANCE T0PUTBAN
. ON THE M00NSH|NER
Suppression of the Illicit Dis
tiIIation of Brandy Is
Contemplated.
HABITS OF THE PEOPLE
VIEWED WITH CONCERN
Children and Parents Alike Show
Fondness for Eau de Vie--Sol-
diers Denied Liquor.
BY HERBERT COREY.

Copyright, 1850
PARIS. October 4-Moonshining in
France Is to be done away with. Inc
peasant proprietor's kitchen stu Is TO
be dismantled. 1t would take a hardy
optimist to find a silver lining to this
war cloud. But in this suppression OF
Illicit brandy distillation there Is sure
ly small CLEAN of light.
Where is Andrea" a school teacher
in Norma ndy asked of the small sister
of that small scholar.
He will be late, mamselle." said the
girl. He had to go back to our home
And Why" asked the school teacher
"Mamselle," said the little one, "he
forgot his bottle of eau de VIE
Eau de vie is brandy. Little Andre
and thousands of other little ones in
Normandy and Brittany carry brandy
bottles to school in their lunch baskets
as matter of course. They begin the
day, these small children, by taking
nip of brandy. They drink it with their
meals in place of the light wines favor
ed ia other parts of France. Their
fathers pour cupful of brandy from
the keg in the kitchen when they are
tired or happy or wet or dry. SO 90
their mothers.
1T has become national scandal,
said one unsparins commentator the
other day. One is almost ashamed of
calling ones self Norman. 1t is al
most equivalent to saying that one is
drunkard."
This is not an overdrawn statement of
the situation. For years there has been
an agitation in France to take from the
peasant proprietor the right which
has been his for years to distill a GER
tain amount of brandy from his fruit
crop for his private needs. Twelve
years ago law was passed to this eff
feet. Efforts to enforce it were re-
sisted by force.
Moonshine Rebellion.
in four of the small departments in
the south of France. The peasants
who thought their rights had been in
fringed took up arms to defend them
selves. M. Clemenceau, who was in
power then, sent down agents to in
quire into the situation, and several
Of these agents were killed. Troops
were called out, and on at least one
occasion fired upon the moonshiners.
In 1907 the law was repealed. The peas
ant has made brandy to his hearts
content ever since.
The brandy keg in the farm kitch-
en- has done more harm to the health
and wealth of France than has the abb
sinthe bottle in the cabaret" is the
1t may be doubted if the chamber
of deputies would have had the cour-
age to attack this situation in normal
times. But no one was blind to the
danger that fingered about the private
still, and in the present instance the
deputies have been able 30 call to their
aid the wonderful spirit of patriotism
in the French people. The bill intro
duced by Minister of Finance Ribot this
week puts an end to moonshinlng. In
Cd
on spirits, and it is estimated that it
will largely increase the states reve-
nue.. That is the sop which will make
the suppression of the kitchen still go
down the peasant throat.
Taxed When Distilled for Sale.
The distillation of brandy for sale
years. But the French are nation
of individualists. 1t has been each
small farmers pride that his small
farm is ''self-contained' He produces
upon it almost everything that he
needs. One Of his privileges has been
the right to distill twenty litres of
brandy each year. for the use of him
self and his family No "revenuer"
has ever bothered around to find out
whether he distilled twenty litres or
wv Htres. IN the apple districts OF
Normandy and Brittany he added water
and sugar to the pulp left after the
cider was pressed out and made d
brandy that for corrosive effect has
perhaps never been equaIed. In the
wine districts he put the grape residue
through the same process.
Every one drinks in Normandy,
Brittany and in the south of France"
said one man. 1T is true that the
Frenchman has positive gift for
knowing when he has got enough
When he is just on the navigaoIe edge
of total drunkenness he goes home In
some localities it has been positively
dangerous to motor because of the in
toXicated persons one might meet upon
the road. They were quite harmless
and cheerful. but we always feared
to catch one lurching."