The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-12-30
FINLAND IS DRY
Continued from Page One,

When King Kari died, shortly after,
the order was again revoked. once
again in 1856, the manufacture Of in
tosicantg was prohibited in Finland as
Wstl as in Sweden, on account OF the
ruin and misfortune 1t brought to the
people. but the order WAS again re-
Noked after four years. Thereafter the
manufacture gradually developed into
free home distillation. II goes without
'sa' ing that drunkenness among tho
people increased when intoxicants were
availa bic eyeryw here.
With the annexation of Finland by
Russia IN 1909 home distillation was
left in force, as an old inheritance, un-
til 1866 when it was discontinued by
eEaailaaxa t-<af p+atT-A nd the t-t-,
manufacture iDtoxicants WAS trans
ffet,ed 10 corporations, which had TO get
permit from tho government
HOME PRODUCT WROUGHT HAVOC
The destruction caused among tho
pcople by the use Of liquors during The
time that home dstillation was per.
mitted was so great hat many public
speaking Inen rose un to comba& 1t. Fer
instance, Dr. Etias tsonnrot flater a
Pc fessnr In tho University Of Helsing-
fors,. founded, as early as ls4s. sort
~ temperance society designed to In
tnrnfred in his work by the stories of
tie struggle of the American women
asa inst the liquor traffic.
Another temperance worker of the
same period was the Rev. Henrik Rem
a~ist, through whose efforts. in 1886.
tie first societies of abstaners were
! 70 1ilded Rut organized temperance
work did not begin in Finland until
1871. TIE director of the work was
lIids Hellran, a school teacher at
VISA. But mr.. A. A. Granfelt. who had
| become acquainted with temperance
work in England. became tho leader OF
the newer temperance movement in
Firisnd tIa started the work in
Helsingfors and through his efforts
temperance league was founded, which
was named the Friends OF Temper
ance."
It was intended 70 be n nation wide
orranize ton from the very beginning
ard it's object was to influence the peo-
Pie sducst ionstiy through lectures. the
press. and literature, After DR.. Gran
felt the leadership of the temper
ahee work in Finland was taken UP
by DR.. Mstti Helenns- Seppala, who
had become acquainted with the more
uladeru educational and political tenn
perance work on his extensive study
trips in Europe and America. Now the
work in Finland began to yield abun-
DAFT fruit and to advance vapidly to-
We I'd it's ultimate goal. ae4
Far the preparation of the prohibi.
ton law in the Diet the same methods
were adopted as those used by tho
Anti Saloon league in America. The
people were awakened to the economic
benefit that would he derived from
prohibition. Bills for prohibition law
were presented in the Diet as early
as 1855. hut public opinion had not as
yet become sufficiently favorable to
prohibition to make their approval
possible
FRIENDS OF
TEMPERANCE ACTIVE
Bills were again presented in the
next Diet, in 1887, ana after that there
was probably no Diet at which the
prohibition question. in some form
or other. was not taken UP through
the efforts OF the friends Of temper
ance. The bills were often accom-
panied by petitions of many munich
palities and tens of thousands Of In
dividual citizens. In 1900 the prohi-
/ hition bill presented was supported
by petitions signed by 305 nunicipah-
ties. and tens OF thousands OF indi-
vidual citizens, but again ii was de-
feated.
Extensive improvements and re-
forms i'm manufacture and in permits
to sell were effected, however, during
this time. Distillerias could no longer
| be established in any district without
the permission OF the community, and
brfweries could not be established. In
either towns or rural Districts, without
a permit from the municipality. As
! to the sale, all distilled liquors and
wines We're entirely prohibited from
| sale in the rural districts. with a few
exceptions. The sale of malt hover
ages was optional in each township.
and 1t Is significant that they all strict
ly prohibited the sale.
A national strike took place In FIN
land in 1905. through which tire Rus
sian government. then in power, was
forced to revoke the statutes limiting
the constitution OF Finland, which had
been passed by Russia with the object
of outstanding the country. and to
recognize the law OF general and equal
suffrage in Finland, rs well as the one
chamber parliament.
During the general strike the friends
| of temperance succeeded In getting
prohibition into effect. and, although
the order was revoked when normal
conditions again prevailed, II still left
In the minds of the great majority OF
the people steadfast conviction OF
! the inestimahle benefits which pcrrna-
rent prohibition would bring to the
country.
Prohibition Plank.
Then when the people prepared for
the first election OF tho one-chapber
parliamcnt. and women AZ well as
mon were for the first time to cxer-
else their franchise. almost every
party made prohibition q part of its
platform.
In the 1907 parliament II: repre-,
sentatives presented a proposal for
general prohibition, tor which = com
Initteer appointed BY the friends OF
prohibition had prepared complete
bill. The parliament rassed the law
unanimously on October 81, 1897.
The decision of the parliament did
not. however, meet with the approval
Of the car in Petrograd
A new prohibition bsll was pre-
scented TO the parliament, In 1909
Again the members PASSED the hill
unanimously on Novamher, AZ, hut
again the Russian ruler refused to
ratify the decision Of pAYliAment The
Finnish parliament passed tho prnhj-
bition law unanimously. for. the third
time. on May 40. 1877. after the Rms
siAn revolution had taken place. and
this law went into effect on Tune l.
1919.
When the law went into effsct Il
was greeted by special articlea In the
press. IN which the struggles In IN
hohaIf vwArA WANNA aN& ttnA hAen