Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-29
CANADIANS GIVE UP
LIQUORS FOR WINE.
Decrease in Gross Revenues
Under Quebec Plan Re-
VeaIS Situation.
Continued from First Pagel


ticular, and for that matter. ito all
ranks and classes in the community,
whether high or low That's about
all there seems to be known about
this edict-that the King issued it.
The King may have forgotten about
il next day. But. like many other
edicts which have been issued in the
@6S years since that first one, II
failed to stop drinking or selling In
toXicating spirits.
In 1921 the provincial government
of Quebec resolved to try another So
letion. 1t is based, briefly. on the
assumption that the human race is
cursed with an appetite for alcohol.
and that large proportion will sat
lsfy that appetite regardless of how
many edicts are issued. Granting at
the outset that the appetite is
curse, is was decided to restrain 1t
rather than to seek to cut 1t off. The
best way to accomplish this, 1t was
felt, was to make all intoxicants
available legally. but to make those
most harmful the most difficult to
procure, to make those least harm
full the easiest to procure and to es
tablish certain regulations for their
consumption which would be so
practical that the public Immediately
would enlist it's support in their en-
forcement.
Made a Radical Sweep.
That Is the theory upon which the
much discussed liquor law In Que
bee is established. The law was
written, enacted and within two
months the Quebec Liquor Commits
sion had been established and was
carrying it out. The law was radi-
cal one. It took the retail liquor
business out of private hands at one
sweep. It put the government in
the business as a buyer who guaran-
tees and stands behind the purity
of his products. At the same time it |
made of the government a bartender
who sells the liquor with one hand
and with the other holds club of
punishment over those who abuse
the privilege of buying. 1t grants
absolute power to the commission
10 sell only to those who meet it's
requirements, and to take away this
right without appeal.
Before going into a description of
the law it is necessary to retrace
briefly the events which led up to
its enactment. In 1917 the city OF
Quebec went dry. The war. it is
acknowledged, had a great deal to
do with creating the prohibition
sentiment, and when Quebec went
dry the prohibitionists Immediately
set about consolidating this advance
to put through a provincial dry law.
They wanted bone dry law that
would cut out wine and beer in ad-
dition to hard liquor. But the gov
eminent said wait a minute" and
decided to hold a referendum of the
question Of allowing light wines and
beer. The prohibitionists claim that
the question was so worded that the
result could be forecast before the
vote. At any rate, the question
voted on was: rs 1t your opinion
that the sale of light beer. cider and
wines as defined by law should be
allowed" The result was vote
which said Yes"
Quebec Law of 1919.
In 1919 a prohibition law came into |
effect in the province of Quebec. 1t I,
q allowed the sale of hard liquor only
through authorized vendors" who
held government licenses and, who
could sell it on doctors prescriptions
for medicinal use; who could sell
sa Ornamental wines and who could
sell other alcohol for industrial pur-
poses. Beer and wine licenses were
granted to restaurants, hotels and
saloons.
To make long story short. this
prohibition law wasn't a success. 1t
wasn't what the drys wanted and 1t
certainly wasn't what the vets
wanted. There were many scandals
concerning the prescription liquor,
bootlegging sprang up everywhere,
the licensed Vendors made millions
of dollars and in February, 1921, the
present liquor law was approved and
went into effect the same year.
In it's first annual report, the liquor
commission outlined at the outset |
what It believed to be the theory of
the new law. Your government" it |
said. addressing the provincial treas |
urer. was cognizant of the fact-as |
had been noted many times by the |
many organizations of all kinds which |
have studied the problem, In almost |
all countries of the world--that the
hest means of effectively controlling
the consumption of alcoholic liquors
is not to entirely deprive citizens Of
such liquors, but by means of dis
culinary measures exercised in a
reasonable manner, to gradually lead
them toward the use of less ardent
liquors at less cost. Such a change
-.