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Show IIIJIITIMI THU COMMON KOL Tho republic of Hwitierland, which li comparatively little lu area, population popula-tion aud wealth, li great In reaped to topular liberty, liberal institutions, education and men ol profound minds. In common with other advanced com-tnonwealihi com-tnonwealihi It li engaging Inaitrug-gla Inaitrug-gla with the rum evil aud, alio at elsewhere, finds It uphill work, not richly rewarded In thu matter of iuo-ceu iuo-ceu and not at all In other runecta. The particular lyilem of dealing with the evil In that country li ill--cusied by Mr. W. Mllllet of Ilerna In a lata publication of the American Academy Aca-demy of 1'ollllcal and Boclal Bclence, In which, among other thlngi, It li hown that there exlita no appreciable current of opinion among the Uwln In favor of total nbitlnence, conildered either ni n voluntary act or u the outooma of prohibitory leglilitlon. It li true that by an amendment of the federal constitution, paeaed In 1S3S, thu cantonal leglalaturea acquired the Kwerof restricting tlienuiul.orof placea for tho late of liquor within their respective Jurisdictions The power hai been oxerclied In fourteen canto in, but even lu these, taken aa a whole, the number of taverni haa aomewhat Increased. Noiubitantlal rf lull, there-fore, there-fore, hai followed tho conoenlon ol restrictive power. Huch la not the caie with tba alcohol monopoly Introduced Intro-duced lu 18S7. This bca accomplished two thlngi. It hai greatly Improved the quality of the dlnllled llquori con-turned con-turned In Hwlturland, and has cauied antirked reduction In the uee of them. The primary aim of the monopoly waa to bring about the aubitltutlon of fermented fer-mented for distilled liquors, aud, short aa li the erlod dutlng which the experiment ex-periment hai laited, the reiulta are laid to leencouraglug. We are Informed that before the Clratlon of the monopoly spoken of Hwitierland sulTered conilderably from the practice of liquor-peddling among the peoplu and from tho existence exist-ence ofnumbenof small stills In remote neighborhood!, the product belug, aa a rule, because of its neoriiarlly Imperfect, Im-perfect, crudo aud unrectlfled condition, condi-tion, not allowed to enter thu mtrkeU a drawback whloh wai doubly a drawbaok to the producer!, In that their warei were foroed baok upon thetnaelvei for consumption and hat klndollhluK wai never permitted to RoDwaiteu! that word li ordinarily underatood, The natural ellect wai that the uie of tills raw, and wo may ay vile itulT, became all but unlverial umoog the forming clan and Hi dependencies, de-pendencies, nud eoniethlngof a herolo nature had U bu Uouo by the republic; hcucon change In tho federal conitl-tutlon conitl-tutlon by the (ermi of which limited Interference with thu liquor tralllo wru granlid to both thu national aud local authorities. Ktatlittci show that ilnco tbe adoption adop-tion of tho alcohol monojioly fourteen hundred large and small dlitlllerlee have been luppreised by expropriation. expropria-tion. From the remaining ilxty or eoveuty dlitllletlra thu monopoly ad-inlulatratlon ad-inlulatratlon Is the only purchaser. Tho product doe nut go directly Irom diaillltr to columnar, The admin-Islratlou admin-Islratlou tikes it under Hied. Condi-tioop, Condi-tioop, andbrlngilt back to the trade only alter It haa been duly rectified. Of the profit! of the muuopoly, one. teulh,now amounting to about JU.i.OOU a i car, must be apt lied to tho struggle Kith alcoholism, that Is to iay, to thu inalnlinaucuof thu poor and thu lusaue whom rulsfortuuei may bu traied to that malady. The ellect of the monopoly on thu ooniuinpthn of spirit! li thus set outi In lSjS, the consumption of ilUtlllM llquori. por cnplia won 10 M liirtii lit I ll. IwaioulytUi A porlol Ihladioriami Isilue to Iho ccssalluti r iiuii(ijllng nf dlallllsl Itquori from Hallurwml Into the ailjiiccnt rouuirles. Ilui ar orronwn. uoIodiUuatonsuiilh.it atoro huubcou made. It Is estimated that the alirlnkase In the use of ardent aplrlu by the Hwiss tbrmaelves Is not loss than SI er cent. The decreased consumption consump-tion Is obviously due, not only to the extinction ex-tinction ol private sillla. but to the hot that a blither price inuat bo paid for the product nf itlailllcrlfti. The Joint efToct of diminished onnsuinptlon and ot Ihe greatly Improved quality of tbe liquors aolil oipccted noon to abow llaclf In the atatlstlce ot alooholtim. All of which la commendable and gratifying. It ihowi that government control bru something of a teitnlnlng ofTect, while medical appliances, thu force of good teaching and example and tho abollahment of social and eniuoui atlracllvencu In pliceiwhere liquor li lold will do the rest or come as near to It as cin bo done by the agency of rain alone. |
