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Show FRANCE TO PUT BAN ON ABSINTHE Great Increase in Number of Lunatics Blamed to the DrinK; Will Limit Nam-ber Nam-ber of Saloons. PARIS, Feb. 21. The rapidly increasing in-creasing consumption of alcohol in France is attracting the serious attention atten-tion of statesmen who, following the example of Belgian and Swiss legislators, legisla-tors, are. devoting earnest efforts to arrest ar-rest the spread of the evil. In both chambers important groups have been formed, whose members are endeavoring endeavor-ing to secure the enforcement of existing ex-isting enactments and the promoting of fresh legislation with the view of limiting the number of saloons, of strengthening the hands' of the authorities author-ities so as to improve their supervision, supervi-sion, and eventually to forbid the sale of absinthe as being the most deleterious deleteri-ous of alcoholie liquors. It is argued that the enormous augmentation aug-mentation in the percentage of lunatics luna-tics among the population of recent years is for the most part due to drink and that the habit is having a general deteriorating effect on the nation. The Senators taking part in the agitation agi-tation are headed by M. Charles Dupuy and the, Deputies by M. Ribot and these two distinguished statesmen have obtained ob-tained an assurance from M. Clemen-eeau Clemen-eeau that the Cabinet will strongly support the movement. j |