Sober by Act of Parliament

It is a truism that men of all shades of opinion are desirous to promote sobriety. It is the raison d'etre of the teetotaler and the declared aim of the publican. The advocate of prohibition and the man who would make the trade in drink as free as the sale of bread both profess to be actuated by a desire to extirpate inebriety. Can legislation aid us in accomplishing this end, and if so in what way and to what extent? This volume is an attempt to partly answer the question, not by means of elaborate theories or finely drawn inferences, but by a statement of the actual results obtained from liquor laws in various parts of the world.

Whatever shortcomings may be found in the following pages, I have done my best to ensure their honesty and fairness. I have written with a brief for no particular policy, but with a sincere desire to learn, free from the blinding mists of partisan prejudice, the truth about all. My conclusions may appear to some mistaken, and my treatment inadequate, but I have never suppressed facts that told against my own opinions, arranged statistics to suit myself, or consciously placed incidents in a disproportionate light. The subject is altogether too serious, and involves issues too grave, to allow one to indulge in one-sided statements, garbled facts, or lying statistics.

As far as possible, the facts and figures given are taken from official sources. I must acknowledge my indebtedness to many correspondents in America, in Australia, and on the Continent of Europe, as well as at home, who have helped me by collecting statistics and supplying information. Without their aid my investigations would have been far more difficult than they have proved. I am also greatly obliged to the Editor of the Pall Mall Gazette for permission to reproduce portions of several articles of mine on "Liquor Laws," which appeared in his journal and in a Pall Mall Gazette "Extra" during 1893.

FRED A. McKENZIE.

46 OXBERRY AVENUE, FULHAM.

CONTENTS.

PART I.--AMERICA.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. THE STATE AS SALOON KEEPER 9

II. RUM AND POLITICS 21

III. FORTY YEARS OF PROHIBITION 32

IV. PROHIBITION IN KANSAS 45

V. THE LAW THAT FAILED 53

VI. HIGH LICENCE IN PENNSYLVANIA 67

PART II.--GREATER BRITAIN.

I. PROHIBITION AND LOCAL OPTION IN CANADA 75

II. LOCAL CONTROL IN NEW ZEALAND 92

III. LICENSING IN AUSTRALIA 104

PART III.--THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE.

I. THE STATE AS DISTILLER 112

II. THE GOTHENBURG SYSTEM 122

PART IV.--ENGLAND.

I. THE GROWTH OF THE LICENSING SYSTEM 133

II. PROPOSED REFORMS 147

III. THE PROBLEMS OF REFORM 169

IV. THE PATH OF PROGRESS 191

APPENDICES.

I. THE CONDITION OF WORKING MEN IN MAINE 199

II. THE GIN ACT, 1736 200

SOBER BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT.

PART I.

AMERICA.

CHAPTER I.

THE STATE AS SALOON KEEPER.