Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - V. Social Movements - 2. Woman Question. By Lydia Wahlström - 3. Temperance Question. By Einar J:son Thulin
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74 (i
v. social movements.
the same conditions as for men. While an international congress for
Woman’s Suffrage was held in 1911 at Stockholm, a Union of Men for the
political franchise of women was set up in the same city. The organizer
and leader of the National Union has been the principal of a coeducational
school, Miss Anna Whitlock.
3. TEMPERANCE QUESTION.
To this question -Sweden has devoted close attention, especially of låte
years, and extensive precautionary measures have been taken. We shall
now give a somewhat detailed account of the subject.
The alcohol question in Sweden, as in other countries, was in early days a
matter of war against the abuse of spirits ("brännvin"). Ever since the
consumption of spirits became a practice in the country, in the beginning of the
16th century, it slowly but surely extended, in spite of legislative attempts to
arrest its progress. By reason of the so-called "distillation for household use", it
became, at the beginning of the 19th century, a national peril, against which
the Crown Prince, Karl Johan, uttered a warning as early as 1812. Under the
influence of the views held by the Crown Prince — who afterwards became
king — and aided by the crusade in America against alcohol, a temperance
society was founded in 1830, on the initiative of C. af Forsell, director-in-chief.
This was in celebration of the introduction of Christianity into Sweden 1 000
years before. In subsequent years interest in temperance quickly spread over
the country. The pioneers who championed the new cause were several notable
personalities of the period, e. g. Peter Wieselgren and Samuel Owen. The
numerous associations formed in various parts of the country, were combined in
1837 into the Swedish Temperance Union. From there the fight against
intoxicating liquors in the ’forties and ’fifties may be traced. Thus a public opinion was
created which not only laid the foundation for legislative work, but also
cooperated in some degree to introduce a more sober rule of life.
In the Riksdag of 1853—54 this growth of public opinion attained a
permanent result. The Government brought forward, and the Estates of the realm
supported, a bill to limit home-distillation, which was entirely abolished in 1860.
This bill also imposed a tax on the finished product, all of which measures as
were directed towards revolutionizing the spirit trade, so that it became a
manufacture strictly controlled and heavily taxed. To this result, moreover, earlier
development had already contributed by excluding the smaller promoters of the
industry.
Though this taxation was remarkably severe, compared with what had
previously been imposed upon the manufacture of spirits, it was soon proved
desirable to increase it and so further to diminish the use of intoxicants. It must,
however, be remarked that reasons of national finance more largely contributed
to the repeated increases of taxation. It is now manifest that, in the interests
of temperance, trust can no longer — as was once the case — be placed in
such measures, as a suitable means of fighting in temperance. Besides by
the tax on manufacture of spirits, the distillation has been restrained by means
of a number of restrictive regulations issued in 1885 and following years.
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