Every person buying a commodity in a Government store was required by
law to register his name in the Government account book opposite the
list of articles purchased, which was always open to the public for
inspection, so that any intelligent person could see who was addicted
to the use of intoxicating liquors, and the manager of the warehouse
was compelled by law on the complaint of a wife or mother to deny
liquor to the husband or son that was complained against and to publish
the name in the district newspaper of largest circulation as well as
posting it on the bulletin board on the front of the warehouse, and any
person who gave liquor directly or indirectly to the person prohibited
was sentenced, on conviction thereof, to six months' imprisonment at
hard labor. The Magistrate was forbidden by law to release on probation
any person over the age of fifteen years convicted of this offense, and
a child under the age of fifteen violating this law was sent to the
reform school, of which there was one in every district.
No credit was allowed in the purchase of goods from the Government and
the manager of the warehouse had discretionary power to limit the sale
of any commodity so as to treat rich and poor alike and to prevent
speculation. As every purchaser could buy a dollar's worth of any
commodity for sale by the Government and as no rebate was granted no
matter what the amount purchased, it placed every purchaser on an
equality in dealing with the Government. No liquor was allowed to be
drunk on or about the premises where it was sold, neither could it be
sold by any private party directly or indirectly to any person.
CHAPTER XIII.
PUBLIC UTILITIES.
The Government, through its ownership and operation of all public
utilities, placed within the reach of every person the necessaries and
some of the luxuries of life, no matter what their trade or profession
or where situated, so that when I became acquainted with their system
of government I was not surprised at the spirited character and noble
bearing of the people, in striking contrast to the cringing servility
of the ignorant laborer in England and the negroes of the United States
of America, for in Eurasia there were no kings, dukes or lords, but
every man was addressed as "Mister" and every female as "Madame" or
"Miss," and there was practically realized Burns's famous song: "A
man's a man for a' that."
CHAPTER XIV.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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