Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1853-09-21
The Liquor Law i'm Maine.

L -
contains many facts which the public ought te
know. The writers are doubtless enemies to
the Maine Law:
We were in the State Of Maine a
short time since, as far east as the Ken
lnebec river and in constant intercourse
with the people from many parts of the
State, we had opportunity to make per-
sonal inquiry Of the effect Of the Liquor
Law experiment there. The informa-
lion we got may be summed up thus =
That, upon the whole, the law is use
full in suppressing low tipping shops,
and in keeping the Irish, Germans, and
poor American laborers, who love IL
quor, from the means Of getting it. The
poor cannot get at liquor, ana therefore
cannot get drunk upon it. Hence their
families are bettered in their condition,
and their work is more steady and Sc
cure.
That in other respects the effect up
on the community was bad, mainly in the
utter disobedience Of the law by many of
the more intelligent and better educated
classes, who despite the law, get just
as much liquor as they want, and drink
of it more Ireely-in the spirit Of mis-
chief, perhaps, or because it was against
a law which they did not respect, and
which against them the community wo'd
not enforce.
1t may be asked, then, why, if so
much Of the intelligence Of the State is
against the law, and is reckless of it,
why is it kept up? The real truthful
answer is that the Democratic Party is
split to pieces on it, and the opposition
use it as the means Of splitting item more.
Many say, too, it does good among the
poorer classes and though the princi-
pie of the law is against human rights,
yet, for the sake OF the good, ''let the
rights CO.,
The editor of the ''Boston Tran
script" furnishes the following addi-
tional testimony on this subject :
The LIQUoR LAW OF MAINE.-We
find most able article in reference to
the practical workings of the Maine
Law, from the pen and over the sicua-
ture OF John Neal, Esq, in the estate
OF Maine" Of yesterday. We regret
that we have not room for the entire ar
ticle, for We think with Mr.. Neal that
the time has fully come when the whole
truth should be known in regard to the
humbug and falsetood which have been
published in regard to the practical eff
fects Of the severe statute known as the
MAINE Law" Upon & recent visit to
a portion Of the State Of Maine, we
found that the large stories published in
regard 10 the public sale Of liquors, were
sheer fabrications. The sale OF liquors,
as we witnessed ii at the hotels of
Maine, was as open and undise uised as
such sale is in New York. And mer
chants and public men of Maine inform
ed US, that there was more general
use Of Intoxicating drinks throughout
the State than was ever before known.
The statements of these gentlemen
confirm the opinion given by Mr.. Neal.
He says:
At this moment-and it has been
growing worse every day, since the first
three months were over, when people
were blinded by its presumption, or
frightened by its rashne ss-there is
more intemperance and more drinking
in this city and neighborhood, and pro-
badly throughout The whole State of
Maine, with here and there a doubtful
exception, than there has been at any
other time for twenty years. Young
men have banded together in clubs to
evade the law. Travellers have brought
liquors with them to our public houses.
Children carry liquor TASKS about with
them; and bottles are made in the
shape of Bibles, so bound as to deceive
the eye.
Hundreds of demijohns of liquor were
distributed among our househ olders the
very day the law went into operation
if we may believe the "embodiment'
when he testifes against himse lf-and
these demijohns have been replenished
fast as they were emptied; and now, at
this hour, it can be had anywhere and
everywhere. And yet, with a holiness
oH1 SHi oAtSi VitHout CAamplc, since
Goblet continued to offer himself, day
after day, to be broiled on his own grid
iron, if the Bank of England ever re-
sumed specie payments, years after it
was notorious all over the world. except
the readers of his Register, (the Watch
man of that day,) that the Bank paid
out thousands and tens of thousands oil
specie every hour-the story continues
to be repeated, for the western and Ca
madam markets, week after week, that
the drinking houses are all broken un in
the city of Portland, and that the sale
of liquor in the State Of Marie Is M
more la shameless falsehoad wb;cl,
has never been true, or anything like trne
since Maine had place on the man Of
North America.
1t seems to US, then, again, as it often
seemed before that if the License Laws
were enforced in their truth and spirit
ana licenses were given only to upright
men, temperance would be upheld
without hpoo1.no.