Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-09-01
John Neal on the Maine Law.

John Neal is out in the 60 State of Maine -
against the Maine law. He says he has
waited long enough-that it is high time for
not only the truth but the ,chole truth to be
told He holds the law to be 60 an outrage up
on common sense and common decency alike
foolish and worthless for the great purpose it
pretends to have in view" Mr. Neal uses the
following strong language when speaking of
the author Of the law -
! With the reputed author, we have nothing
to do here, beyond the acknowledgment, that
we haOio him to be both unprincipled and
| treacherous and that, having this opinion of
him, we avOw it openly, that our arguments
may be watched, and proper allowances made
by the few, If any there are, who still care
enough about him to desire that he may be
fairly dealt with, we put our name to what
we say, so that any decent man with tolera-
bic regard Of truth may take up the cudgel in
behalf, either of the law itself, or of its repu-
ted author.
| Mr.. Meals position and influence, gives
force to his objections to the law. He is a
man to whom the stigma of "rummy " can
not attach, having been known for a long time
as decided temperance man. He is mem
Der of one of the Congregational churches in
Portland, and no man can say aught against
his moral or his christian character. The
following are his reasons for opposing the
law =
And now for the reasons.
The law begins with acknowledging what,
after all is a selfevident truth namelv-that
sPIrltuous and Intoxicating liquors, are necessa-
~: In other WORDS that for medicinal and me-
chdAicdl purposes, they are lcanted, and must
be had After this acknowledgment, these
great lawgivers-
"Most potent, grave, and reverend Seignors"
undertake to supply this want in their own
way, by employing agents, and putting them
under bonds for good behaviour the sum of
six hundred dollars apiece making their pay
depend upon the amount of their sales -
whether by commission or salary, it made no
difference, you see-and then giving the profits
of the business to the tax payers, who thus
had direct interest in finding customers -
Yet more-as if they were determined that
there should be no possibility of escape from
the charge Of downright fatuity-these Law
givers, authorized such agents to sell the pro-
hibited liquors for medicinal and mechanical
purposes only !-they themselves being TIE judy
es; SO that to refuse man was to insult him.
when he asked for any sort of liquor And
the poor, the friendless, and the helpless.
however sick or needy, were obliged to pro-
duce satisfactory paper, while the rich and
respectable were never to be questioned.
Was there ever any thing more unjust and
preposterous The natural consequences fol-
lowed. Having monopoly, poor liquors were
sold for higher prices than had been asked for
the best-while good liquors were sent smok-
ing through the cutters and the newspapers,
at the rate Of hogsheads every few days and
alcohol, needed for the mechanic arts, which
could be had in Boston for 35c., was not to be
had of the city agent, by the barrel, for less
than Csc, we write from recollection only.
What were the consequences! The City
Agent here-a very honest, faithful man--was
abolished and our mechanics, and apotheca-
ries, and physicians, were left to get what
they rdnted, and what had been formerly ac-
knowledged, by solemn act of Legislation, to
be needed in sickness, and in the arts-only by
direct riOlatioH Of the ld,o /, There's for you.
But for the present enough. Hereafter, we
hope to finish the work, and finish it in such
a way, that the law itself will need no more
tinkerlng. JOHN NEAL