Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1855-10-10
From the N. Y. Journal of Commerce
THE MAINE LAW IN MAINE

The Tribune gives it up!' The State of,r
the stronghold of Compulsory Temperance i;rane
to rum dealers and Sellers and the .s, 10 Sod
lchabod is departed" All of which in nI,;2 [F of
sh, means, that at the recent election Gov Eng
has been defeated, and an anti-coufusion 10TH
publican Senate and Assembly have been ai l'y-
AS every sensible person foreSaw the mipht,, 'ed
ment with regard to liquor selling produced eAc'e
ton to the same extent. One year ago il vac eaC
ready perceived that in most places the tban vas a.
ing statute was dead letter. Men durst n oASft
Wouid not any longer incur the odum attarboS anu
making complaints in the manner prescrihoJ 10
we heard, without surprise, that the onn; ""l
several of the foremost original advocates Of ="
strictve law had changed and that thew loo,i " Fe
the experiment as failure. More enthusiastic P'A
sons thought differently, and under the Ioo1 re-
of Neal Dow, they succeeded in PROCURING tISI n,p
ton of more stringent provisions to the Iovr ~
it had before contained, and Mr. Dow was ol '4
Mayor of Portland, mainly a token of the sse ,
tude of the inhabitants of that place, for h. ~
nevolence and philanthropy. The practical r,,.T
ings OF the law, with supplementary adjuncts b
however, again been found wanting nave
The provisions Of the Maine Law Statute wn,o.
evidently the united product of demagoguism ma
tanaticism, and akin in their shirt r. %
workings of Abolitionsm, Womcn's Rights " y oaS
yourself farm" and many similar modern aE Es
vescences, that we have condemned them and cn
seen their necessary final explosion but We sbonlI
equally deplore a reaction to the other extreme
Many of our readers remember the foundation -
the first temperance society. 1t was institntoJ ~
Boston in 1885, and under the auspices Of S,h
men as Edwards, Woods Hewett Beecher and n .I''
ers, commenced successful crusade against Cb
enable tippling and brandy and water hosp,,aIi
well public dram-shopS which carried viii
the good will of nearly all classes of socictv ~
voluntary system the only one emp.oved. va,
before the society had long been established il,
effects were 50 apperent that it began 10 ne tsraIn
able for gentlemen to ask each other TO ,lri,; -
they had done before, and hundreds of THOUSANDS
in this country and England, had taken the pIeI,
Men ashamed to be seen entering drinkirc
saloons and laboring took pride in ayovin
themselves recruits to the rapidly swelling ranks Of
the organization against Drunkenness If in addi
ton to the efforts that were then made pr,do,+
and stringent license laws had been passed and
pains had been taken to carry them into effect-apd
if means had been used to remove from our larc,,
cities portion of its demoralized immigrant popua
tion-the new system would have probably contn
ued to prosper, and healthy development would
have been felt at the present day. In 1896 how.
ever, sooner the cloyen foot of fanaticisn,
made its appearance. What the enemy of all GOOD
could not oppose he sought to ruin by his embraces
To the cause of temperance he brought the aid of
Incorporate action. From that time to this the TEN.
perance society has progressively decaycd: first of
all, by introducing an absurd pposton to the use
of every species of exciting drink, Gas, for instance
cider, beer, and coffee and teal and then by
changing into an involuntary and compulsory Sys
tenn, what had been begun on the principle of moral
suasion and an appeal to the better nature of man.
And although most of the old members who arevet
living, continue adhere their first principles
they have refused actively to cooperate with those
who overthrow the most wise and phanthropic en-
deavor to do good in temperance that has vet exist
ed on this continent.
In process of time there came to the aid of Teeo-
talers priest from ireland, who, in view of the
great amount Of intemperance in that country called
upon his countrymen to enter into religions obi
cation, or VOW, to abstain from Intoxicating drinks
1t is difficult to estimate the relative value OF Father
Mathews abors, but we believe that most members
of his persuasion even, now convinced that
although his first success apparently great, the
ultimate result those who incurred the obligation
he required, general remark, injurious. He
still has parzans, but the wsest enemies of drunk
enness think that his exaggerated Teetotalism has
not benefited, but been drawback to the Legitimate
cause OF Temperance. He, more than any other
man. brought the subject of Total Abstinence before
the people in such shape, that Eastern demagO-
CUES began to court it valuable political adjunct
to Abolitionism; and it has been used as such, to
the present time
The rise and progress of the Maiae Liquor Law
agitation is we-known. 1t has presented that ming
ling of good and dangerous features which easily
seduces Eighty enthusiasts and has done more in
jury in consequence of the basis of sound principles
which it appeared to rest, than any unaduterat-
ed evil would have been likely to accomplish. Every
good citizen is friend of Temperance. Every vr-
tuous ShrinkS from the contamination to his
family, friends and country, which may be there
suit of the abuse of alcoholic drink. 1t is not diff.
fcult to imagine statutory support to Temperance
which would be CONSTITUTIONAL and which mig ht de-
prve intemperance of portion of its alluremens
Therefore the prestige in favor of the Maine Liquor
Law great; and had it been essentially sound
and true in principle, it might have bestowed lasting
benefit upon the country. But in Maine, as since
here it has been tool in the hands of dcmagOgueS,
and the consequences of the reaction which has
begun against it, threaten to be disastrous. We
therefore trust that those who have been united in
opposing said Law, WILL that it is virtually dead,
the wisdom of again uniting in those philanthrO-
pic and Christian efforts, which have wrought the
only triumphs of Temperance the world has ever
known.