Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-08-03
The Temperance Question - fhe
Maine Law and tt Effect I'm Com

having attacked the national council Of Congrs-
gstional churches for not declaring itself in favor
Of the Maine Law, the Rev. LEONARD BAcoS, ID.
ID, Of New Haven. has replied. justifyng the
council, and denouncing the Maine Law as worth
les. to prevent the sale and consumption Of
liquors. That part Of DR.. BAooSs letter, in
which be narrates the Maine law experiences Of
the people Of Connecticut il as follows:
What are the actual results Of the Maine law 2
You give very glowing account of victories
gained few years ago, when the people o.
Neu England and New York and other States
we're heartily sick Of permssive legislation, and
voted Il ont By overwhelming msjorities" You
say, +" IL was q moral triumph which had not be
fore been witnessed in this country" This, as
you give the date, was nineteen years ago.
Ohio and Michigan" you add. " soon took
up the same line OF march, and, 10 prevent any
political frauds temporary delusion, caused IL
70 be inserted in their State Constitutions that no
license should be given 70 sell Intoxicating
liquors" What next When it had been de-
termined that the sale Of intoxicating liquors
should no lorger DO restfiined and regulated by
the prohibition Of unlicensed selling, and that
ciety must be protected, If possible, in some
other way. what was the RESULT Was there, in
all these States, no more sale Of intoxicating
hquorsr Or was il acknowledged that. after all t,
No had not yet attained, neither we're already
perfectf After some experiments. which, | may
presume, were, in your view, unsuccessful, the
Maine Law was invented in 1850 or 1851. (I was
out OF the country az the time), by the Hon.
Neal Dow. then Mayor Of Portland and
acted in the State from which il derived ts hame.
The experiment in Maine was regarded as per
feet success. and thenceforth the cry OF the TEN
perance societies and temperance agitators
everywhere, was for the Maine Law as the one
thing shich would ssrely and efiectually suppress
the sale Of intoxicating liquors for other than lie
climate uses. Just at that time the decay and
disintegration OF old political parties enabled the
temperance men TO acquire, In one State after
another. the balance Of power. and to obtain the
enactment OF their great measure from which
ever party was willing to gain in that way an
other years lease of life. So the Name Law
was enacted in Connecticut, in New York, and
know not in how many other States and now,
at the end OF ten or twelve years, We are inquir-
ing for results.
10 be doing so, though think your description
OF the first appearances a little exaggerated
"Crme ceased TO tread on crime Poor houses be-
came tenantless. Miserable, half famished half
clad families were we'll housed, we'll clad, and
comfortable. Rowdyism and firearms ceased in
the streets. Public drunkenness was almost UNI
known, aud there was great JOY throughout the
.
Law went into operation in Connecticut For
several weeks the grocers in New Haven had
driven thriving business Families of all sorts
Wings and Democrats, friends OF the law and
enemies-laid ia large supplies OF wines and
other liquors. "a IL for a long siege; and when
the day came the stocks on the hands OK the GRO
GERS pretty well exhausted There seemed
TO be an almost universal acquiescence in the
new order OF things. Even the anti temperance
men appeared to expect nothing else than the en-
forcement of the law, and their new born zeal
against tho rum trade ardent that they
were unwilling To have the town disgraced by
embsrking in 50 disreputable business Sue
cessive town meetings were held the ques-
ton whether there should be town rum shop
the old temperance men being for il, aud the ex
rumselers and other anti temperance men az inst
IT, At last we succeeded, and the "tOwn agency
10 sell intoxicating liquors (includng wine, ale,
porter. lager beer, and CIDER for sacramento
medicinal, chemical, aud mechanical rurpo.
ses. was duly inaugurated. Meanwhile, We
had learned something OF how the law migh be
made to work without town agency Not
spothecary. during that period dared sell a
drop OF wine, or spirits for medical use IN any
uemily: and If you had child sinking into
death. and the physician though, there might be
hope In tie speedy Of such temedy, you
could only run from one friend to another till
you should find oae who could give to you out
OF his private supply But when NO had gained
our object, aud the law was in full operation, we
ready TO forget all that. We rejoiced in
our apparent and most hopeful success. Ii il
true that intoxicating liquors were still sold ION
the sly: but that was 90 be expected for even
the best and wisest laws will be broken by the
lawless. Drunken men were arrested. detained
till sober enough to testify. aud then discharged
without punishment, on condition of their telling
where they obtained the means Of ntoxca,ion.
and testiiyng agasnst the vendors IL is beyond
all question that, for few months there was a
marked improvement in the appearance of our
city, especially at night. and la the condition OF
some poor families whose means OF living had
been expended No the dram shops-though
dram shops you will remember) were as un
licensed and unlawful before tho enactment OF
the Maine law as aiterward.
Mesnwhile. the reaction. which tho anti tom
psrarce men had expected aud had planned was
beginning. No State legislation could prohibit,
the sale OF imported liquors In the original
packages Rich families we're quite At liberty
therefore. to buy wine aud strong drink IN large
quantities for domestic uses, not medical only
but hospitable also. or conviyial. Families that
we're not able or not willing 10 invest so largely
could club together aud divide their purchases
Freedom TO drink was not intcrfered with by the
Law, but only freedom To sell. The buyer was
guilty OF no oiicnse against the law The con.
sumner. too. was innocent. unless he became
drunk, and then he was absolved Of guilt II no
would testify against the yender In the eye of
that law, the yender alone the guilty party.
OF course the original principle OF the temperance
reformation voluntary abstinence from intoxi.
eating drinks. made no progress Probably not
single mily-perhaps not single individual
vas induced by the Law 90 adopt the principle
(or the habit without the pTinciple) OF total alb.
sinence Young men and older men, who had
no objection 10 a glass of wine. or OF lager beer,
OF OF some stronger drink. before the enactment
Of the Maine Law. lad no objection aierward
nor Was there any insupcrable difficulty TO hin
der them from doing what they chose m
that respect Thus j, VAS that eouvivial clubs
each with il own private apartments. md
its own common stock OF liquors, came into
being under The pressure OF the Maine law
such clubs NV permanent int ia ion
among us-more dangerous. even, than dian.
shops, and 10 get rii OF them will require more
wisdom than went 10 the invention OF the egis
latve continuance which you call prohibition .
That continuance. please 10 remember, did not
undertake 70 punish drinking; Il did nothing to
make bringing less fashionable. and nothing 70
change ans body's opinion as TO the harfolessnes
or innocence OF moderate drinking IL merely
put not insuperable difficulty in the way OF put
chasing liquor difficulty which would ONLY
make fashion more fashionable and before which
appetite would be stimulated rather than sup
pressed. OF course. a reaction against the Maine