The Portland daily press., 1867-11-14

,yith good morals throughout the State. the
liquor legislation OF to-day would stand, and
he believed it would surely stand He hoped. =
next winter, to see the highest tide in favor of
Temperance ever known.
Mr.. Bracket, of Belfast. said the temper
aLce men of Belfast Were almost unanimous in
their determination 10 stand BY the amendment
10 the liquor law Not one half so much iiq-
uor is now sold in Belfast as before the con
stabulary. The amendments must DC sus-
tained. He would consent to repeal only
when the temperance men of Maine, not the
Goro- ;,terest shou Id deem it best.
Attorney General Frye said he supposed
4,,o ,,ambers of the Convention had met as
thinking, candid, iudicious men. Any re-
concentrations which the temperance men of
Maine should make to the Legislature, wonld
be needed. He had always stood by the pro-
hibition enactments of the State, always theo-
retically, if hot practically, a temperance man.
H was no hypocrite. Always had thoroughly
executed the law against great opposition
of friends He now stood, theoretically and
practically upon the platform of the temper
ance men of Maine. He did not, how
ever, favor the enactment of last winter in all
particulars. The trouble with the old
law, was not in the law but with the
tamperance men of the State, who
would not enforce but opposed it. They did
not favor its enforcement in Lewiston, but 1t
was enfogeed-t was shown TO be quite am
pie to suppress the liquor traffic. The new law
enforces itself and stops tho liquor traffic,
the old law would suppress the liquor traffic,
when enforced That is all the difference
between the two laws. Abstractly
the Imprisonment for the first of
fence is right but there are eases where it will
not work justly in practice. There are cases
involving little guilt which must be prosecuted
at the instgation of bad men; prosecution in
such cases will always harm the temperance
cause. There is no difficulty now to secure a
jury which would convict under the old law;
the Judges, too, are temperance mea par ercef-
ience. He would suggest that the Judge
should have the power to remit the penalty in
exceptional cases. There is no temperance in
the radicalism of the New York Tribune and
Wendell Phillips No real temperance man
will abandon the temperance cause, unless he
can get at once all he wishes. In all reforms
the public sentiment must be gradually edu-
Gated. II the present liquor legislation is mod
flied or repealed, the temperance men must
not turn against the Republican party, which
is the only party of progress, while tho Demo-
cratic party is against all progress. he was,
last winter, in favor of a constabulary with the
old law. The State Constables should be lin
tied to a small number There are now about
thirty, increasing the cost without increasing
their efficiency, and thus producing great
outcry. He thought one State Constable with
one deputy for each Congressional District,
enough, with fixed salary say $1,000 for the
chief $500 for the deputy We need none in
this District, but York needs one. The pres
ent law he said was one of the worst ever
drawn; even Judge Davis, who drew the law
cannot interpret it. He did not believe in the
law at the time and so was not careful in the
| drawing of it. Our liquor law should be- like
Caesars wife, above suspicion; this cannot be
unless the Con stables receive fixed fees The
State Constabulary should not cost above So
900, instead of the $6O,O00, as now asserted.
He did not blame the people of Maine for COM
| planning. The Constabulary law does need
amendment and fearfully too. The Conven-
tion should ask the Legislature for amend
ment (Applause.) Do not go with demand in
and one hand threat in the other. The temper
ance men cannot bolt from the party of prog
| ress; if they do, in Gods name, where will
they bolt to? Demand all you want, day in
and day out get it if you can; if you can't take
what you can get, and go on demanding.
The address of the Attorney General, which
occupied about one hour, was received with,
| nko IT.,
expressed the hope that the temperance cause
| in Maine might be tried out under her present
| Attorney General. This sentiment was loud
| ly applauded by the Convention.
The report was laid upon the table for dis
cussion.
| Committee on Permanent Organization re-
| ported, as follows: President Hon. Sydney
| Perham, of Paris; Vice Presidents, Hon. Wood
bury Davis, of Portland, Hon. N G.. Hichborn,
OF Stockton, Gen. ii. M. Plaisted of Bangor
Gen. j. A. Hall, Damarscotta Rev. A. E..
Ives, of Castine, HI. r. Taylor of Machias, Da-
vid Dudley, of Presque Isle, Rev. B. C. Chase,
of Foxcroft, G. A. Farwell, OF Pittsfeld, Rev.
Zenas Thompson, of Watervlle, Joseph Far
well, of Rockland, Hon. b. F. Tallman, of
Richmond, r.. Dresser, of Auburn, Hon L. p.
weston, OF FarmlnStoh, Hon John d. Per
ry, of Oxford, A. Morton of Kennebunk; Sec
retaries, Ii. A. Shorey, of Bath, ami H. A
Smith, of Ellsworth.
At twenty minutes to twelve O'Clock the
Convention proceeded to discuss the resolu-
tons, seriatina. As there may be alterations
in the reported series, l will not now give them
1t is quite evident that they will correspond
with the views presented by Attorney General
Frye. BARLOW