The Portland daily press., 1868-12-04
AFTERNOON SESSION.

AFTERNOON SESSION.
At the afternoon session the attendance
was small. Hon. Nelson Dingley. jr., called
the convention TO order, and, after he had
stated the purpose of the meeting, Rev. Mr..
Haines, Of Lewiston, invoked the Divine
blessing.
Officers for the ensuing year were elected as
follows; President, Nelson Dingley, jr., of
Lewiston; Secretary and Treasurer, John f.
Cobb of Auburn; with Vice President from
each town in the county.
A dis cussion now arose as to what should be
done for the promotion of the temperance
cause throughout the county. Mr.. r. Dresser
of Auburn thought there should be working
that in every town temperance meetings
should be held Mr.. Dingley was in favor of
sending some person, who should be paid for
his services, through the country tor the pur-
pose of cooperating with the Vice Presidents
OF the County Alliance in the organization OF
town alliances and stirring up the people by
public meetings.
Mr.. Fitzgerald, the temperance lecturer, be-
lieved the people were ready for such organi-
zations, not only in this county, but through
out the State.
The Executive Committee of the County
Alliance were authorized to employ some one
to cooperate with the Vice Presidents in ac-
cordance with the views expressed.
Hon. NJ. 7. Ludden of Turner, Senator elect
was called out. He said it was his belief thai
the cause of temperance rested entirely upon
prohibition could not be enforced in one part
of the State, unless it was enforced in all parts
We want a law which the minority, if needful
can execute against the majority. The execu-
tion of the law shonld be placed in the hands
of the Governor and Council. Then there
would not only he power, but dignity, charac-
ter behind the law. He believed the people
of the State desired this, and he expected
sooner or later, to see it. Frequent tinkering
of the law against the liquor traffic he thought
was bad
Rev. Mr.. Lowell, OF Lewiston, said he was
ashamed to confess that an open bar was kept
by any hotel in this State. Such consum.
mate wickedness could not be practiced in
Lewiston, aud he hoped it could not be much
longer practiced anywhere in Maine.
Mr.. Dresser said he could not, in all things,
agree with Mr.. Ludden. He believed in mod
flying the liquor law, from time to time, in Or
der to thwart those who studied to evade its
provisions. We should have central execu-
tive authority for enforcing the liquor stat
utes. 1t was a mmeAtable fact, he said, bit
nevertheless fact, that the laws against the
liquor traffic cneld not be executed without
popular odlum, like the laws against stealing
and murder.
Rev. DR.. Balkham, of Lewiston, thought
that, in this matter Of executing the pro-
hibitory law, we should look at things as they
are. He very much doubted whether the
faithful officer would be sustained, as gener.
al rule, in the enforcement of the prohibitory
law. Even temperance men would not al
ways stand by him.
Rev. Mr.. Snow, of Auburn, thought the odi.
um against the execution of the liquor law
arose rather from its partial than complete ex-
ecutiou. The people are dissatisfied because
the law is not thoroughly enforced. He be-
believed that Portland would soon be purified
by temperance fire which would sweep over
the city as the devouring flames did two years
ago.
EVENING SESSION.
The attendance was not large. After prayer
the convention proceeded to discuss sundry
topics.
Rev. Mr.. Burgess, OF Lewiston, spoke of the
merits and necessity of the temperance work.
He had recently travelled more than twelve
thousand miles in different parts of the coun-
try, and he was satisfied that the temperance
cause was losing ground and Rum, not cotton,
Is now king
Hon. Nelson Dingley, Jr., spoke of the finan-
cial burthens imposed upon the people by the
use of Intoxicating liquors. The annual inter-
900; but the returns of the Internal Revenue
Department, for the year 1867, show that the
sales of liquor, by the retail deaiers, amounted
to $15Oo0O0O00. Mr.. Dingley thought the
actual sales last year were $4,000, 100000 Then
the time squandered must have amounted to
as much more. Certainly the use of liquor
during the year 1867 could not have cost less
than .fUe thousand millions Of doNars-forty
times the public debt. Further, statistics
showed that sixty thousand lives were de-
troyed, during 1867 by the use of intoxicating
liquors.
Mr. Diugley believed that the consumption
of grain in the manufacture of liquors raised
the price of food at least twenty five per cent,
and that thus the liquor business levied a
grievous tax upon the whole community Mr..
Dingley was followed by Rev. Mr. Snow and
Rev. DIR. Balkan. BARLOW.