The Portland daily press., 1868-01-16

Letter from Augusta.
81 tte Temperance Convention Large and En-
atasiastic Gathering The Tone OF tie Meeting
S)nteachdt Defiant : Prohibition and State
Police must be Maintained.
AUGUSTA. Jan. 49, 1868.
1ot the Editor Of the Press,
The Preliminary meeting of the Stale Tenn
perance Convention, was held in Darby Hall,
last evening, and was unusually large and en-
thusiastic. 1t was called to order, and the call
for the convention read by Rev. L. G. Fletcher
of Gardiner. Hon. A. G.. Wakefield, Mayor
of Bangor, was chosen chairman, and L. q.
Rich of Portland and z. z. Vose OF Rockland,
secretaries. Prayer was offered by Rev. Geo
Pratt of Rocklan6 A committee appointed to
nominate officers for permanent organiZa-
ton, reported the following names and their
report was accepted: For President, His Ex-
cellency, Gov. Chamberlain. For Vice Presi-
dents: Nelson DINGHY of Androscoggin; David
Dudley of Aroostook; Neal Dow of Cumber
land; John Allen of Franklin; James Wells
of Hancock; George Pratt of Knox; j. H.Gree-
y of Kennebec; Tristan Hersey of Oxford;
Nathl Clapp Jr. OF Lincoln; A. g. Wakefield
of Penobscot; A. Redlon of Piscataqus G. c.
Goss of Sagadahoc; S. D. Lindsey of Somerset;
Isaac Cowen of Waldo; s. d. King of Wash
ington and Mr.. Moody of York. For secreta-
1ies, f. G.. Rich and q. 2. Vose. On their re-
port also the following were chosen commit
Tee on State addresses; Hon. Woodbury. Da-
Wis of Portland, Ephraim Harmon of Saco;
B. +. Tefft of Brewer; A. HI. Sherman of
Knox; B. +. Talman of Richmond; John j
Perry of Oxford; Zenas Thompson of West
Waterville, and c. r. Moor of Augusta. The
name of DR.. Billings of Freedom, was subse-
quently added to this committee. A vote was
then passed. thanking the Legislature for the
offer OF Representatives Hall as place of
meeting and inviting the members to join in
the celebration of the convention at Granite
Hall this afternoon and evening, over which
Gov. Chamberlain is expected to preside.
Business being over General Neal Dow
was called upon for remarks and addressed
the meeting in his usual able and stirring
manner. He hoped that in this crisis Of the
temperance movement, all would fully COM
prehend that the struggle was not for Maine
not for ourselves alone, but for the nation and
the world. Maine must continue to lead on in
the great movement which was one phase of
the contest between Heaven and He'll. At all
hazards they would adhere to the great princi-
pie of prohibition, which was right, and just
and holy; come what might, they would stand
by the Maine law, and never allow its enc
mics to amend or modify it. They would new.
er submit to the burden of suffering AMI dis
tress resulting from the use of strong drink, in
order that liquor dealers might get rich and
gentlemen find it little more convenient to
get their drink. They would never submit to
an evil which produced more misery than all
other evils combined They would put down
the grog shops and everybody who stood in the
way of their work. They were able to do
it and they would do it. If faint
hearted politicians anybody else want
ed to tonch the Maine law, he would adj
monish them TO touch it as the Irishman was
told to touch off the big gun ON board the ship,
"very aisy." Although the banns had been for
hidden, he would proclaim again the indissol-
luble union of temperance, politics and reli-
gion, of whatever party and of whatever sect
Throughout his remarks the speaker kept the
blighting and damning effects of intemperance
before the minds of the audience, and dwelt
briefly upon the rise and progress Of the tenn
perance cause in England zone Of the most
drunken nations in theworld . In conclusion
he reiterated the determination OF the friends
of temperance to stand by all laws for the sup
preston of grog shops, and not accept amend
ments from the hand of the enemy. His re-
marks were often loudly applauded, and were
evidently the keynote OF the general tone of
the meeting. @
+ Earnest and forcible remarks were then
made by Rev. Geo. Pratt, Of Roekland, Gen.
A oil Of lsrrrl..
chine" Woodbury., "Campmeetng John" AL
len, aud Rev. zenas Thompson. They all
took firm, and some of thema defiant atti-
tude; they would never barter away a sacred
principle for any consideration of policy or
expediency. Though the ship went down, as
did the Cumberland, in the terrible con-
,fiict with the Merrimac, this flag should stll
wave, with honor. in the breezes of Heaven
DR.. Billings, of Freedom, (of the Housed did
not fully accord with the threatening tone of
the meeting. He was in favor of prohibition
and in favor of State police, but he advised
prudence and caution. There We're good men
and true, whose hearts were in full sympathy
with the cause, who did not think precisely
as they did. They ought to show little defer
ence to the opinion of such men. If their
would be defiant; but it was the timid politi.
clan that he most dreaded If they could not
save the whole ship, they should counsel to
save all they could.
The convent On met this morning at Granite |
Hail. and the address to the people OF Maine |
was reported. 1t is very long document and |
would make nearly four columns in the Press. |
1t begins with the statement that as an exper- |
iment, the utility of prohibition has not been |
demonstrated. The trial has been too partial |
and too brief. The great statutes of England |
that have shed lustre upon its legislation, did
not cease to be questioned until tested by the
experience of more than one generation
Though satisfied themselves, the friends of /
prohibition only ask for the principle fair
chance to prove itself by its fruits. But if
simply as an experiment, prohibition is as
sumed to be right, then common sense de-
mands that it be sustained by adequate penal
ties. The progress of the temperance reform
during the past decade has been seriously re-
tarded by the civil war, and by the large i'm
migration of foreigners with their drinking
customs. Nevertheless it has moved on. Even
in New York and Philadelphia it is recog-
nized one day in the week. In Massachusetts
the friends of Temperance have been deceived
and persuaded by party watchwords to help
defeat themselves. The opponents of prohi-
bition would not have succeeded if the Re-
publican party had taken the right side as
boldly as the Democratic party took the wrong
side. Hereafter they will accept the issue
forced upon them, and prohibition will rise
from its temporary disaster. In this State
the amendments adopted last year were
essential Fines did not afford an
adequate remedy for the evil of liquor
selling in large cities. The penalty of im-
prison nent has done the work, and it should
not be made discretionary. If it should some
times bear hardly the Governor and Council |
can afford relief. Nor should apothecaries be
allowed to keep rum shops under the pretence
of selling liquors for medicine. That would |
be equivalent to repeating the whole law,
As to the cider clause, every intelligent man
knows that the farmers who make it are al
loved to sell it. The temperance men are sat
istied with the law as it is, and protest against
any change. The Constabulary law is anoth-
er matter. Our present State Constable has
performed his duty faithful lly,s and there is
abundant evidence that the expenses of the
constabnlary force have contributed more to
the welfare OF the people than any moneSsex-
pended by the State for other purposes. To
IL. Il. Al