The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-12-26
The Model City.
BoSfon, 1871
BY OVID MINER.

There is widely spread the opinion that
the Prohibitory Liquor Law in Massa-
chusetts has been well nigh failure
though evidences are manifold that it has
been, and now is, measure of incalcula-
Bile good. The error has been propagate i
scdulously by many who, for political
party reasons, never hclicvcd the Law
could be enforced aud never meant it
should be- And by many who, loving
strong drink in gcntccl ways, move in ci-
cles where reform is 80; much seen, g.
scarcely known Of when accomplished.
And by many other good inert souls wh'
imagined that Lar would dry up the
rum traffic and though not vigorously
upheld by wakciul scl-dcnyiug public
sentiment would somehow get itself NOR
effectively executed than are the statut' ,
against riots, larceny, burglary, Nc.
But 10 mal who has spent few day
even in New Bedford can doubt there is
one city thoroughly redeemed from the
liquor curse. Here, at least, is triumph
ant Temperance, here i realized the
practicability and immcasurcablc value
of Legal Prohibition.
The city of New Bedford lies near the
southernmost point of the Bay State on
the ocean shore, and contains 22,00O
souls. 1t is the Old nursery Of the whale
fishery and though this branch of COM
merce has greatly declined, there now
sail from the port $50 square riggcd YES
sells manned by some 1000 sailors. Per-
haps this town was not much worse in
morals than other cities Of its shipping
force out few years since statistics Of
their grog shops, gambling dcns, aud
brothels, were held up before the Legi--
lature, and the New Bedford representa-
tive taunted with having the most corrupt
constituency in the State.
Nearly five years ago, small land Of
earnest men began the apparently hope
less work Of reforming the city by thor
ough enforcement Of their l'rohibtoiy
Law. They put in nomination temper
ance candidates, but were badly beaten
at the polls. The next year they again
offered their municipal ticket, and were
beaten by small majority. At the third
trial these faithful men triumphed, ard
the city government came into their hands.
At the next election scarcely two years
ago. prohibition was successful by an n-
creased majority. And at the commence
ment Of the present year, after desper-
ate struggle with the combined interests
of liquor, social license, and party selfish
ess,-temperance prevailed at the polls
by Il still larger majority and heavier
vote. The result has been all that san
gune friends of reform hoped. Under
the resoute, kind, impartial pressure of
law,-Yagrancy, squalor, and crime have
disappeared to an extent that old citizens
and leading merchants Of the place often
say they never deemed possible.
1t is but few weeks ago that the
Mayor, Geo. Richmond Esq, said TO
me, in substance
Since our determined and steady exc
cution Of law, intemperance has dimin-
ished sixty per cent. There is not on
open bar in the city, and probably not
one place where more than pint of IL
quor could he found Sellers dare'not
keep it on their premises, but conceal the
stun in out.oi-the-way places digging
hol,s in the ground for single jug, car
rSug fiat bottles full under their vests,
Nc. Formerly, three or four arrests had
been made by our police every morning
Noa, hut two or three are taken mp in
week Pauperisn, riois, assaults, and
petty law.iits are Diminished at least
fifty per cent. There are not one quar-
ter the pilierings aud larceuies that therc
were formerly Being asked if Legal
Prohibition secured for their city all the
best Temperance men had expected, the
Mayor replied "Yes, and more. l am
surprised nearly every day to see, among
other benefits, how many formerly hard
drinkers are being reformed, and them.