The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-04-26
The Massachusetts Explosion.


The CO. suming zeal Of the Massa
chusrtts prohibitionist is now explain
ed. A legislative invcstig CATION has
brought out the truth, AMI the Bay
State stands aghast ut the dread
full disclosure. There are many hon
est people in Massachusetts, who
weuld punish liquor selling and drink
ing with rack an'l thumbscrew from
conscientious motives. But the
''scurvy politician" have another
motive, and one OF the must vulgar
mercenary nature. The best friends
. of prohibition-those who lobbied for
it most ardentiy-it has been noticed
were the men who wanted places rs
deputy constahles to execute the law.
Suine of them were so intensely eager
to suppress the "accursed traffic that
they nnbly declared willingness to
serve for nothing. As salaries went
with the offices. Eowe, er. these gallant
souls were not taken at their word.
They received deputy constableships,
not, of course. for the paltry com
prnsation thereto atterhrd, but as a
mark of honor and confidence. and "a
an opportunity to carry out the "grear
NOV ement" which. was 20 Danish the
last drop Of liquor from the mouths
of all Massachusetts !! The law Went
into operation. The constitutes clutch
ell their blud geoms, or whatever 9th r
Implements the dignity of the State
pur into their hands, aud began to peer
and o IKE, and arrest and confiscat,.
right and left. Pretty soon two as
founding facts became manifest.
Drunkards multiplied il: the streets of
Boston. and the constables began TO
keep fast horses and inquire the price
of choic. corner lots. The worldly
wise renarke that the law was Il dead
letter, except against email corner
groceries and particularly dirty GEL
lars, anL explained the new pass'oi.
of the constablrs for the trOtte and
real estate, fine diamonds and linen,
upon the ordinary theory of black
mail. Every paper and every man
that said this, was at once showered
with fire and birthstone from the
Vesuvius of radical Indignation And
here 1T US pause anil mediate upon
that wondi Gus property ot the radical
mind, winch blinds it tn r;,scaIii y i'll a
man a. long "a he talks goud moral
patter, and votes and works for the
ticket" A parties have this fault,
but our radical friends possess it i'll
the highest degree. Not TO give
nam g, which would he 4 tiresome cat
alngue. we leave the intelligent read
er to make tie application among
me bers of Cm;sress. ministers t''
foreign countries. and Feieral ap-
pnintees at home Well.-rherc were
the Boston statinn-houses filing up
with 'drunks and disorderiics." and
the deputy constables outbidding ev.
eryhody at the horse marts and the
real estate auction sales, and still the
Boston prohhitionists thanked Fl aven
that they had lived tn see the law i'll
force, and looked on the co1stabulary
as bat, alion of saints obligingly lent
rom the skies tn execute it.. It
would be rash to say that their n atua
ton has heen dispelled. Nothing,
probably, can do that. But all ration
al persons, who had long known pro-
hibition to I've wretched failure in
Massachusetts, and many of the con
stables to be nothing but swindlers,
row have their convictions absolutely
verified. The Legislative investigation
proves the cnmmOnness OF the heaviest
kind of blackmaiIing among the con-
stables. They live i'll costly houses,
they sport their rspans of horses and
elegant carriages, they nave stocks,
honds, and back accounts, and all
these gcoi things they have Screwed
out OF the rich liquor sellers of Bottom
and the large towns i'll Massa
chusetts Every visitor to Boston
who has ever taken drink at bar
after the farce of drlg;ng into q
ba~k closet his paid his toll t" these
prohibition briyandS. The testimony
was overwhelming. 1t came from. uum-
hers of the liquor selling victims
Some of them swore that they pail
the constahles regular monthly silar-
les others that they gave them oc-
casional sums; others that they founl
them in wines and cigars, OF which
the officials were corsun nate lrd.es
and inSatiahle consumers. Few of them
though. took pay in liquors. for they
stocked their cellars out of the con-
fl fi<c,tinna, now and then making II de-
scent on som, unco nmpnlr nice los
( the owner OF which w'uld hot see"
then.) For this exposure of their in
famous operations the conStabes took
a sweet reyenue The witness had
been promised by the committee t. b.
h ,ld harmIess for Their past infractions
of the law. But the very next day,
when they resumed Hing. down
came the cnnstab!es npm them anil
seiz"d s25, worth of liquors to b"ein
with. They acte1 in gooi time, for
they will probably not have many
more chances to Law away liquor ior
their own use for nothing. Tre Massa-
chusetts Assembly, by vnte of 2l2
to 81. on the 18th inst. rejected pro
hibition, and the Boston papers say
the constahulary will be abolished,
and are now rrconnting the tyranny
anil robbery which tine State has. suf:
fered from them, to the entire tenn
rorary forget fulness o, ih" Southern
TIE blow which those '!e-
velopneuts have inflicted on the Re-
publican party in fassacauSetts is very
and it is thought will en-
danger its success at the November
Northumberland of Commerce.
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