Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-08-13
A Isebuke TO the Small Beer
Politicians i'll the Democratic
Party.

We find the following sharp rebuke of the
small beer and cider press politicians of the
Greeley party, in the last number of the Lew
iston Weekley Gazette. The Gazette is
Greeley paper, and the writer is Mr.. Bryant,
the we'll known and able temperance lecturer,
who it appears is liberal republicans
Mr.. EDITOR: Being laborer in the Tenn
perance Reform movement and also q Liberia!
Republican, | have often been called upon to
defend myself from the charge of inconsistent
cy in advocating temperance and acting with
party committed to the advocacy OF free rum.
| have defended myself and democratic
friends by referring to the action of the Ban
gor Convention, where an anti prohibition
resolution was received with manifold dis
favor and disposed of by being laid on the
table by an almost unanimous vote of the con-
vention.
And at this time of general reform, moral
and POLITICAL, had, with others, supposed
that this emphatic expression was in good
faith and would not be ignored in the conduct
of the campaign am therefore not a little
surprised TO notice some of the leading demo-
cratic papers totally disregarding the action
| of the contention, and calling upon men of oil
| parties to VOTE FOR KIMBALL AS AN
| EXPRESSION OF OPPOSITION TO TEN
PERANCE LEGISLATION. Undoubtedly
there is not aspot upon earth that can present
so clear temperance record as the State Of
Maine. The rum traffic in many places has
been suppressed, and Notwithstanding the
Temperance Reform movement has done and
is doing noble work. prohibition has largely
aided to bring about this most desirable state
of things.
| am constrained to make this protest at
this time by noticing an editorial in the Bel
fast Journal of July 18th, under woodcut of
a cider press entitled 1.-The Fraud on the Far.
| mers." He says: 1.-THE radical party have
foisted upon the statute book OF the State of
Maine an oppressive law against the sale of
cider" The law does not prohibit farmers
from selling all the cider they may manufac
| ture, and were there a hundred fold more
| cider made than is now made, ready, profit
| able market could be found for every gallon,
| by themselves, or their duly appointed agents,
| thus giving them the whole control and mo-
nopoy of the trade, hence cannot be Cypress
| i've. There is, however, a law for the sup
preston of a nuisance, and when a cider tip
! ping shop becomes such it should be sup
pressed, as in the case at Hallowell where
the citizens were entertained with drunken
riots on the Sabbath, and the agent was indict.
| ed as nuisance. but it in no way oppressed
the farmers or defrauded them.
| Again, he says: drunkenness from the
| free sale OF cider is arrant nonsense. Any
body who knows the small per cent. of alec.
hol in cider and the capacity Of the human
stomach must see that 1t is humbug to asser,
that anybody can hold enough to get drunk
upon"
The journal bases its whole argument upon
its own assertion that cider j. not Intoxicating
therefore its free sale should not be prohibit
ed. Now what we wish to know is this 4: Is
the Belfast Journal and other papers follow
ing in its wake in favor of prohibiting the
sale of other liquors from the fact that they
are Intoxicating. 1t is sometimes good logic
to reason from an opposite hypothesis, and to
| be consistent with the premises advanced they
ought to be in favor OF prohibiting the sale OF
| all liquors that fatoGicate and if cider is in
loxicating it should be prohibited from that
fact, according to their own showing. Again,
if cider is intoxicating, we very much need a
prohibitory cider law, as we have no such lau
| at the present time.
Now of course | have no correct means OF
knowing what the hard cider capacity of the
| editorial stomach of the Belfast journal NAV
be, but venture to say that every man and
woman that may chance to read this article
has seen more or less drunkenness from cider
drinking, and ito haoW that a man may ge,
drunk on cider as on the vilest whiskey,
and every man who ever made, bought, sold
or drank cider will testify the same. if truth
be the object ii. Nj. BRYANT.