The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-05-08
The Grog ShOps-NO. XII.

MY object in writing these articles on llq-
uor trafhc,is simply to give to the mass Of the
people, the reasons which lead to the popu-
lar agitation against the grog shops and re-
suited in the adoption of a stringent law
against them. Here were louor shops
innumerable all through the State of Maine
existing side by side with dry goods shops,
hardware, boots and shoes, butchers, and all
the other occupations; the law comes down
crushingiy upon the rum shops, not object
ing to the eothers,-Why? because the liquor
shops are in all their tendencies and effect,
in deadly hostility to every interest of the
State and the people, while all the Others are
apublic good.
have tried to elaborate this truth and to
illustrate it in great variety of ways, by ex-
amples familiar to every body, so that all the
people could see at glance, that the policy
ofthe State in crushing out the rum shops, is
abundantly justified by the reasons. But
here is an intelligent man who Objects
want glass of beer once in a while, not Of
ten, but once in while; when 1 want it,
rant it, and think it hard and unfair and
uluuob, budb dhJ law SuOulu phCNChb AAAN
ing it when / want it." A gentleman said
this to me; | replied; sand so you object to
this law, because you cannot find your occa-
sional glass of beer. Nobody, think, would
object to your having it; but can you think OF
any arrangement by which you can have
your beer, and at the same time these
multitudes of people who impoverish them
selves and starye their wives and children,
through drink, shall not be exposed to the
-'sNo, / do not see any way for that; If the
shops are open for me, l suppose they must
be and will be open for everybody else"
Every well, then, your position is just this -
You want your glass of beer, and in order to
get it when you want it, drunkenness must
be entailed upon thousands of people, and
their wives and children must go ragged and
dirty and cold and hungry. Thousands OF
them must go to the work houses and must
fill up the jails; and innumerable outrages
against the peace and good order of society,
against persons and property, must and will
be committed; and heavy cost and expenses
must be imposed upon society, all that you
may have your occasional glass of beer"
mo, that's not my position" said he, II
don't take that gound." "But beg pardon,
whether you see it or net and mean 1t or not,
that is precisely your position. That you
may have your glass of beer, these shops
Aioob UC hCPt OPCil, anu biACu Oil bhCoO SCh0c-
quences, and more, must certainly follow"
II did not see it in this light before; do not
know but it is so'' ''Yes, it is exactly so;
the law does not forbid you to drink, it only
forbids the grog shops, which everybody ae-
knOwledges to be an infinite evil to society.
To-day, DIR. C. told me story of an occur
renee within his knowledge, which illustrates
| this point perfectly.
| A char woman, well known to his family,
has for many years worked spring and fall at
| his house. Her husband could earn SIT
week, working steadily, which he rarely did,
| but he never gave her more than five dollars,
often only four, for the family supplies for the
week. She was consequently obliged to work
| far beyond her strength, and even then, her
! earnings were not enough for the needs of
the family. The DIR. said that the poor wo-
man had had four children, but all died in in
| fancy, from neglect and insufficient nutrition.
| The mother was compelled to 60 out to work,
leaving the children at home, and thus the
poor things perished for want of care that
she could not give them. But now the DIR.
says all this is changed; the first week Of
Sheriff Perry's action did it. The husband
works regularly every day, earning good
wages, and he brings every dollar home, and
the family is comfortable.
'sNow, my dear sir, this is only a sample of
the whole, to show the effect of shutting up
the beer shops; there are thousands of cases
of the same character all over the State.
This improvement, you see, is inconsistent
with your free glass of beer: ii you can have
your way, all these families, now so comfort
able, must be wretehed and starving once
more; that you may have your glass of beerP'
81 never saw it in that light before; l confess
the law is right, and / am quite willing to
take little more trouble for my glass of beer,
or even to go without" n. ID.