The Portland daily press., 1872-04-11
TH r PRE0o'
THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL H. '' ,'S'
..1.ba Enchanted Lane"

That 10 what an enthusiastic son OF Maine
oona h;s native State in lecture which he
has written and delivered in celebration of its
moral grandeur and especially the beauties Of
its natural scenery. And it Is remarkable
State, though it may not be entirely modest
for us to say so. A brief enumeration wiz
show that there are many respects in when
Maine has quietly and unostentatiousiy ei'l-
er placed herself in the front rank OF prosieSs-
i've and highly civilized States, or mas TAKEN
the lead beyond all question:
Before last winter Maine never had Leg
islature in the integrity of whose members
the people did not have perfect confidence.
There probably never before existed SO
large a community in any Christian country
where abstinence from intoxicating drinks
brought about by a combination OF moral IN
fluences and legal restraints, was SO general
as it is to-day in Maine. Heretofore the sale
of all kinds of spirituous beverages has been
virtually suppressed in most country districts !;
now we believe there is no city even, with
the possible exception of augusta, where the
traffic goes on with anything like freedom
and safety.
Maine is notoriously bad State for bank
robbers. The fate of the enterprising men
who operated at Bowdoinham, Norway and
Rockland has served as a warning to their
professional brethren everywhere that it is
not practicable in Maine to adjust matters
with the authorities by giving up share OF
the spoils.
Maine is almost the only State in the
Union where murders melted by the real OF
fancied conjugal infidelity of the victim, or by
real or imaginary unfaithfulness or deceit in
some other relation of the sexes, are not COM
mitted with perfect impunity. But in 1870
John f. Lawrence of Bangor was convicted
of the murder of Elmira Atwood, and last
year Hoswell was found guilty of manslaugh-
ter for killing Latin at Hallowell; the homi-
eide in both cases being of the class above re-
ferred to. 1t is not, therefore, at all safe in
Maine for men to avenge their own wrongs
by shedding blood, though precedents for let
ting loose such murderers are to be found in
the judicial annals of most States.
Nor is the Fictitious ''momentary insani-
ty." that serves to excuse homicide in other
States, of any avail when pleaded in Maine
courts. Lawrence strove in this way to es-
cape punishment for his cowardly murder of
woman. Insanity was also the excuse of
Little, the Dix Island murderer, who was tried
at Rockland, the other day, but both we're
convicted. 1 .#s.faa M r
We have often called attention with pride
and pleasure to the iberality of Maine laws
with respect to the property rights of mar
ried women, and to the fact that other States
and nations are following Maine in repeating
the old irrational restrictions on the produc-
tion of evidence in court. The provision al
lowing persons accused of crime, for in
stance, to testify in their own behalf has met
with almost universal commendation. In
these two important respects Maine has per-
haps the most progressive and humane code
in the world. - r4 ut
''The Enchanted Land'' has not gained in
population much during the last decade, it is
true; but the census reports that it has al
most doubled its wealth. Those who stick to
the old homestead, then, are about twice as
rich as they were ten years ago. If we have
gained in virtue, happiness and comfort, does
it matter so very much that we have not
gained in numbers? To the charge of steril-
ity Names reply may well be like that of the
lion-Unuan, Sed le0nem.