The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-12-31
THE RESPECTABLE YEAR 1874.
whnt il has Done for Maine.


This old year has been unique. There are
years of great intellectual activity, when hui
man brains secrete thought and feeling without
effort and men are impelled, as if by some un-
seen external force, to think and work together
for common purpose of grave import and
brilliant promise. Then the Earth Spirit,
whose mighty song we learn from Goethe, is
indeed busy at 'time's roaring loom" where
hif
The garment of life which the Deity wears
There are other years of moral strength Then
you have but to suggest project of reform.
Mems minds are receptive, and are instantly
kindled by the thought. The very air is sur
charged with it, and men take it in with their
breath. The whole land is soon in fame'
and wrongs and abuses, centuries old, perish
utterly in day. But for Maine, at least, 1874
has not been such a year. 1t has been merely
an average year; not much progress. and but
little retrogression. A careful, moderate, pru-
dent year, with little briliancy and few crimes.
Shrewd and cautious in business, mostly indif-
ferent to anything but SELF From such
time but little can be expected in the way of
IhOGhESo AMI hErOhhs
And so it has been. To begin with the tenn
perance movement for which Maine in some
sort stands sponsor-the first few months of
spring brought some hope that the woman's
crusade, which had accomplished so much
good in the West, would come to supplement
with its moral and sentimental agencies the re-
pressiye influences of our famous law. Dio
Lewis visited the state and was welcomed
with enthusiasm. Associations were formed
in Portland, Bangor, Augusta, Gardiner and a
few other places, the object of which was to
induce rum-sellers, by personal visits and ap-
peals, to abandon their traffic. But though
very creditable effort was made by many self
sacrificing ladies and gentlemen to engraft
this western idea on our long-established cas-
tern system, the result has not been exactly
satisfactory, and the plan has been, we believe,
in almost every case abandoned. On the whole
it may be said that the year leaves the temper
ance reform about where it found it, There
has been no new legislation of Importance on
the subject, for a wonder, andin September it
was at one time thought that we had lost the
whole prohbtory code through the careless
wording of the act of 1873, but Judge Wal
toms decision that the suggestion had no.
foundation enough even to give it plausibllity,
kent back the threatened inundation of rum.
The temperance organizations, including the
Good Templars, Sons of Temperance, Tenn
plars of Honor and especially the Reform
Clubs have continued their good work, but
without making so appreciable gaius. as in
some other years. But we hear just now OF
very encouraging temperance revival in Ban
gor. The members of temperance societies
seem to hold conflicting opinions on the sub
iect of the revival of the State Police, which
is now the objective point of the radicals The
enforcement of the law has been, as here
tofore, uneven. In many of the cities periods
of vigorous but not altogether effective enforce
ment have alternated with periods of almost
unrestrained license, while in the country dis
tricts the law has been an invaluable protec-
ton against the inroads of vice. The failure
of prohibition completely to check intemper-
ance has recently given rise to more than the
usual amount of criticism and censure; inso-
much that one who has taken upon himself
the task Of writing the history of the code
complains loudly of its utter fptility. He Jnoios
that the Bible itself, which declares tha6 'ou1
of the heart of man proceed evil tpousn'S'
murders, adulteries, etc. crav'0'S 'ne up,
holders of legal repression, OF ignorance Oh
the teachings of Scripture and experience.
Rnt tho neonle of afaine, who have twice rati-
fed its most ssVere provisions, once by ma
ioritv of $4,000 and once bya majority of 49,
600 Will probably never be shaken in their
welf-settled conviction that the idea OF prohi-
bition is Just and right. Because man is in
clined to evil, they do not believe in leaving
him in the mire without an effort to draw him
out: but they incline rather to the poets more
cheerful philosophy
81 hold it truth with him who sings
To one clear harp in divers tones,
That men may rise on stepping stones
OF their dead selves to higher things.'
The successful working of the new industrial
system in the jail at Auburn is perhaps the
most significant event of the year. There are
forty-ni prisoners at work in that institution,
who are learning a trade, earning their board,
saving the county four thousand dollars year
and becoming better men instead of corrupt
ing each other in idleness. Other counties are
making preparations to carry the same system
into operation, their steps in that direction being
much accelerated, mo doubt by thewise action OF
courts in sending cu'prits to Androscoggn jail
from all parts of the state. At Augusta
workshop has already been prepared, but there
seems to be a strange difficulty in obtaining
work for the prisoners. When the system Is
fully in operation, with ampler provision for
Instruction and reform by more direct means
than mere employment, the most benefcent
results must follow.
The women of Maine have less reason to
congratulate themselves on their prospects
than last year. The Legislature of 1874 took
no action on the suffrage question, though
nearly fourteen hundred persons, majority of
whom were women, petitioned for the exten-
sion of the franchise to women. The Jadici-
ary Committee, however, was equally divided
on the subject when the petitions were under
conside ration. On the 9th of January sue
cessful Woman Suffrage Convention was
held in Augusta, ard on the 22d of September
Woman Suffrage Picnic was held at Old Or
chard Beach. The Supreme Court has just de-
cided that women may not hold the office of
Justice of the Peace, but from this opinion
Justices Dickerson, Walton and Barrows dis
sent. Three women justices have been COM
missioned In Ellsworth six ladies have made
formal protest against being taxed until
they enjoy the right of representation.
The agitation in favor of re-establishing cap
ital punishment in Maine came near resulting
in the repeal of the existing law on the SUBJ
ject. Instead Of passing the bill for the sum-
mary execution of murderers, the Senate
passed a bill wholly abolishing the gallows by
a vote of IA 10 70, and the House barely failed
to concur. The Executive Council having
taken the unexpected course of advising the
hanging of Wagner, the Isle of Shoals butcher,
a warrant has been issued for his execution on
the 29th of January. But prominent members
of the Legislature express the opinion that
law abolishing the death penalty will be passed
before that date.
On the 22d of October the Maine Genera
Hospital was dedicated and the Eastern Pa
vilion is now open for patients. The corner
stone was laid in 1870. Those who have had
this noble charity in charge deserve hearty
congratulation for the energy they have dis
played in pushing forward the enterprise. To
the highly accomplished and singularly hui
name physicians of this city especial praise is
due; and we all may well join in Samuel Long
fellows exultation in the fact tha
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