The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-01-09

/
s right and duty of the State to protect itself
.i gy sucn enactments as the legislative au-
| end. oos' e"i'u'"'e" " 'nae
a. on TINS well settled principle has rested all
the legislation ever had in restraint of tbe
| liquor traffic, whether involving tha ,,r;,,o;-
| pie OF license or prohibition. For moro than
TWO hundred years, first in the parent PROV
| ince and Commonwealth, and subseonen,Iv
In the State of Maine, a thorough trial ,sas
| had OF the license system, in every form that
could by devised. This experience led to so
WIDE spread a conviction that any system of
licensing dram shops is nearly powerless To
| repress the temptations which promote in
temperance, that in 1851 this State adopted
the policy OF prohibiting drinking houses and
tipping shops altogether, aud Of authorizing
the sale ofintoxcating liquors only for me-
dlcnal and mechanical purposes, by agents
appointed for that purpose. This system has
had trial OF only twenty-five years; yet its
success, in this brief period, has on the whole
been so much greater than that of any other
plan yet devised, that prohibition may be
said to be accepted by a large majority of the
people as the proper policy Of this State to-
wards drinking and tippling shops; and to be
acqulesced in to great extent by Others, as
an experiment which should have as thorough
a trial as other systems that preceded it By
deaiing IN this spirit with question affecting
so momentous interests, there will ultimately
be substantial agreement among all good ell
lzens ON such policy as experience shall
nave shown to be most effective in repressing
the evils of the liquor traffic. To this end.
such an investigation into the effects of the
traffic, and the results of legislation to SUD-
press or restrain the same, as is cos,tem-
plated by proposition introduced into Cor
gress by one of the Representatives from this
State, could not fail to be in the highest de-
gree beneficial
1t would be unwise for any one to claim
tnat prohibitlon has entirely suppressed or
can entirely suppress the dram shop. That
is no more possible than it is for human enact
ments to entirely prevent THEFT, robbery,
arson, or even murder. Indeed any effective
enact'nents against practices which are excep
tonally profitable and at the same time pan
der to mems appetites and passions. ARE pecul-
iarly difficult of thorough enforcement, as has
always been found the case with statutes pro-
hlblting gambling saloons and houses of ILL
fame, as well as drinking houses and tippling
shops. The true test OF the merits OF such
legislation, of whatever character, is not
whether it entirely uproots the evils prohibit
ed; but whether on the whole it does not re-
press them as effectually as any system that
can be devised.
Where our prohibtory laws have been well
enforced, lew will deny thai they have ac-
compshed great good In more than three
fourths OF the State, especially in the rural
portions, where forty years since intoxicating
liquors were as freely and commonly sold as
any article of merchandise. public sentiment
has secured such an enforcement oil these
laws, that there are now in these districts few
open bars; and even secret sales are so much
reduced as to make drunkenness in the rural
towns comparatively rare. The exceptions
to this state of things are mainly in some of
the cities and larger villages, where public
sentiment on this question is usually not so
well sustained as in towns more remote from
the tide of immigration. But even i'm these
places our prohibitory legislation has always
been enforced to some extent, and not infre-
quently with much thoroughness; and has
never been without that important influence
for good which all laws in moral directions
exert.
Constant, uniform and impartial enforce
ment, to Lhe highest practible standard, is re-
quired in any municipality in order to OBJ
tain the full benefit Of any system of legis-
lation in restraint of the liquor traffic. Under
our system OF government where the public
sentiment of municipalities even will have
great influence in controlling the measure of
enforcement of this as well rs other laws, the
only permanent remedy for any laxity i'm
this direction in exceptional localities, ulti-
mately lies in such quickening of public
opinion as will either give new energy and
III,
cure the election of other men in their
places. For it should be remembered that
local officers are primarily required to en-
force the laws against drinking-houses and
tppling-shops. and can do this work. if they
will, much more satisfactorily and effectively
than any others.
In addition to the duties thus imposed on
local officers, the act of 1872, and the execu-
tive orders issued in compliance Herewith,
make it the duty of sherifis to inquire into ali
violations of these and other laws of the State
within their respective countirs, and to insti-
tute legal proceedings against such violations.
The act also imposes upon County Attorneys
the duty of directing inquiries before the
grand jury into such violations, and of prose-
cutting persons indicted and securing the
prompt sentence of such as shall be convict
ed. Ii either of these officers shall wilfuly
refuse or neglect to discharge the duties i'm
nosed upon him, evidence of the specific in
stances of such refusal or neglect, as contem-
plated by the act and the constitution, may
be presented to the executive, and if he is
satisfied that the charges are sustained, it
will be his duty to bling such fact to the at
tenton of the Legislature at the earliest prac-
tical day, whereupon that body may request
the removal of the delinquent officer.
While such remedy as this is provided for
exceptional cases of delinquency, yet it will
rarely be fonnd that any OF these officers will
wilfully refuse or neglect 10 do his duty, where
heis made to feel that the public sentiment will
sustain him. Where this sentiment is not
strong enough in county either to urge ex-
isting officers to a faithful discharge of their
duty, or, in case of their neglect, to secure
the election of men who will do their duty,
the ultimate remedy must be sought, under
our system, through such instrumentalities as
will arouse and elevate public opinion.
Valuable and Indispensable rs is the pro-
hibitOrv system Of LEGISLATION tho
sion OF dainking houses and tippling shops,
whose fruits are drunkenness, ignorance.
brutality, waste, pauperism, crime, impaired
health, shattered intellect, premature decay
and untiWely death, it should not be forgotten
that the efficiency OF law, as well as the pow
er of those moral insJumentalities which
law only supplements, depend on the con-
stancy and energy with which labors are di-
rected to maintain high standard of public
sentiment on this question. In so glorious
moral work as this, every good citizen should
unite his sympathes ard efforts.
THE MILITARY DEPARTMENT.
The reports of the Adjutant General, and of
Major General Chamberlain as commander
OF the first Division of Maine Militia, furnish
fu information as to the condition of the
Military Department of the State; and their
recommendations and suggestions are COM
mended to your favorable consideration.
The e areten companies of Infantry and one
of Artillery, uniformed as well as equicped
by the State; and two additional companies
OF Infantry armed and equipped by the State,
but uniformed at their own expense. The
expense Of uniforming these companies was
about eleven thousand dollars; the expense
OF the encampment, held near Portland in
the month of August, about six thousand
dollars, and other incidental expenses of the
department about two thousand dollars.
Probably the annual expense of supporting
the existing military establishment with an
encampment, would not hereafter exceed
nine thousand collars. The State could
hardly meet the reasonable expectations of
the national government, or exercise common
prudence in providing itself with force to
meet any internal exigency, without MAIN
tanning volunteer militia at least as numer-
Gus as that now existing, which in case of
necessity could be promptly expanded from
one regiment into ten or more. And it
seems to me clear that our present volunteer
companies cannot be we'll maintained with
out an animal encampment.
SOLDIERS OF THE LATE WAR.
Among the obligations which a grateful
state and nation recognize as peculiarly sacred.