Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-10-30

liquors, or allow their efficacy, In cases
of disease or sickness. Still, town after
town mas closed its agency, leaving no
provision for the accommodation OF this
large class of community. A csse IN
point. Recently MIR. BIS young child
was sick of a fever. His physician pre-
scribed little stimulaut to tide him over
critical point. II was no rxnl-d0etoT
who prescribed the remedy. Thirteen
miles were necessarily travelled by that
falher before he could reach an agency,
10 procure this medicine fer his d5lug
child. Sdch cases always stir up hos
tile feeling, and this gains strength vita
each successive case. The State when
to-day voted largely Tor prohibition, may,
n year hence, demand license law, or
declare for "lree rum" While the pee
pie OF Maine are divided into two lac
tons. those iavoring prohibition and those
opposing, we should not forget that' IS
upon political questions, there / ersa'
mass with no settled views. Lord NJ
caslay's comments upon ths division OF
EogIaud into Wings d Tories, well
plies to our case
"It is also 10 BE- noted that these two
parties have never been the whole nsl'on'
nav, that they have never, taken togetHeI,
made up majority OF The nation. Be
tween them mas always been great Aass
which has not steadtastiy adhered 10
either, which has sometimes remAiseG
inortly neutral, and has sometimes oscu-
la,sd 10 and fo. That mass hiss moe
than once passed from one extreme 10
tho other, and back agsiu. Somedhes
IL has changed sides merely because r
was tired OF supporting ths same NE"
sometimes because it was dismsyed Ut i'5
own excesscs, sometimes because /. had
expected impossioiii,ies and had been
disappointed. But, whenever 1t hiss lean
ed is whole weight in either direction
that weight has, for the tune, been ne
sistlble."
This is public opinion, n,-that which ap'
plauds, aud before the echo dies away
crows frantic with reversion Of feeling.
We can depend upon Maize to-day 20
stand firm, and enforce the law as it il,
but if we press too hard and demand too
much. the mass may move in another d.
rcc,ion. II is certain that when the change
occurs it Is likely TO step as far to the lelt
as it previously inclined to the right. III
is the nature of man to overrate present
evil. and to underrate present good; 20
long Tor what he has not, and TO be DIS
satisfied with what he has" When
liquors were free and drunkenness was
prevalent, we may have overrated Inc
evil; to-day we certain y unaerra'e
the good Maine Law, while many iong
for the liquors which they aaye not II
this feeling OF discontent grows or Is
Increased by the enactment OF too SIrih
Gent laws, the result is cdrtain. NLeu
Americans feel that they arc oppressed
it is safe to predict an uprising sufficiently
powerful to remove the cause OF oppIes-
sion. and If moderate men and those TO-
tally opposed 10 prohibition unite Name
Lsw will cease TO exist.
The case to be made may be thus coz
ci,ely stated: The Maine Law is as well
enforced. and is as effective as any other
criminal law. The proposed amendment
should not prevail, lst, because 1t is IN
Just, in that it proposes to make the sale
of glass of cider rs EG,uous an otfen-v
AS robbery; 2nd, becauss the measure Is
one which, though the people may sHs'
,lin it to-day, they are likely to consider
too severe hereafter; 3rd, because Il we
thus demand too much OF the pecP'e'
they may undo what good has been ae-
complished, by recoil OF public opnlon'
and lastly, because the motto, LET We
enough aloue," is as good = one tor TIE
State as for individuals.