The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-03-09
The Maine Law in Maine.

~ Ise LSuttUF VI Ue f>TeSS
SIR:-I think it will be conceded now by
nearly everybody, that the prohibition of the
liquor traffic has become the settled policy of
this State. This result has not been reached
by any sudden or spasmodic action of our peo
pie, but from long and well settled conviction
that this traffic is in deadly hostility to every
public and private interest There is no Or
ganized opposition to this policy in any quar-
ter, and this is for the reason that the indics-
tions are numerous and conclusive that the
people have resolved to abide by it as of the
utmost importance to the general vel fare.
The liquor traffic undermines and wastes the
health and wealth of the people,. and is the
fruitful source Of more than three -fourths of
the poverty and paupersm, and of more than
nine tenths of the crime with which the COM
munity is burdened and cursed. 1t is the
cause of more mischief to the State and of
more misery to the people than all other
sources of evil combined, at the same time
that no good comes from it to any public or
social interest. In all this L say nothing new;
everybody knows it to be so.
The amount of liquor consumed in this coun-
try annually is of the value of about $780, OOO 900
and the proportion of that snm for this State
would be more than sly 100000 according to
our population. In the old rum time, the peo-
pie of Maine consumed their full share of
strong drinks. But it will answer my purpose
to assume that the share of the national drink
bill for Maine would be only $10,OO0,O0O. Now
it has never been denied by any one at any
time, so far as know, that for every dollar
spent for strong drink. another dollar is lost or
wasted in many ways, with which all are fa-
milar who have had any experience of life or
knowledge of the world The share of Maine
then. of the national drink bill-its cost and
loss. would be at least 500, 100000 annually.
but for the law of prohibition, under which it
has been reduced, as we say, far below two
millions of dollars. But whatever the amount
Of IL may have been, it was dead loss to the
State and people, so far as any good comes
from 1t to any public interest whatever.
1t is no answer to say that A and B and G,
have made money BY the liquor trade, and that
this property is taxed and is thus public BEN
ehe NO values are created by the liquor
trade, as by agriculture, by manufactures or by
honest work Of any kind. Property of what
ever sort in possession of liquor seller is only
that which has been earned by other people,
and has been transferred to him in exchange
for something which is absolutely without val
ne, and even worse than that, for many making
the exchange of money for liquor, become grad
ually untitled to earn more money, and BY and
by becomes impoverished and pauperized, and
often become criminals; in any case they be-
come burden upon the honest industry of the
community and curse to society. But for the
liquor trade, thousands of such people who
are in this condition with happy homes broken
up and destroyed, would be self supporting
with families well cared for and would be
friends and upholders of law and order, and
OF society instead of being cu.se to the COM
munity, and part of that great mass of
wretches who constitute the danger to social
order and to our political institutions
In reply to the argument of Daniel Webster
before the Supreme Court of the United States
that laws of prohibition to the liquor traffic
were an interference with national legislation
permitting the importation of liquors, which
the importer had right to sell, having paid
right is purchased By the importer; he cannot
purchase from the government that which it
couldn't assure him, q sale independently of the
laws and polty OF the state" And in reply to
Mr.. Webster's argument that the prohibition
of the liquor trade would diminish the revenue
of the government, Mr.. Justice Guier said:
If loss of revenue should accrue to the
United States from diminished consumption
OF ardent spirits, she will be the gamer a thous
and fold in the health, wealth and happiness of
the people" And William Writ, Attorney
General of tho United States, said: ut is no
exaggeration to say, as has been often said,
that this single cause has produced more vice,
Ul.
domestic and social, than all the other ills that
scourge US combined Aud the Hon. VIM,
Marcy, Secretary of State of the United States,
when Democratic Governor of New York, in a
message to the Legislature in 1855 said: 1.-THE
duty you owe to your constituents to suppress
public evils requires you to provide more effect
ually for putting an end to this traffic; and in
stead OF offering to repeal existing laws, though
often violated, listen to the cries of perlshing
thousands of your constituents. Will you not
provide for putting an end to the traffic2'
This is the traffic which upon the floor of the
United States Senate, one Of Names hopored
sons, then member of that House, declared to
be "the gigantic crime of crimes'' Years be-
fore that, slavery, then legal institution up.
held approved and defended by great MANY
good and honorable men, was declared to be
1.-THE sum of human villanies''-apd now the
slave trade is by law declared to be piracy for
hidden under penalty of death. And the liquor
trade is denounced and stigmatized as greater
crme-"the gigantic crime of crimes If the
magnitude of any crime is to be estimated by
the extent of mischief to the state and misery
to the people coming from it-and there is no
other mode-then the Senator was abundautly
justified when he said, "the liquor traffic is the
gigantic crime of crimes''
1t is this frightful evil to every public and
private interest, this dreadful scourge of the
human family, that the people of Maine have
deliberately resolved to drive from their bor-
ders. Where is the good citizen who desires
that this attempt may fail; who wishes that
the liquor traffic, under whatever form, NAV be
legalized once more and perpetusted among us?
NEAL Dow