Ellsworth American., 1877-12-20
What has been Gained.

Dcc. ON, lcii apuoiisheu Dy vote Oh lne Con
yention.l
1t is half century since the tenn
perance movement was inaugurated in
Maine; forty-three years since it was
placed on the total abstinence plat
form; thirty-seven years since the
practicability of rescuing the intem-
perate from the influence of the fearful
appetite for alcoholic liquors was gen.
orally accepted thirty-six years since
Maine first practically recognized the
Importance of aiding mora! efforts by
removing by law, so far as possible,
the temptations of the dramshop and
nearly five years since the reform
movement among drinking men was
initiated in this state. What has been
accomplished? l ask this question
first that the friends of temperance
here aud elsewhere NAV be encouraged
to redoubled efforts in the same direc-
tions in which they have been laboring,
if considerable measure of success
has attended our efforts and secondly,
if those efforts Gas is alleged in some
quarters) have proved a total failure,
that we may stop where we are, and
hand over the advocacy and care of the
temperance came to distillers and brew
ers, dram-selers and their customers,
wine-bibbers and faut.finders who are
so sure that they are better temperance
men than those persons who have thus
r 10 hnrnI ha .ft . H.,
but Gas our critics allege) have only
made matters worse.
l ask this question with the more
earnestness because l notice that cor
respondents, liquor runners and enc
mics are more busily at work now than
ever before, representing to the people
of other states that there is more liquor
drank, and more drunkenness appar-
ent in Maine than ever before in the
history of this or anv other state. |
have late issue of the Springfield
Mass Union, in which it is editori-
ally stated that college professor,
who has recently spent two months in
Maine, says he found this to be the
fact. A Maine correspondent of the
Boston Post has recently made simi-
lar declaration. The Portland cores
pondent Of the New York Sun echoes
the same opinion. Runners for liquor
firms are telling the same story wher-
ever they go. In short, all the indica-
tlons point to the fact that the enemies
of temperance. in all parts of the coun-
try regard it important that the pre-.
valling impression that Maine has
made unexampled temperance prog
ress, shall be dispelled by multitude
OF witnesses claiming to have seen for
themselves.
1t seems to me, therefore, that the
facts known to our own people. which
iorts-all the Efforts OF other Trlenus oi
temperance--havc not been failure,
but glorious succes-should De stated
and emphasized anew.
L. Statistics collected and pub.
lished in 1882 BY Secretary Pond of
the Maine State Temperance Associa-
tion, showed that with population
Of only As, 200, there were 1000 places
or bars in which Intoxicating liquors
were openly sold as beverage
grog shop to every 225 men, women
and children. Nearly every store and
tavern sold liquor by the glass. Tue
sales of these 2000 places were ten
million dollars annually, mainly cheap
rum, or $40 for each inhabitant. At
that time Maine was in the same CON
dition as to the use of Intoxicating
liqnors as other states. Since then
there has been some Improvement in
the country at large. Statistics COM
piled in 1872 BY Mr.. Young of the In
ternal Revenue Department. show that
the sales Of intoxicating liquors in the
United States for the previous year
were about six hundred million dol
lars, or SIG per inhabitant. Later cs-
Inmates swell the sales to seven hum
dred millions, with the increase Of
population. This puts the average
sale and consumption Of liquors in this
country at the present time, at SlG for
every man. woman and child-a
marked gain for the whole country.
But Maine has gained much more than
the country as whole. Last year
the sales of liquors By the hundred
town agencies in Maine, ostensibly for
medical and mechanical purposes,
were nearly 10000; or, with our
present population of 625, 900, about / )
cents per inhabitant. Instead of 2000
open bars as we had in 1882, which
with our present population would
proportionally give us about 2SOO now
80 far as | can learn there is no bar or
place in our state where liquor is open
ly sold in known defiance of law. How
much there is secretly sold is largely
matter Of conjecture. The friends
of temperance think not over $500, 200
making the aggregate sales in the
state 100000, or 81 per inhabitant.
The widest enemies of Temperance do
not set the aggregate sales higher than
one million dollars, or less than 81 per
| inhabitant. Concede even this high
estimate, and we have the sale and
use of intoxicating liquors in Maine
only One-tenth what they were forty
years ago, and one-eigM what they are
to-day on the average in the remainder
| of the Union.
2. More specific statistics point to
similar conclusions as to the marked
reduction in the use and sale of intox-
icating liquors in Maine. In 1880
there were thirteen distilleries in this
state, manufacturing about one million
gallons of rum (two gallons to each
inhabitant.) all Of which, together with
about 800, 900 gallons of imported liq.
uors, were consumed in the state, to
make no account of fermented liquors
and cider drank. Now there is not q
single distillery or brewery in the
state. OF the 500 taverns in the state
in 1888. all but. forty had an open bar
1