The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-07-30
Tne Maine sLiqn0r n =. :,
80 t,ySeRAr GOOD EPrEcT-HoW AND NJ - =
- - 49, 1rrsnu n, "a EyADEp.

r,or, Jana Correspondence New York Brapnlc.I
ITnderstanti ue--the law, when moss.
roon,e do mot understand, absolutely pivs
ss;hits the sale OF wine. beer. Wnlskey, an sa
nvsrv beverage chat will iuebrinte, unaeI luz
saverest sort or penalties. You cannoL g ss
. hottie az sherry or brandy at oiuR,ss.o.o
eyeent upor the prescription OF pnysiGlan,
and fhen the quantity sold Is Hmiter 10 =
Mint In every instance. You cannot aIinN
wine VIII, your dinner at hotel, gec !. ~
fine pranr;etor Is not allowed to sen A. "
vo,,. ,You can have your private VIZ
chest. but you will have to hli }, py pu ;.o
chasi,sp outside OF the State. IL - NIL ,,.,
a no.,eIty to follow q long street, esp h',ay,
one. adjacent to wharyes that aie ps =,
wiia, eesrnen. without finding the s.sn Va
4 s:sIoon. There are some sfgns-a uoIe ar 70
u,nre-still banging In the cit5, .na' co,,ld
MARKED the place where peer anu - G tbav
~ had. but the buildings to Wnc.i sI icy
5ro mo- are empty and diiapidatea vi u1I iou ,o
cher purposes, and the sgns are ,,s,i,v 70.
60 remain, as Congressman keeu Wiz" a;.r that
marked: "To remind sfniess s'o, ~; st >,
the crime Of intemperaDce asu oni i.. ,;nnor.
The State government is tle on,s mi horn
dealer allowed to sell. IL mas sss, :an, D snd
of fbe necessity for spirits TOT ineu.. a.oS a. in
mechanical purposes, when y ,nan nm.
az no;nts a & State liquor agent" VINO buys
po't the market wines aud liquors OF Ihe
f IN nnoIItv and opens a warehouse. Inc
onSorcernent Of the law depends largely
anon tine disposition Of this man. ANY
twentv citizens Of any town may Apply 10
the State agent to have town aseAcy
onened. which application is granted ny
the Governor after Investigation lEte Tue
case and local or town agent is appointetu,'
who rents q building and is suppl1ed VIII
a stock OF liuuors from the State agency. "A
citizen Wishing q pint OF brandy, lot III.
stance. goes to the agent, to whom ne nlus'
Inc known personally or by reputation as q
renutabIe citizen, or being stranger IL u
necessary for him to be Identified bv some
renutabie citizen, and applies for the
brandy. He registers his name and APP
niicotion in a book kept for the purpose
and If the agent sees no good reason why
if should be refused the brandy. is granted
TO him, and the book, which is always open
TO the public, will bear record that ooln
Smith, on the 23d OF July, purchased :
Dint or brandy for medicinal or mechaiical
purposes. A great deal, they tell me- Is
secured for "mechanical purposes" Id
this town of $4,000 inhabtants-one TENN
Of whom find their livelihood on the sea
the demand for liquor is so small that one
man only is kept to attend the sales at the
single place where liquor can be legally
purchased.
But, it will be asked, Do these $4,000 peo'
DIe Totally abstain from all Intoxicating
beverages ? The answer that was given me
was theoretically they do; practically, tlve
per cent. OF them drink as much as they
would were there saloon on every corner.
The law is evaded by system OF socia
clubs. An ordinary club is organized, pro.
cures and furnishes rooms. A sideboard
is one OF the articles Of furniture, and 1t Is
well laden. A member OF the cIuD drops
in, helps himself, and extends the courtesy
of the club to a friend. The waiter 10 at
tendance registers the amount and quantity
of the liquor drank, and at the end OF the
month the treasurer OF the club " assesses u
the individual "club dues" to cor.
responding amount. Clubs are popular IL
Portland.
But they tell me drunken man is never
seen here; the poor are very few; murders
are almost unheard of; crime OF every sor'
is rapidly decreasing, until. as Senator
Blaine remarked to-day, it has become use
less for the State'to employ any one to looE
after crime statistics. The police station:
are seldom occupied. The most arrests are
made for larceny, and "drunk and dlsor
derly" is an offence unknown to the police
records of Maine. In two thirds OF tb'
townships OF the State there is not even
estate agency" The people drink soda
water, " pop" and gnger-beer.