The Portland daily press., 1879-10-23
The Maine Law.
It's Enforcement-The Cost and The Re-
suits.

There is a general lack of information in
this county and in the State, as to the actual
results OF the enforcement t OF the Maine Law
Reports have been industriously circulated by
persons opposed to prohibition that the public
treasury has been heavily taxed to pay the
costs of prosecutiug rumsellers, end that CORE
spending benefits have not been obtained to the
community. Some care has been taken to ex-
anime the records of the courts so as to ascer-
tain the facts in relation to the matter, and
am confident they will be interesting to all our
people and will give satisfaction to most OF
them.
The records Of our Municipal Court and OF the
Superior Court have been carefully examined
for the years 1S75-6-7-S and 1879 with the fol-
lowing results:-The whole number of seizures
of liquors kept for unlawful sale was for 1915,
585; 1876, 922; 1877, $40; 1873, 019; to Sept OF
1S79 469-in all, 3,755.
The whole number of searches of suspected
places where no liquors were found were III
those years. 461, 41S, 40, 2S2 2JO-in all, 1851.
Whole number of gallons of malt liquors
seized were for the corresponding years, 1914,
II ,Ss7, 1922, 21 ,272, Ii ,o41-in all, 6S,116.
w nOl0 HuulDOl VI StNiAoAoV VA opiAisSoS,1 49,
seized in the same years were, ,557, 2S2, 3,166,
2,219, 1,350-in all, 13, 964.
Amount of fines and costs received from Su-
perior and Municipal Courts in liquor cases for
same years, S34, 4,619.S2, S3O,79o.99, S1S, 72357,
$40, ,S25. .O5, SS, 1854 OO-in all, $103,923.4.
Amount of costs paid by the County in these
cases for those years was, $12,73713, so, 1857,
SIS, 1926, $13,G0S.51, $S,0OO.OO-in all, S59,-
592.17.
Net income to the County from the fines and
costs received from convicted rumsellers In
those years has been $46,514.72. This would
have been largely increased but for tne Iauity
drafting of certain clauses OF the law OF 1911.
This was done by one of the best lawyers IN the
State, a thorough Temperance man, and was
sheer oversight; but we expect to have that de-
feet corrected, and certain deficiencies IN the
law supplied by the next Legislature
The cost of the liquors seized is estimated at
about $37 $685. and this amount is probably not
mora than one-third of the quantity smuggled
into the city and sold in violation OF law. 1t
will be very easy, by small addition TO the
statutes, to compel all these low rumsellers TO
engage in some occupation not injurious to the
community
ty have paid in penalties into the public treas
ury in five years $103, ,923.44 Add to this the
cost of the liquors which they lost by seizure,
S37, 1855, and we have the aggregate Sl4l, SS9.ff,
an average for each year OF $2o,3I7 SS. Ihese
rnmsellers must have received considerable
sums Of money in these five years to enable
them to stand such a drain upon their re-
sources. This money does not come from men
of property and standing but exclusively from
day laborers, whose hardly earned wages go m
to the tills of these violaters of law while their
wives and children suffer from cold and hun
ger or seek relief from the poor fund, Tor
which the sober, Industrious, prudent part OF
the community is taxed.
1t is for the people to say how long they will
suffer this terrible evil to continue which in
fiicts an unspeakable misery upon hundreds OF
helpless women and children, and drains away
from the people large sums annually, which
otherwise would flow into all the channels OF
legitimate trade, and add greatly to the COM
fort and happiness of the community and be
added to the accumulating wealth of the city
and State. N. ~