The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-05-07
THE MAINE LAW IN MAINE.
Neal Dow Defends its Workings an,
Praises its Results.

To the Editor Of the Tribune: ~
SIR Last week you said: Are we never
to know the exact truth, or even the approxi-
mate .ss truth respecting &c the operation cratic, ,s Of tn, the
been made by DIR. Ingraham OF Portland,
which Is full Of discouraging statements.
= Mr.. %Ingrahain tells the Legislature In
his report that under the operation OF the
law, drunkenness has increased. ~
VIII YOU allow me space in your columns to
give you something like the approximate
truth In relation TO this matteT7
For three years the druggists OF the State
such u modification OF the law as would allow
them to sell liquors, which now they are for
hidden to do. By their exertions and those OF
the rum interests generally, IN Portland, Mr.
v0rnble 70 their wishes. have been sent from
this city to the Legislature. Careful and elsb.
crate preparation had been made during the
year to assure the success OF the druggists
plan. Mr.: Ingraham and others IKE him
were constituted u committee, packed In the
Interest OF this project. This committee
made n report with but W dissenting votes
In favor OF the druggists BILL" bat when
the vote was taken In the House on the pro
lect, it had but p out OF a membership q 20,
The last year with q unanimous report OF the
committee against 1t. the druggists had %
votes. A member from Portland, one OF the
most respectable OF all the men on the ruin
side Of the liquor question, this year intro
duced a bill To exempt all malt liquors, cider
and domestic wines from the prohibition Of
the law. The committee reported against 1t,
but q minority report was q IN It's favor,
by Mr.. Ingraham and three othe,s;s but they
had but II votes out Of . total Of lS.
This emphatic vote covered the whole
ground OF prohibition, and represented fairly
the public opinion OF Maine on that subject.
a Vote Of is to 10 In the Senate and s6 to 10 III
tho House, while the yote on Mr.. 1ngraham's
project, after an experience Of more than
t~wenty-eight years OF the operation Or the
law was more tsran six to- one In opposNton TO
relaxing any Of It's neutrality-suspicious.
the entire policy and practice Of prohibitions.
In 1877 an Fact additional - was passed with.
out a dissenting vote In either. house Of far
greater stringency than any which had PR,
this would huve been impossible without an
overwhelming public opinion in the state
against the li9uor traffic; and such an ,opln-
ion can only be founded In the conviction
that the operation Of the law has oeen goo0
md not bud. ~.
Mr.. Ingraham In his report said: "Ilquor
drinking Is not done openly TO so gTeatan c1-
tent, but the consumption Is as large IN
my name, ] stigniatized that assertion as "a
shameful "a sehood," and said the whole re-:
port was false In all Its facts and asteged
iucts, In the sense In which MI. lngraham in-
tended them to be understood. belore the
law we had open rum-shops, wholesale and
retail, all over theState; now not an open
one IN all our territory. Every country gro
Gerry and country tavern were run-shops III
tricts now there are none. The tarlc fingers
yet, secretly and OH y small scale, IN our lnrg-
or towns and cltlcs-in the hands or our low,
est and vilest foreign populatioA-but 1t VIII
be expelled by and by under penalties that
will reach such people. Il
We formerly had many dlstflcries, some OF
them large ones-Sevcn large ones in this city
running night and day; now there Is not one