New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-07
THE MAINE LAW.
OuypITION AS A RIFLE. ENFORCED.

-THE PEOPLE WELL SATISFIED
trpou An OCCASION AL co RRrspoNpENr TRIBUNE.
PORTLAND Me-. Nov 1.-The prohibiiory law has
now been M force for about quarter oil century
IN Maine with the exception of very snort Poa'"u
soon after It's first adoption when 1t was repeated
The Legislature following that whIch repealed u
reanaeted IT, and no serious effort has since been
made to modify its stringent provisions. Other
States have tried absolute prohbi,Ion and alan
doned il as ill-adapted 10 secure the end ot less
enlrC the evils Of tipping AMI drunken
ness or as interfering too much with personal
liberty. | believe Vermont Is now the oniv S''''
which retains upon its statute bOONs close copy VI
the Maine law. Here the law seems to nave "''
nothing OF its hold upon pnblc sentiment " ~
political party popular movement o",Su "
parties demands its repeal Absolute pro"iu''''" -
accepted rs the proper order OF th'hgS' anu ""'''
feeling there NAV be IN favor OF following the ex-
ample of other states and supp'ah''hg u VII"
license system lacks organization and finds no voice
In the pubic press
Why Maine was the first State TO reach the poh'
NJ making the sale of alchohoiic beverages a crime,
and why her people so Tesouely clung to PROHIBITION
after il has been abandoned by 50 many DINER
States after "a far t7lal, Is an lntercS'i"e
question. Probably the Maine law originated
III a reaction against widespread drunkenness D"'
were the Maine people more gwen To dflhH qui'o'
of n century ago than those of ether states Hucn
an assertion might be disputed, ont II - eertu'n
that intemperance was prevalent wee mere WIG"
the prohbtory law was passed. No douo' Tue ca
tensiye trade carried by Naive vessels win 'no
West Indies mace rum cheap and plentiful. VesSeiS
that took out lumber came back with rum Sus".
and moIasses So great the consumption Oh
West India rum that the name OF that particular
form of smrituous drink became generic terin
covering all forms of distilled liquor Just as Wills
key has since become in the temperance pilauce Va
States outside of New England. haru uflhher
WAS called rummv" and the liquor traue WAS
spoken of AS the rum traffic. Rum-seng is sui Tue
term employed to describe all forms OF VloiaIloh Vi
the prohb:ory law, from the sale OF inc mllueS'
beer TO that of the worst benzine wEiskey. De
sides the cbeap West India beverage, great deal OF
French brandy finds it way across the llne rom 'he
British provinces No doubt the arduous avocatlons
of a large part of the Maine people-fishlng along
the rocky coast III summer and numbering III WIN
fer amid the SHOWS OF the great spruce 1oresS-dlS-
,osed Them 10 use stimulating drinks TO excess
Whether the State was off than others IN inns
raspect or not il is certain that hard drinking was
SO common as seriously to affect the morals ana pros
perity of the people
Tho bulk of the population of Maine comes OF
oure New England stock. There Is very httlc
foreign element Except the French Canadians on
the Upper st. Johns and in the manufacturing
towns of Bidieford and Lewiston and lew lrlsh
in Portland and the other cities the whole body VI
tb irboutonts trace their ancestry back to Puritan
Massachusetts. There never was any mean term III
the formula of Puritan morals 1t was always one
extreme or the 9th T. So hard-drinklnc Name went
at one legislative stride to total abstinence and en-
forced prohibition.
Does prohibition prohibit In some places 1t
does. in some IT does not. Much depends upon
the disposition Of the Sheriff and Prosecuting
Attorpev-ynuch upon local public sentiment III
some localities the law is de'ed-in others IS rig
idly enforced la my travels through the state TINS
wear and last have taken pains to make inquiries
ON this point and have found that the law is not
applied with anything like uniformity. AS rule
ito enforcement in the cities and large towns Is lax
and spasmodic but III the country It's provisions are
only violated with great caution and careful efforts
at conceament. Liquor saloons abound III for'-
land BANGOR and other cities, but their decanters
and glasses are hidden under their connters ana the
bar is sheltered behind the screen OF front shop
where to all appearances, scanty but innocent
trade is carried on III apples ana pea
nuts The apples are shrVclled and the
neanuts Ay-sptcked. and the demand for
these delicacies is evidently too small 10 war
rant frequent rcplenishing Of the stock. Never
tleess customers appear to be plenty, but they all
steer direct course from the front door to the
screened aperture IN the half PARTITION which hides
the back part Of the room. If penetrate TO this
inner recess YOU will see nothing but bar and
few bottles of "pop" and niger ale. Cal for some
fling stronger and tie proprietor VIII scrutlnze
your appearance closely and make up his mind that
,,on ar. moi = detective before he reaches down to
the cupboard under tho bar foI decanter or bot
lie Of lager Ia Bangor there is less effort at con-
cealment than in this city, and brewery shOwcards
are d,splaved IN some of the saloon windows. The
United States Revenue Collector has issued 100
retail Nnucr-licenses-a large number for city
of 10000 inhabitants # there were no prOhibtoW
law IN inc SCate-aud il IS reasonable 10 suppose
that all the persons who have paid for these licenses
IRE selling IN defiance of the Maine statute. Tie
local administration is in the hands of Democrats
and ORGANIZATIONS. who are not disposed 20 enforce
fLc law Some efforts are made, however, by in
bVdusls and by Temperance associations to publish
yiolaio-s and now and then saloon IS raiCet
upon, its stock of liquors coniScated AID the pro-
prietOrs are arrested.
LAST winter the main law was strengthened by
number Of amendments. the most important OF
winch was aim,d at the so-caIied elnbS when
ab0uuded ~ Portland ana 0lher cites ana were
little better than public bars. Nhen m2u wan. edo
90 into the saloon business he got few OF his
friends TO put their names 10 a paper rs members
of a club. Then BE rented quiet room upstairs or
al the end of hallway back Of a store,
opened his bar ard began business. if inter
icred with by the author es he tended 10 be tie
steward of private social club and unless tHore
wa. proof hat ne had sold lHtOX,c0 ing drinks g.
persons not members OF the club ihc law could not
touch him. The amcndmonis adopted by the last
Legislature have br ken mp this bogus club bn>ncSs,
and drinkers obliged to resort f. tie d.srcbHt-
able peanut shop. present doctor pre-. cIptiOn
al "A drug store. Il j. astoul hing how m9uy abl--
Lodicd men appear regularly at the apOtle,aueS
sh0us wItE solemn faces ANA a rrc,cr p.iOn for "a
oua.t of Spritps fGmcpd IL Portland there are tWo
Genuine clubs respectable tituti0ua, with large
genuine membership Of business and professional
mon. when ar not directly BIT By
The new law. They occupy large AID
,yfll-fnr1,. sued houses. aud are conducted like
the best clubs Of Ncw-Yorl, having re ding. smo-
nq aud billiard rooms, and bel centres OF agree
able refined social life Even these institutions
have 20 dodge the law, however. In one OF them,
~. sCoutu.rcInIn the members pilGthaee cards