Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-07-11
THE TRIUMPH OF PROHIBI-
TION IN MAINE
Shown by Un1mpeachabIe OFF,
ciaI Testimony.
Demonstrated by TncOntestibIe
Official Facts and Figures.

Official Facts and Figures.
Mr.. EDITOR: As the people of this state
in many sections are discussing the best
method of suppressing the evils of intern
perance and bringing to an end the liquor
traffic, and as the Maine law is constantly
referred to IS an illustration of the success
or failure of prohibition, at the request OF
many gentleman in this city will lay BE-
fore the public through your columns, the
fact and proof of the acknowledged trl-
umph and demonstrated success OF the
Maine liquor law. Vague rumors. anon
ymous information, slanderous reports
coming from inside or outside the state OF
Maine cannot be accepted as q OASIS OF
judgment. The people of Maine who live
in the state and know its history, its legis-
lation, its contrasting past and present. It's
changed condition and facts, and who can
speak from official and personal intelli-
gence and observation are alone compe-
tent to decide the question. And now
purpose in this article to bury the ignor-
ance and falseness of the assertion that the
"Maine Law is failure" in the grave it
deserves,if the very highest testimony OF
the state and overwhelmingly official facts
can do it.
Prohibition is shown to be triumphant
by the very highest unimpeachable testi-
mony. Says Woodbury. Davis, of the
supreme court of Maine, in l871-72:
mo observing man, who has lived IN
the state of Maine for twenty years and
has had an opportunity to know the facts,
can doubt that the Maine liquor law has
produced hundred times more visible
| improvement in the character, condition
and prosperity of the people than any
other law that was ever enacted" MARX
| thati "a hundred times more improve
ment than any law that ever was enacted"
Senator Lot Morrill, and Ex-Governor
Morrill, unite in tho following testimony
prohibition has become the settled policy
of the state. There is no organized or re-
spectacle opposition to it in any quarter,
and no exigency is likely to arise which
| will induce our people to abandon 1t ana
go back to the mischievous and wicked
policy of licensing tie liquor traffic"
1.-THE great change in the habits of the peo-
pie prOcures an enormous saving IN wages
of labor and in the resources OF the state:
which were formerly so largely squandered
and wasted in strong drink. This saving
in money and in the morals of the people
by the suppression of the liquor shops may
be seen everywhere throughout the state.
Better houses and buildings, pup
lie and private, better farms, bet
ter ways of life and increased prosperity
mark very emphatically the result of pro-
hibition. No one who knows what Maine
was before the law and who knows what il
has been since and is now (1879) can fail to
see the wonderful change for the better IN
all its interests, public and private
Saws Ex-Governor Dingley March 1851
1--WE affirm that the prohibitory liquor laws
of Maine are a wonderful success. Under
their influence and the moral suasion they
have supplemented the state of Maine hal
made greater temperance progress tnan any
other state in the union, and Is now treel
from dram shops and consequent drinking
habits than any other similar clvhlzet
hn nf earth.
whom then is it conceded that prohloluon II
Maine is a failure2 Not by any friend o
temperance. Not by any OF the officials o
Maine, who have the means Of knowini
the condition of the state. Not by an.
public man, or gentleman of standing AM
position in Maine who is willing to stan'
before the people of this state and CIV
reasons for such an opinion. Not by tn
great majority of voters of Maine who ar
to-day more thoroughly convinced Of tn
wisdom of prohibition than ever before
Not by any gentleman of characte
and intelligence who has gone through Tn
state and personally Investigated the re
suits of prohibition. On the contrar
every governor, every attorney genera
every state officer and every senator an
representative to congress which this stat
has had for score of years has united !
bearing witness to the the fact that the ope
dram shop has almost passed away !
Maine; that the secret traffic is mainly COZ
fined to the cities, and is brought With
narrow limits even there, and that total OF
stinence is the rule and drinking habits tn
exception among the people," What ca
be stronger?
Says n cal Dow, the author of the Main
law, and who knows more about the pra'
teal workings and results of prohibltlo
than any other living man, October, 1877!
From 1851 to this day not one circun
stance has transpired to warrant the decl
ration that it has failed. No decent man he
pretends that there is more than one-teni
of liquor sold in the state as before the lay
I say one-twentieth. We have no dist
lery and no brewery in the state, not on
all put down by the law and no liqu
brought in except a small quantity smu
gled and sold secretly and in violation
law, In three fourths of our territory
that is in all our rural districts. small
towns and villages-the traffic is unknow
when formerly it was universal. Mai
saves at least $l2, COO, 600 annually IN cas-
which, but for the law, would be spent
LIQUOR and as much more indirectly, al
- the effect of this may be seen in the thr
a and prosperity of of our people. The II
81 telligent gentleman is mistaken in clrc1
81 lating such shameful falsehoods about t
81 result of our great experiment to put avn
81 the poverty, psuperism, degradation a
- crime Dy suppC0eslu8 VIC chuEoi to-uAU'
H liquor traffic p"
q Says Mr.. Frye (1872), representative
"a congress- I'm the country portions of t.
81 state the sale and use have almost entire
81 ceased. The law under vigorous enfor'
81 ment has created a temperance sentime
IA which is marvellous, and to which oppo
81 ton is powerless. In my opinion our
M markable temperance of to-day is the
~ Ultimate child of law"
81 Saws Hannibal Hamlin (senate chamb
Is Nav 1929 II concur in the stateme
q made by Mr.. Frye. In the great good p
b duced by the prohibitory liquor law
Maine. no man can doubt who has seen
results. It has been of immense value.
e Saws John M. Lynch. member of c.
gress from Maine. 1872 Il fully conc
IS in the statementofmy colleague. Mr.. FIR
H in regard to the effect of the enforcement
: s. the liquor law of the state of Maine"
In 1873, six years later than the abo
Senator Blaine and Hamlin and repres
= tstlves Frye, Hale Reed, Lindsay 6
- Powers, representatives in congress, ms
UE. unltedly this statement: 1.-THE result
been that the traffic in intoxicating Iiqut
!. a crime by statute. has become crime
Qn the opinion OF large majority of our C
w zens. the buyer as we'll as the seller be
IN regarded as moral participant in
"a crime; the use of liquor as q beversg,
D. very limited. The law is now as easily ,
as thoroughly enforced az for any OF
tool crime, and we can sincerely affim that il