Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-02-27

n al Dow Depre -ates Rash state
menLs by AuIi-E et''ale =, and Con
tsuds tnat Pr ,hiDi 10 n ID oes Prohib-
L.
PORTLAND. Me, Feb. 14-To the E 1itor
of the New York rrioune-SIR: | see in a
recent copy of the Tribune the following
paragraph:
"A st tement likely to tract wide at
tentlon Is MA u ny tho P0relaud Press IN
all arsIcle opposing II movement To give
aIuILlO. al strfngtncy to The N aIne prOhI-
blLory Equ ,r law. IL says that during The
twenty years LIaE tn law has been In
operation there has Oees an alarming IN
crease IN crimes Of KIND usually attribu-
ted t. ukenness, and that at this time
there are more drinL ing salOU in Port
lau0 than eyer tef,,re On the aut 'ority of
n eai Dow tn number Is given ~ I30.'
Any atement, either original or quoted,
made by the lOuue is sure to attract
wide attention. and II /, for that reason
that | wish to remarK upon tue one you
ha . tak-n from the Press. 1t is not true
that crrme IN Maine h IS increased-If at all
Ids the result of the Suppression of the
/ Ouur traffic here, The law has extin-
guIsn, tul Y nIneteen tW Wenti1ths of the
rum trade in Maine, and the oue-twenLieth
re paluiug can ohly b reached In the case
by some addiLtOus 10 the Nv, winch autl-
temper nee people do not f,vOr. We snail
have them by and BY In the meantime we
m ct be p tent. The 1 Ortiand Press can
know V, ry liLtle of toe com mparaLiVe mag
nItude of the hquor tr tic IN this city, tor
the reason, aInuIIg others, that 1t Was not
vet born III he Odd rum time. 1t says tn at
there are more rum-shOps in Portland no "
tLan ever before. That Is u very wild
statement of 3 matter the writer knew
n talng about In the old time the were
IL,
OF when sold more liquor than Is now sold
by al hat exist here.
"Dtinking salOons,' what do people un-
derotand b., that phrase? Now, there is
not any DIR nkl saloon IN Portland, In the
most universally accepted meanI 6 of that
term. Wehave some low, secret rum dens
in the lowest part Oh the city. Their stock
of liQuOT general consist of half pint,
or possibly pint tile Of rum AID one OF
whisky in each coat pocket of the rumsell>
er. Or the st Ck may be in halfa dozen
f II half pint bottles hidden in the ash>hOle
und tue co bkIng-stove oven, or It may be
In II pitcher of whisky and sprin4l ng-
Cf beer standing over tub OF dirty wat r,
into which both are hastily dumped" on
the entrance of the officers, or fine officers
are seen IN the streets; or it may be even u
barrel of beer hidden under the floor of u
y g-Pen or In a manure heap, or buried in
The earthtn flour of u cellar or built into
the mouse unHe er the sLalrs; or bottle or
Jug may be hlod-n in a bed or under q
fioor, the trap being under the bed; the
sock may be u pint bottle of WHISKY and
one If rum Suspended TO the waist of the
rumselinx nah, beneath the outer
s rt. All these do ges have been resorted
to, AMI many others, TO conceal the
ligu rs, and Ihat Is he character of the
''salo,'us in Portland.
In B ngor lqIors are openly sold,
through l. ueIjury of the officials who re-
fuse execute tue law when they have
ew 'rn t" enforce Bu. New Workers are in
n" c"n iIuon To truw stones al these rascals,
because thry have enty of the same sort
aC h"ue' uhIFss tue city papers mislead
ou Her,. rs Maine papers do when talk
ing on thl que ton.
Il" not know how it may he in New
York, but here l. prOverb III men whn
drink are not o Oe believed when sne, ri,, y
of the liqu question. 1t Is mot interest,"
ing to ue of Maine to see the papers in
otner 5 ates SO anxious lest the Maine Law
shauld harm the temperane cause | hope
they may not lie awake o nights in devils
ig emedy for danger that does not ex
ist, but which seems to them so immlnen
and dreadful, NEAL Dow.