West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-03-09
who are opposed to the principles
of prohibition.
.. WIN. H. DRESSER,
C n nd "a
Sheriff of Cumberland Co.

Sheriff of Cumberland Co.
April Is, 1878.
Mr.. President, | have still more
proofs, but let this suffice. No Sen
ator on this floor is going to dispute
the high authority have quoted.
The Maine Prohibitory Law was
passed just 80 years ago. 1t was a
fierce-fought contest from 1881 to
1856 when the whisky men gained
a victory, and managed to get the
law repealed. But in 1857 or 1888
the increase of crime was so appa-
rent, that the temperance element
again prevailed, and the prohibito-
ry law was re-enacted, and has been
the law ever since, and the fight
has been very fierce. But about
three years ago all open opposition
has apparently ceased. But it will
not be denied there is still some IL
quor sold unlawfullyin Maine. Pro-
hibitory Maine has about the same
population as New Jersey. Yet the
drink bill of Maine is only 3 cents
PEI inhabitant, while in New Jersey
it is $40. The prohibitory
law in Maine has emptied her pau
per-houses, her jails and peniten-
tiary. They are highly educated
and intelligent people. In spite OF
jeers, in spite Of opposition, in spite
of declarations that the temperance
cause is retrograding instead of adj
vancing, the good work will 90 on
year by year, in Maine, and will
soon show entire victory over King
Alcohol.
Mr.. President, | think | have full
ly answered the Senator from
Berkeley and have fully shown to
this Senate that all the proof he
offered to show that prohibition in
Maine is a failure, was based on
newspaper reports and bar-room
gossip, and is not worthy Of any re-
spectful consideration by this Sen
ate.
The Senator is reported to have
said q read from the Wheeling
Register in his speech on yesterday,
that we do not want any Constitu
tional Amendment-that the Leg
islature can pass a prohibitory law.
Mr. Faulkner: Will the Senator
from Richie allow me one word?
Mr.. McGregor: Certainly, sir
Mr.. Faulkner: | did not say what
the paper has reported me to have
said.
Mr.. McGregor: ! know that the
Senator did not say what be is re-
ported to have said, but | quote
this to show him how unreliable
are his newspaper reports about the
failure of prohibition in Maine.
One more reference to Maine and
then we will try something else.
Before prohibition iii Maine the an
nual death-rate was one in every 55.
Now it is only one in every 300. So
we see that anything we turn
to and examine will always prove
that prohibition is triumphant,and
that social science and common OBJ
servation appeal to Senators, guar
dams of the State, to look we'll to
these facts before they say to more
than 10000 petitioners, "You are
fanatics, we will deny you the COM
mon privilege of your citizenship
that is, an opportunity to vote on
this question.
Mr.. President, | will now turn
my attention to our own State for
some proofs in favor of temperance.
Let us look into the Penitentiary
Report for 1879 and 1880, and what
do we find. Please examine the
eleven counties that have always
granted licenses. We find that out
of 1874 convicts sent up, 119 were
from these eleven counties, one con-
Wet from every 1916 inhabitants.
Twenty-eight counties that have
not been giving liquor licenses for
fifteen or eighteen years past, send
only 43 convicts, being one for ev-
cry 1858 persons, or one-fourth as
many as the former. The other fif-
teen counties, some Of which do
occasionally grant licenses have
sent 80 convicts. These are great
arguments in favor of the temper
ance counties, and arguments that
cannot be contradicted. And about
all the trouble the temperance
l. l.