West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1881-04-13
PROHIBITION IN MAINE.
An Interesting Letter from the
Father of the Maine Liquor Law.
PH1Llpp1, w. VA, March Is.

The following letter from General
Neal Dow, of Maine, was received
by Mr. Edward S. Taft, Of this
place, one day this week. 1t PLACES
in a very clear light the advantages
accruing from the prohibitory law
in that State 1t isthe latest state
ment ON the subject from the pen Of
Mr.. Dow, and will, no doubt, be
read with interest by the friends
of prohibition in. West Virginia:
PORTLAND, Me, Mar. 9, 1881.
DEAR SIR: Your note Of the 4th
inst. is just received, with slip en-
closed cut from the Wheeling Daily
Register, asking for statement of
the actual facts as to the results of
the Maine law. that they may be
laid before the people of West Vir-
ginia. WA
The Daily Register quotes from
ME the following paragraph, and
seems to regard it as proof of the
failure of the Maine law to accom-
plish any good in the way of sup
pressing the liquor traffic, while |
supposed it to be the highest proof
Of the efficiency Of the law:
~ "Mr. Dow now says Of the result
whisky IN Maine is carried in
small bottles in the pockets Of the H.
quor dealers and dealt out upon the
sly; it is put into tea-pots, placed
upon the kitchen shelf; it is built
into the walls Of houses, in tin cans,
with small rubber pipe with
which to draw it off; it is conceal
ed in bottles in the bed; it is con
cealed in bottlesunder the floor, put
there through a trap that can only
be reached by removing the bed it
is concealed in small fiat bottles in
the ash-pits, under the ovens of
cooking-stoves it's hidden in wells
attached to strings fastened some
inches below the surface of the wa
ter; it is buried in manure heaps !;
it is concealed under the floor Of
the pig-sty; it is hidden away upon
the flat roof OF the house, access to
it being had only by ladder thro'
a scuttle; it is hidden in attics, UNI
der the floor, and in cellars buried
in the earth" u .-e.
"Now that is fair statement Of
the present condition Of the liquor
traffic in Maine; what was it before
the law? 1t is only by looking at
this and that, that we can learn
whether the law has been useful or
otherwise
Before the law, the licensed Ii
quor traffic was everywhere, whole
sale and retail, all over the State.
Immens quantities of molasses
were imported, which was convert
ed into rum at our numerous distil-
leries and great quantities of West
India rum were imported, also, by
the cargo--many cargoes. This
molasses and rum were received in
exchange for the immense quantity
of lumber shipped from the State to
West India ports. This lumber
business and the molasses and rum
business constituted the principal
industry Of the State, and it was
Oh very large scale.
"Now there is no distillery or
brewery or wine factory in the
State. They have all been sup
pressed by the law We had seven
great distilleries, two great brewer
les, and wine factory in this city,
the distilleries and breweries run
ming night and day. Now we have
not one in the State, nor is there a
puncheonof rum imported The
liquor consumed in the State is
smuggled in small quantities and
in small packages, concealed in flour
barrels or small boxes, packed in
saw-dust, chatf, chopped straw, salt,
corn or sugar. | have seen it con-
cealed in all Of these ways, and in
many others. ~ |
"The liquor traffic has been dimin-
ished fully Observation-Disclosures Of
its former volume, and the fraction
of it left is in the hands Of the
worst part Of our foreign population
only, and is carried on upon the sly,
in the manner indicated in the slip
from the Register, which you sent to
mo There were in this city. be-