The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-09-30
THE PRESS.
SATURDAY MORNING. SEPT. 80.
Does Prohibition proh;hi+o

1t is very much the fashion of the few OPP
ponents OF our Maine system of prohibiting
the traffic in alcoholic drinks to say that as
much liquor is used as if no such law exist
cd. 1t is hardly necessary to argue that
point to Maine people who know that in the
greater part of our State, notably in the ru-
raj districts, the sale of intoxicants is almost
absolutely prevented, while even in the cities
it is greatly restricted. But confirmation of
the efficiency of prohibition comes from
some very un Wiling witnesses in the West.
Kansas and Iowa, following the lead of
Maine, have established prohibition as their
settled policy, going even farther than
Maine by adopting constitutional amend
ments forever forbidding the traffic. Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois are well on the road to
the same end, and several other States are
strongly agitating the subject.
Now if it were true that liquors are as
much used with prohibtory law as with
out, the liquor manufacturers would have no
cause TO complain, for they could readily
sell their products at price enough higher
to cover all incidental risks. Such, however,
does not seem to be their view of the stua-
ton. They even seem appalled, at the pros
pect of destruction to their business and
have formed associations to combat the ten
denotes toward prohibition. The liquor
dealers of Illinois have just held conven-
ton, and their somewhat hysterical alarm
at the outlook is amusing to see. Their re-
port announces that Gully one half of the
towns, cities and villages of Illinois have
been won by the prohibitionists This is an
alarming fact" They have formed a clio
uor Dealers and Manufacturers Protective
Association" and have employed lecturers,
among them one Rev. G. G.. Burnett to go
forth and preach the gospel of free rum to
all the people. Whether the Rev. C. C. Bur-
nett will urge his hearers to drink as matter
of Christian duty and will give a general invi-
tation to the crowd to "take suthin'" after
each lecture does not appear, but the obvi-
GUS incongruousness of "Rev.' going into
such an enterprise anyway illustrates the
real moral status of this movement. The
liquor makers, sustained by the Democratic
party, may be able to retard for time the
progress of the prohibitory agitation, but
the period seems now not far distant when
the prohibitory principle will prevail through
out the great States of the West, and the
Northwest will join hands with the North
east in the stern condemnation of the sale
of intoxicating drinks.
Harper's Weekly discusses the action of
these terrified Illinois liquor dealers and
makers, and closes bright article on the
subject thus:
Meanwhile the advocates of prohibition
ought to be encouraged by one incidental reye-
lation made by the Convention of the LIQUOR
sellers 1t is frequently maintained that pro-
hlbition does not prohibit, and that the con-
sumption OF liquor is really as great in commu-
mites in which the sale of liquor is forbidden
by law as II it were permitted as freely as the
sale OF any other article The Illinois LIQUOR
dealers confess that the probibitory laws made
IN Western States have reduced the volume of
the liquor traffic, and their whole project of
crusade in behalf of stronger and more frequent
potations proceeds upon this confession. What
Is probably true is that resident, not travel
Ter, in any place in which there is a prohibitory
law can get liquor to drink if he is willing to
take trouble enough in order to get 1t: but that
prohibition does very much to diminish the
traffic in Intoxicating drinks there could be no
doubt, even if the liquor-dealers of Illinois had
not made their confession