Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-07-05
UP IN MAINE.
Gen. Neal Dow, the Great Temper
ance Apostle,
interviewed by "The Register Correspond.
ent--Workings of the MAINE Law
Liquor Traffic Annihilated-United
Public 0pinion-A Prosperous
People. "l =
THIRTY YEARS OF PROHIBITION.

Sag Correspondence QI the hegSse''
PORTLAND, Me-, July S.-No discussion OIL
the temperance question would be COM
plete, fair or even intelligent, which did
not include the workings OF the Maine
law" in the Commonwealth Of its birth. In
this State the battle has been fierest the
prohibitionists have been most earnest and
determined, and the liquor dealers have
had most difficulty in eyading the law.
There is constant interest here in the agIs
| tation. Every conceivable means Is here
resorted to break the law with impunity,
and this, too, by people who have symp-
toms of respectability, honesty, intelli'
gence and respect for the rules OF society
and the government laws in support there
of-save only in this one particular; their
absolute indifference, in moral sense, 70
the statutes which forbid the sale
of liquor. Here opposite parties
will, by the hour, show you
facts, figures and arguments in support OF
their theories, and you may be convinced,
according to your own inclination and by
best of logic, that the prohibitory law in
the one blot upon civilization, ruinous TO
business, perversive of lib, rty, and him
derance to religion and education because
it is the parent of bigotry; or per contra
that every creed is faulty which does not
include prohibition, and tat the original,
chief and only necessary purpose OF the
orthodox hell is that soma adequate pun
ishment may be provided for the rum
seller.
In beginning the work Of ascertaining as
far as possible the result of the ''prohibi-
tion"-by this, of course, - meant the ad-
mmistration of law which prohibits" the
sale of liquor-I made call upon the
Hon. Neal Dow,
who has spent life in earnest, determined,
enthusiastic endeavor for the success OF
prohibitory laws, as enacted, and to bring
those enactments to greater perfection.
found Gen. Dow busily at work in his
large and spacious library at his residence,
No ia Congress street, in this city. The
'cnerable temperance apostle greeted me
cordially and said he was glad to see all
persons who came upon such mission as l
had undertaken. requested him to state
his views in regard to the operation OF the
prohibitory law in Maine, which he did, in
substance, as follows:
II am very glad" Mr.. Dow said, ''of an
opportunity TO bring out through the col
umns of q newspaper of large circulation,
such as the Wheeling REGISTER, the facts
as to the actual results of the policy of pro-
hibition in Maine. am confident that l
| do not overestimate the Importance OF the
question of prohibition, which is now at
| tracing so much public attention and ex-
| citing so much general interest, when l
say that all other political questions of the
\ L Il. 20 tln in,
terests OF the whole people OF the country
! as this.
''The Maine law was intended to save the
wages of the people and the profits of in
duStry, so largely wasted in stroaS drink,
and to relieve the State largely, if not en-
tirely, from the
Poverty, Pauperism and Crime,
and arising from intemperance: To our
| question: "What has, upon the whole,
| been the result of prohibition in Maine"'
| is of great interest and importance to the
community, and yet there is no public
| question in relation to which there so much
| misinformation among intelligent men.
John Bright said: If we could put
away from our people the evils coming
upon them from intemperance, England
| could no longer be recognized as the same
country Now. that is exactly what has
| happened to Maine as the result of prohibi-
tien. Our people formerly spent on strong
drink the entire valuation of the State in
every period of less than twenty years, and
| the the result was wide spread poV-
erty and dilapidation everywhere
to be seen. Our people used to consume
their full share OF strong drink, and more,
| according TO their numbers. Our share OF
the national drink bill would be about $l3,-
| OCO,eOO, but $500, 900 will now cover the cost
of all the liquor smuggled into the State
and sold in violation Of law, but we call it
| million.
"The result tof this enormous savingin the
wages OF labor and in the profits of business
is everywhere seen in the general imp rove
ment of the State aid in the habits of the
people. The Portland Press said, not long
ago, In the larger part Of our State an en-
| tire generation has grown up, practically
ignorant of alcohol and of the evils coming
| from its use." In all our rural districts, in
our smaller towns and villages,
The Liquor Traffic
is nearly or quite unknown, where it was
universal before the Maine Law. There
was no village so small, no country district
so remote, that the liquor traffic did not
find it, and establish itself there. The re-
suit was poverty and Generalization among
the people.
a gentleman OF Portland, one of our most
prominent and respected citizens, who was
largely engaged in the liquor trade, in the
old rum-time, a few days ago said to ME:
Our sales OF liquors to 60 into the country
were enormous. From Portland, as a CEN
tire, they were spread out all over the State,
and their course through the country was
as distinctly marked, as the track of con-
flagration through forest, leaving devasta-
tion and ruin everywhere. Now no liquor
whatever goes into that region, and the
whole face of the country is wonderfully
changed for the better
"A fortnight since was going to Massa-
chusetts and a stranger took the seat by my
side in the car. He knew ME and began
conversation by saying that he lived in
Minnesota, where he had been for thirty
years without coming home to Maine his
native State. He was returning West, now,
after visit of q month among his old
friends and relatives. He said he did not
know the State at first, everything was so
changed. Instead of the old look OF neglect
and decay everywhere seen il the olden
time there was now an air of thrift and
prosperity everywhere. No old hats and
rags in the windows Row, while they were
common 1. the r.n..
All the country groc3stes and tayerns
we're mere rum. holes in the old time, but
now there was no liquor at all sold in the
towns where he had been.
''The liquor traffic fingers yet on a small
scale in some of onr large towns, with more
or less secrecy, except in Bangor, where it
is sold openly, in consequence OF an open
or implied understanding in the churches
and The authorities that the liquor sellers
shall not be disturbed if they will vote the
Republican ticket. This state of things,
however, will be temporary, / am conf
dent. Our law requires some triiing
amendments-we know very we'll what they
must be-in order to drive out the liquor
trade. the bad men who persist in
it in our large towns. These
amendments we shall have in
the near future, when we shall be able to
show to the world large community prac-
ticaily free from the curse OF the liquor
traffic, and from all its consequences.
'The liquor tr ade produces no wealth, it
adds not dollars to the property OF any
community where it is tolerated. 1t ropes
in the money earned by its customers and
victims, giving in exchange for it absolute
ly nothing but poverty, pauperism, disease,
wretchedness, ignorance, brutality, crime,