The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-04-19
PROHIBITION.
The Alleged Results of the Prohibitory
Law in Maine
As Stated by a Correspondent OF the New
York Sun.

A Portland, Maine, letter to the New York
Sun saws:
How best to deal with drunkenness, that parent
of 50 much poverty, disease and crime, is not
peculiarly the question of this age.
Ii is only in the later censuses that we have any
trustworthy data concerning pauperism, and the
last census which likely to be the most accurate.
is not yet published The proper time To take the
returns of pauperism would be upon February 1,
when at its maximum, instead ofwhich il is taken
on June l, when at its minimum. On that date,
in 1876 there were in the United States 90 73 per-
receiving public relief or one in every 50 %
OF the population. In Maine. ct that date, we
find 6S1 paupers or one in 1865 of the popula-
ton. During that year one in $40 received pub
lie relief there, an increase OF over 14l9 per cent
over the number in 1880, the year before prohibit
ton began: the population having Increased
meanwhile less that 7.45 per cent
From this point we start in our investigation
and, in lack of the census for 1880 we tnrn for in
formation to such official records OF the cities and
villages as are accessible. have copies OF a
number of these before me, c0ntaing. N detail,
the expenses ior tne support OF me pooT, with me
number OF arrests for violation OF the liquor law
and for drunkenness, from 1870 TO 1850 inclusive.
find that in the cities of Bath Ellsworth. Bidde-
ford and Belfast the poor expenses have in
creased not only positively, but relatively. Thus,
in Belfast, where they feed the Door by contract,
il cost every inhabitant in 1870, 473i cents-a re-
latve increase of 10 per cent. In Ellsworth, 1t
in the same time, from As to 76 cents--a relative
increase OF over 5S per cent; IN Blqdeford,
from 6S TO "A cents-an increase OF over per
cent and in Bath, from IS to- go cents-an In
crease of over 20 per cent. In Gardiner there has
been a small decrease, falling from 65.4 TO 563
cents-a reduction of nearly II per cent. AS the
percentage of arrests for drunkenness IN Gardner
which was only LEG in 1870 hes risen 10 l.S)in
lSS0-a heavier rate than III Bangor where pro-
hibition is VIGOROUSLY not enforced, and much
heavier than in Newark n. J.. with its over l, 200
licensed saloons-this is nut for the prohibiuon-
lists to crack at their leisure In the larger towns
there has been decrease of pauperism during the
decace, but how and whyY Let us examine the
records.
PORTLAND AND BANGOR AS THERMOMETERS.
In 1870 il cost Portland to support her poor just
SIS. So6.l9, or 81 cents for each lnhabitant The
police made Jealous raid on the drunksrds, and
arrested 1.76l. or 80 per cent OF the population;
and by 1877 searchers and seizures drove the nq-
uor sellers "to cover" The next year they kept
il up and increased the poor expenses to So
ia Co. The vigor died out; there were the next
year only ODD arrests; the liquor rats left their
holes, whisky abounded, and lOl the poor expen-
ses fell TO 81, 9y9 81 At this time there was de
termined effort made to enforce the law with
vigOr. In 1873 there were > 400 arrests-over a
per cent OF the lhhaoltehts, ana over so per cent
of the adult males; and there were 2,3lS arrests
the next year. and so they kept at il for four more
years, during which the poor expenses rose 10
nearly $50 coo again; The spasm OF enforcement
which the sale DIT the town agents "for medical
and mechanical purposes only rose from Sl2,-
OO7 go in 1879 to S7 $50 in 1882 increase OF
100 per cent, and for the first time in years the
poor expenses fell 10 siS,l56O6, or 50 cents per
capite.
In Bangor the rise and fall of pauperisrn in con-
nection with the enforcement and non-enforce-
ment OF the laws can be most readily observed.
In 1870 there were $751; arrests for drunkenness,
and the poor expenses were Sl7 922 Sc or 81 cents
per head. In 1873. when the same wave Ofexciie-
msnt that overwhelmed Portland struck Bangor
| the Sheriff, a Mr. JerraTd, enforced the hw with
severity independently OF the municipal autnori-
rests at one tile of 20 for drunkenness and kept
| az this work for years With this rose the poor
expenses steadily until they reached SIC, 1880 or
over sl.50 per capita. But the spasm died ont
here too. since then no attempt has been made
TO enforce the law here at Ill The liquor sellers
have been kept With the bounds OF decency and
order-no more. Liquor OF all kinds can be had
In Bangor as readily as bread. Let the outgoing
Mayor in 1881, DR.. Bonn tell the story il is In
his valedictOry lac says:
II think that our citizens will generally attest
| that our streets have never been more pesceable
and undisturDed than during the last two years,
and that law generally has never been better Oh
served. Statistics show beyond question that the
number of arrests for, or growing out OF, intern
psrance have been unusually small; that our pau
per bills have been sensibly decreased, and that
good order has been easily ana generally main
tanned. 1t is generally known that under the Of
/ fetal administration of Sheriff Jerrard, when an
| attempt was made 20 execute the law against liq-
uOr selling as never here or elsewhere before the
i County expenses (of which the city pays halD
| were as much as $4,000 per annum more than
| they have been since. Aad 1 think can truth
fully affirm that rum selling was not appIecably
| less than now. 1t was driven iutO more hidden
| places. and perhaps into lower hands. IL multi
| piled the business OF express companies on indi-
vdual account, and II created the curse of private
| club rooms, the worst possible nurseries of vice
| for young men. Our citizens, think, regard the
| efforts of Sheriff Jerrard, however well Intended
as II costly failure: TIE moment his official term
| ceased. as much of the business was apparently
carried on a upon the day wnen his experiment
With this we have the report of the City Mar
| shall, who says:
"At the commencement of the year CS79) we
/ find club rooms In operation where the yOuul
| men, more especially, congregate day snd nigh
| 70 play cards, gamble and drink There has been
less drunkenness and disturbance on account OF
iotoxlcatiOn the present municipal year (lSS0
| than for several preceding years"
| All of which is sustained by the facts. The
number Of arrests for drunkenness OF all kinds
in IS50swas 26l or 1.55 per cent, and the poor eX
penses were reduced TO 1864 g., more than 81
per cent less than when Sheriff Jerrard and hi
State Constables enforced the law.
HOW IT is IN AUGUSTA AND LEWISTON.
In 1870 In Augusta the poor expenses wer,
S6,41SS4 Here they made continual efforts Il
enforce the law, so much liquor being consumed
at the State Capital-liQuOr and legislation melt
lug into each other everywhere. They had
Mayor there for several years named Nash. He
the Common Council on the subject. The officer
pursued the eyil-dOerS In one year they arrested
1913 for drunkenness forty four for assault and bat
terry, and eighty-two for violation OF the liauOi
law When Nash closed his official career The
poor expenses had run up TO $7.l3469, and they
kept up year more But Mr. Vickery was elect
| ed Mayor He is well known business man
| and as man OF business. therefore, he went Il
| work in practical way. Though a temperance
| man. he eviuced good, sound sense in his admin
istration. OF course the extremists were enraeeC
and determined to defeat him. But he was re
elected by a decided msjority over his compeiit
| ors and in 1889 The poor expenses of Augusta fell
from 81, Alb 9S to S5S25.79. Nickery had victory
and the good of the majority of the citizens
/ OF Augusta triumphed.
| Your readers viii be struck by examining the
| criminal record of Lewiston for 1880 Out of "a.
| arrests we fad: Intoxication and sturbante, Is
! a. of ofenses apparently arising from too much
drink-assault and battery, 40; assault on officers
A; fast driving, 9; while of Ofenses against the
liquor laws there are-iiquOr nuisance, 2; search
| and seizure, &c.; single sale, 10; transporting
| liquor 6. Here after thirty years OF prohibition
there are 12l Gust onehal) Of the arrests made by
| the City Marshal attributable to whisky. Ii wa.
fell OFF much during the War, but was begun again
| in 1872. Very well. That was the beginning of
general movement that went over the State the
following year. In 1873 the poor expenses of Lew
iston were 50. 02249 or 81 cents per capita. The
4 raid against whisky-sellers was conducted WITH
vigor, the arrests for drunkenness st one tim,
going as high as 3O9 or over per cent. of the pop
ulation, and the poor expenses went 70 SIS, GOO 81
| The spasmodic force expired, the arrests wen
down yearly TO SO 81. and then 10 6S, ana in 1SSl
the poor expenses fell TO s12 5S net g. cent
per head.
the law has diminished pauperism, where pauper
ism is only diminished where the law is not en-
forced and rises when the officers of the law arr
| active? And how is il that the percentage o.
drunkenness. as told by the arrests. is greater in
| those cities Of Maine than in municipalities Of
| like population in other States? / am aware that
| no law Is entirely obeyed. and even under Rbso
lutte prohibition of making and selling, We should
| expect some drunkenness. But unless the law bt
| a fraud or delusiOn the drunkenness shOuld he Al