West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1882-03-15

Again in 1878 Gov. Perham
said:
at is probable that less intoxica-
ting liquors are drunk in Maine
than in any other place of equal
population in the country, perhaps
in the civilized world, Other
States have temperance men and
women as devoted and as efficient
as ours, but having no laws to aid
them, the success they deserve is
not attained"
Gov. Perham does not say there
are no liquors sold in Maine, nor
does any well-informed temperance
man say SO, but we say that prohi-
bition does prohibit, SO as to control
the traffic, and does it well too.
Compare Maine with New Jersey.
The census of 1870 shows that
Maine is charged with 3 cents per
capita for spirits, while New Jersey
is charged with $40 per capita.
Here is what Gov. Nelson Dingley
Jr.. said in 1874 to the Commission
ers Of the Canadian parliament:
Cali organized OPPOSITION to the
law has died out. The great ma
jority, probably two-thirds of the
people at least, heartily approve of
it as the best system of restriction
of the liquor traffic yet devised, and
the most Of the minority acquiesce
in it as policy, which deserves a
thorough trial"
Senators, what does all this testi-
mony prove? 1t proves that
Maine with her prohibitory laws is
far ahead of any other State in the
Union. Think of it, only three
cents annually spent for each in
habitant, on strong drink. How
much do you think West Virginia
drinks annually? The census of
1870, page 450, charges US with
drinking $2,715,00O worth of IL
quors, or about 81 Is for every man,
woman and child in the State.
This is an awful state of affairs.
Could we but turn the interest of
this vast sum for education, we
could soon build and endow fine
college in every county in the
State. What grand and glorious
achievement this would be, could
we accomplish it, And it could be
very easily done if every voter in
the State wanted it. It would be
very easy. Just quit drinking IL
quors and get rid of spending this
vast sum of $2,715,O0O annually,
which is worse than thrown away.
and pay the annual interest, about
$4,000, into the School Fund and
this in addition to the 100000 we
now spend for our schools would
make such a sum for education as
no other State in this or any
other country has for education.
Every child in the State could then
get a classical education, Then
crime and pauperism would almost
disappear from our State. We
would have little use for Courts,
Judges and Juries, and lawyers,
would either have to move out of
the State, or abandon the profession
for something better.
But here is little more evidence
from Maine, and [ am done:
The Hon. w. ?. Frye, late mem
Der of Congress-, and ex-Attorney
General of Maine, writing to Hon.
Neal Dow, says:
II can and do, from my own per-
sonal observation, unhesitatingly
affirm that the consumption Of in
toxicating liquors in Maine is not,
to-day, one-fourth as great as it was
twenty years ago that in the coun-
try portions Of the State the sale
and use have almost entirely ceased
that the law of itself under a vigor-
Gus enforcement of its provisions,
has created temperance sentiment
which is marvellous, and to which
opposition is powerless. In my
opinion our remarkable temper
anee reform of to-day is the legiti-
mate child OF the law"
The above was concurred in by
United States Senattrs, Hon. Lot
M. Morrill, sand Hon. Hannibal
Ham,in; also by members of Con-
gress, J. G. Blaine, John Lynch,
John A. Peters and Eugene Hale.
Do Senators want any more proof