Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-07-11

1t may not be improper to add TO the
above that the names Of several Of the par
ties referred to above have figured in liq-
uor cases, both in the Municipal, Superior
and Supreme Courts within the past few
months. 1t but just to Mr.. Ring to state
that If to the last year of his administra-
ton he was troubled with
The Club System.
the lesser clubs being modelled upon the
plan of the Cumberand club, and which
the present mayor, Mr.. Libby, is promi-
nent 1nember and is at present President.
of the number Of these clubs at any given
time, there were very contradictory state.
imepts made Cen. Dayis oieiiieo .nas
about twelve were at one time in operation.
Our Ring thought there were more, and
the editor OF Zion's Advocate stated in
April, 1880, there were twenty. Chas. r.
SWEET, Esq, made affidavit that IN June,
1879, to his actual knowledge seventy.three
club rooms were in operation here. with an
average membership of twenty. The clubs
were to be found all over the U. s., COM
mencing with the Cumberland club, and
descending in the scale of respectability
until the lower class was but If any better
than the saloons of to-day in the same
sections Of the U. 8. The club room system
was broken up by the amendment to the
liquor law that was drafted Ivy Gen. Dow,
passed by the Republican Legislature, and
approved by Governor Davis. 1t is little
curious in the light of recent events TO re-
call the fact that soon after the passage OF
the amended liquor law TACT tamendatory to
chapters II and q of the Revised Statutes)
including all places where liquors "are
kept. sold, given away, drank or dis
pensed," common rum holes, Mr.. Libby
iaet Gen. Dow in the Office of Mr.. Ring,
and Mr.. Libby, according to the City Item,
in reply to the assertion of Gen. Dow,
that the law would "break up
tie clubs and other literary insti,
tutions" Ia hit at the Cumberland
Club) said in effect that it needed no
prophets eye to foresee the result OF such
injudicious legislation. 1t was at this in
terview that Gen. Dow is said to have made
his famous assertion that he lis in favor Of
pardoning any man who would shoot rum
seller" :,
AS to the effect of the law in actually
srppressing the sale of liquor, there are
and were many and varied opinions. Mr..
Ring himself in his final report made just
before leaving his office, said:
"While all that the friends OF the law de-
sired has not been accomplished, yet If a
careful observer of events in this city
will 20 back in his mind five or
six years, he must see marked
improvement III thS 6Chclo oPP0oiuhS
of things relating TO the liquor traffic. p"
And it was quite generally clIime1 as late
as 1880 that there was very little liquor
sold in Portland, and that it was rare
thing to see
A Drunken Men in the Streets.
A Biddeford minister, Rev. Mr.. Merrill,
a man of ability, and with a decided de-
termination to stick to what he believed
to be true, in a series of letters to the
Hatchman and Reflector and other religious
papers, called attention to the real condi-
ton of affairs in the State. He was re-
piled to by Rev. II. II. Burrage and Rev.
James McWhinnie, of this city, who de-
MED so much of Mr.. Merrill's statement
as related to Portland. Mr.. Merrill visited
Portland and investigated for himself, and
found that he had not overstated the facts
at all. 1t had been said that it was rare
thing to see a drunken man in the streets
of Portland, but Mr.. Merrill himself, ac-
cordlng to the newspaper account OF his visit
here saw five badly intoxicated men on
Middle street, one Of the principal thor
oughfares. ,
< well known member of the Portland
Reform club said to him: 81 can't Iemem-
ber the day that have not seen some man
badly intoxicated, and clergyman said,
81 do not believe l can recall day when
have not seen some one reeling though our
streets" The Rev. Mr.. Merrell returned
TO Biddeford in some doubt if the Republi-
can enforcement of the prohibitory law was
a success, and later on took part in the Nye
temperance convention at Augusta, the
same convention that was broken up by
the Republican Sheriff. J. +. b.