Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-07-25
PROHIBITION.
A General Review Of Its Workings
in Maine.
CONSTANT AGITATION GOING ON.
By a Sa6 Correspondent.


prohibitory law. That is, majority o
the voting population would shrink from
a repeal of the present statutes, or from
the adoption of license system which
would legalize in any form the general sale
of intoxicating liquors. The female por
tion of the people are almost unanimously
in favor of prohibition. This latter y mos
stincts are for the right, Their synptthies
and their love are strong. They do not
study the policy of question. In the case
of the rum traffic they feel that the curse
of liquor brings sorrow to themselves and
their daughters, brings disgrace to theil
homes, wreck and ruin to the husbands
the idols of their hearts, to their sons whom
they have pillowed in infancy upon
anxious loving bosoms, and TO the fathers
to whom they look for counsel and support
aud to whom they would give deepest filial
reverence, but fer the cloud of intemper.
tance which even the holiest respect cannot
penetrate without losing some Of its vitali.
ty. Their gentle influence, constant mys'
terious, becomesa part OF the life OF man,
The Pine Tree State, s...
it has been exerted for. so long time and
y,
OF abYogate the law would shock the COM
muaity. This, in spite of the fact that the
law has been so unfairly, so corruptly, so
outrageously administered. There are pc
culiaT reasons in Maine for the corruption
and crime which l have hitherto noted.
1t he's q coast line which is more than q
thousand miles in extent, while its hun
dreds of harbors give sheltering anchorage
to thousands of craft which ply between
these ports and those of the whole Atlantic
coast. The transportation OF liquor to the
villsges and cities upon the sea shore is
easy by means OF all these packets.
The sailor and the fisherman take
their grog, and they seek sup,
ply for each trip. In their town they
bring stocks OF intoxicants, in small
quantities to be sure, for those who fur
nish their outfits. This, however, is q
small factor in comparison with the politi.
cal necessity, which, during the last few
years of close voting, has iven immunity
to so many violators of law. Until within
the last half of decade there has been no
doubt as to the Republicansm of Maine
Her majorities have been numbered up in
the vicinity of 10000, and when full vote
was brought out it exceeded that figure,
Since then the dominant party has had
frail hold on the people. In fact 1t is hard
to tell what is the dominant party. Just
now there is a Republican legislature
elected as honestly as most legislatures are,
while the Governor was as honestly elected
by a union of Democrats and Greenbackers
after campaign of unexampled activity
and bitterness. The Supreme Court IL
composed OF Republican Judges. Most oil
the county officers of the law are Repub,
licans. By them, under sanction Of the
party leaders, the law and the
Power ofthe Judiciary
are used to hold voters to their fealty, ant
to bring new recruits to the ranks. l have
ALREADY described the manner. No one de
nies, except party leaders, that this is truth
and that the corruption is most wanton
barefaced and universal. Thousands OF mer
are indicted, where hundreds only are
brought to trial. do not charge that the
present officers are corrupt to greater ex
tent than all others. / will not attempt tt
assume that the law would be enforced any
better or in different manner II the Re
publicans were out Of Office and their oppo
nents in. If the situation was reversed The
politics OF the State would probably be con
Quoted in the same way as now, and the
prohibitory law would be political Level
even stronger than money or the distribu
tion of political patronage.
During my short tour in Maine had thu
curiosity to gather a few statistics. No on'
can legally sell liquor in the State, excep'
the city or town agents" These are Off
GERS of the law, and as such, must RECORD
each and every sale. The State has popu
lation of about 650,0O0, in Cos cities ant
towns. In only thirty-three OF these, con
tanning 14l,32S inhabitants, are there any
LIQUOR agents. These thirty-three agent
sold in the year ending November 80, lSSl
LIQUORS to the value OF $6i, 1887: Thi
was for medical and mechanical pur
poses, of course, for the law allows no sale
for other purposes. 1t is fair, perhaps, u
assume that customers will purchase a:
freely from dealers who do not have Il
record the names of buyers and the use 10
which the liquor is intended as from tb'
regular agents" Maine has, according y
the internal revenue reports, $50 retail
LIQUORS. This is larger number than tn
returns show for Arizona, Dakota, Delaware
Florida, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Vermont
West Virginia or Virginia. Maine .,
! Paid . United States Tar.
the last fiscal year, on distilled spirits, o
s25. .o9I 50! On malt liquors OF 81, 53l6s, ant
The special tax Of retail. dealers was S2t
l5l.52. II the agents sold all the liquo
used in their towns, and II we continue tn
proportion throughout the State, according
TO the number of inhabitants, we shoul,
have total traffic of $500, 200. But tn
agents" do not sell one.sixth Of the tota
amount used in their towns. Therefor
Names liquor bill would he $2,000,00o o
more, il the towns which had agencies wer
fair samples of the whole State. But the.
are not. The friends Of prohibition CLAIM
a, t. ~ fhar hal haf
this claim is correct the gross sales OF tn,
900 dealers do not average over 81 100 eacl
per annum. II is probable that very larg
majority sell less than the amount named
There are druggists, and some hotels, witt
keep little for customers, who woult
otherwise withdraw their patronage. Blu
there are others whose sales will amount u
from s., 900, to $4,000 yearly. Even tbes,
amounts are not large when compared will
the business of licensed dealers in Massa
chusetts, where alcoholic drinks can be sole
openly. and in some OF whose places NJ
less than a dozen men are employed IN
mixing drinks or passing the glasses TO
straight beverages.
Ihaye paid more attention TO Maine thar
to any other State, in the course OF my re
cent investigations, for the reason that peo
pie generally look to the example OF thai
State. Her experience mas been the long
est, and prohibitory laws bear her name a
q popular characterization. 1 am forced b
| the belief that "the Maine law" has no
had fair chance in its native State, at an
rate, not lately. Bur there are facts which
| tend TO prove its success. One Of these i
the corruption which has grown up unde
it. This seems paradox. But IL II wer'
not possible to enforce the law, with all th,
power of public sentiment to support ii
there would be no possibility OF so grea
and universal corruption. The dealers VIII
now violate the Law under prohibition o
politicians would have no need Of suci
professionals, They would suffer persecu
tion for one year il this would bring then
relief by the next Legislature. Again, /
| the law was not a success the ingeniou
subterfnges for its evasion would not b
| invented. Only few weeks ago suit wa
brought in the United States Circuit Cour
in Boston, to test the question OF the eva
sion Of
Internal Revenue Laws.
The agreed facts were that whisky bar
rel, properly stamped, had been disguise'
by placing over the head q false head o
|, veneer, painted and Labelled like q kerosen
oil barrel. This practice has been in vogu
for two or three years Demiiohns AM
other vessels are placed in the centre o
fruit packages, carried in the personal bag
- and Hfs0TIiaeH m avaY-