The Republican journal., 1883-04-26
Prohibition in Maine.

In a recent editorial, the New York
Sun pointed to the fact that 1862 persons
III Name PAID the special tax imposed by
the United States on all liquor dealers, as
evidence that prohibition is a failure IN
this state. Gen. Dow, in a communica-
ton to that paper points out the fact that
even if there was this number of open
dr&mshups in Maine, it would be less
proportionateIy than in any license State
ana not "ne-fOurth as many as in the H.
cense State OF New York : and that out
side Of few points there are none of
these men that have paid these special
taxes who keep an open dram-shop. To
show to how close straits the men who
attempt to keep grog- shops are brought,
Gen. Dow gives the following statement
OF the situation in Portland:
In Portland We have more of those
people with the special tax rescript than
IN any ether part Of the State. We have
also three oherltt's officers appointed and
especially paid for hunting down these
people; they do nothing else They have
an office in the basement of our CITY
Hall, and they constitute an important
part Of our county police, set apart by
special enactment TO bring liquor sellers
10 justice. ! make it Il point to visit
their office every day, except Sundays.
10 keep myself informed of the actual
state Of the liquor traffic here. They
meet Incoming railway trains and incom-
ing steamships for the purpose of Selling
any liquors that may be brought into the
State, and they are 50 vigilant in their
work that it is difficult to elude them,
and when this is done the quantity Of
liquors Struggled in is small
Wherever they suspect liquors to be
sold, they search the place carefully and
thoroughly. On the both they searched
one of these places, low den occupied
BY low people. The cellar was surround
ed 10y planks instead Of stone In these
they discovered what seemed to be a
door, but there was 10 appearance Of
hinges or lock. After a careful search
they discovered spring, on touching
which the door opened. 1t gave access
~ a small cave, with no window, and no
means Of entrance but by this door. In
the cave were two jugs partly full of
Whlskey, and an iron gas pipe coming
from and leading tO-n0where that they
could perceive, On pulling this pipe, a
piece of rubber hose was found to be at
tached to it, the outlet of which they did
not discover. On cutting this hose, whis-
Key ran out, only small quantity. The
whore stock in trade was not two gallons,
but the keeper is one of the l,I62 who
pay the especial tax" The penalty in
this case is 500 fine and costs and six
months in jail. In another place the en-
tire stock was contained in two Junk bot
ties, fastened to the belt, one each side.
under the outer skirt of the woman who
kept the place. In another place the en-
tire stock was in flat tin vessel, con-
tanning about two quarts, fitted to the
person and worn by the especial tax"
payeG under his vest.
These are fair sample of the tricks
resorted to by these especial tax" pay
ers to evade the law. | could easily fill
one page Of The Sun by descriptions of a
great many ingenious devices of this sort.
The Sun continues
"The father of prohibition persists in
his extraordinary assertion that the
Maine law has reduced the liquor traffic
in the State to one twentieth of what it
was"
Yes, persist in that. The law has
suppressed every distil!ery and brewery
in the State. We had many of them,
seven of which were in this city, running
night and day, and turning out great
quantities Of New England rum. We
had also two great breweries. At the
same time coasters brought large quaint
ties Of rectitied rum from New York
We had also cargoes of West India rum
brought here, some of them large car
goes.
Now we have not puncheon of liquor
brought into the State; the liquors that
come here are in small packages conceal
ed in flour or sugar barrels, or in dry
goods boxes, marked "eggs" or "glass,
this side up with care" or disguised in
other ways SO as to elude the vigilance of
the officers. Before the law, | have
many timessseen long rows of puncheons
ofrum along the curbstones of our streets,
with an auctioneer's flag flying. In each
of these lots of rum there was far more in
quantity and value than the entire stock