Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-08-03
Does Prohibition Prohibit ?

The prohibition question seems to be
making an effort to get into politics
again. Since its advocates claim for
prohibition so much benefit to the
human race. we take the opportunity Of
quoting from Judge Goddard, of Port
land, some statistics of the working OF
prohibition in Maine. The Judge DEM
onstrates that from the time of the adop-
ton of prohibition in Maine, from 1850
to 1880, a period of thirty years, the
population of the State of Maine
increased but ~ per cent, while the
increase of crime, as shown by the
records, increased POT per cent. The
population of Portland, Maine, in 1850
was $3.50, while the arrests by the
police for drunkenness were 1908, per-
centage of 1856 being DRINKS that knew
the inside of jail. This, in the full
blaze Of prohibition. AT the same time
the city Of Hoboken, N. j., with pop
ulation of 30. 900, had in the same period
402 arrests, being a percentage Of only
l.25 of the population, with no prohibi-
tory law. Hoboken has this d.sad van
tage over Portland. by being within
eight minutes of New York, and resort
of about 10000 people every Sunday in
Summer, in search of pleasure and recre-
alton. In this respect Portland had
every advantage over Hoboken, and yet,
with prohibition, had three times the
drunkenness which prevailed iu the
latter city. Having lived in both cities,
and observed the manners and customs
Of the people very minutsly, We are
prepared to accept the statement Of
Judge Goddard, which is made up from
the returns of the Chief of Police, as
remarkably accurate. In Bangor, Me-,
the arrests for drunkenness in 1875 and
1876 under prohibition, wefs nearly 5
Per cent of the population, while in
Newark, N. j., the arrests average but
l.3l per cent, Cleveland, Ohio, had 81
per cent. and New York, without prohi-
bition, and considered the most Baccha-
nalian city in the Union, had arrests
of but PA per cent. Similar compari-
sons may be made throughout the whole
country. Even Los Angeles, that has a
large number Of aboriginal people who
are made drunk by the least amount of
tipple, has not half the percentage of
drunkenessthat Portland, Maine, has with
the rigidest prohibition laws. Human
ity is the same on every continent in
this respect. that it will not be limited
in personal qualifications by statute laws
There is something in man that rebels
against prohibltory laws about bi. ap-
petite, and these significant statistics
show that he will eat or drink whatever
he desires, and that any attempt to limit
his personal desires will meet W tn Wig.
orous opposition and increase the desire
that is attempted to be limited. These
facts show that the forcing process is not
the proper thing to use. An appeal to
right and wrong, or to profit and loss,
has wrought more cures of intemperance
than all the sumptuary laws in the
world. The reason must be appealed
to, to make men temperate, and not q
compulsory statute. The police records
of this city show that nearly all the ar
rests for drunkenness, are either Indians
or persons who have been raised up un-
der sumptuary laws. The Spanish
American is seldom found intoxicated in
our streets, and the old pioneers from
the East are generally free from arrest
for intoxication. The Mahometans who
make temperance a religious element in
their creed, have no sumptuary laws,
and are the most free from drunkenness
of any people. In Spain, Italy and
France, drunkenness and gluttony are
shown to be contrary to religion, and
drunkenness is almost never seen among
the natives of these countries. 1t is
evident that prohibition does not pro-
hibit.