Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-10-30

cense States, gives no idea OF the relative
amount of liquor sold, for the simple rea-
son that the sale in Maine is under the
ban OF the law, and outside OF few
places, where the law is not enforced, is
carried on secretly under such ditficnl-
les as to make it impossible to sell large
quantities. They are watched by the
officers, and their small stocks frequently
seized and destroyed. A Boston license
paper recently gave description Of
specimen liquor trap. or licensed sa-
loon as the Cleveland paper puts 1t, in
the walls Of Portland building in which
the stock in trade consisted of a jug Of
whiskey which could be broken and spill
ed as the officers approached and
which had been repeatedly thus spill
ed-spparently unconscious that this was
demonstration that twenty such liquor
dealers in Maine could not sell as much
as one open licensed shop with a full and
flashing stock exposed to every passer-by,
can sell in a license community.
A Portland gentleman said to us not
long ago that he thought the two hun
bred persons, including the druggists,
who appear as retail liquor dealers in that
city and supply the demand for no, only
the city bu, population twice as large
outside, did no, sell as much as twenty
licensed open dram-sbops in Boston. In
Lewiston six.y-two persons appear as
having paid the United States tax as re-
tai liquor dealers yet there is no open
sale of liquor here, and whatever is sold
is disposed OF secretly in dark corners
under such circun stances as to necessar.
lily make the amount limited. These
secret places sell very cautiously and
sparingly, and the court records show the
difficulties under which they labor. II
We had sixty two open gros-shops, with
their inviting rows Of deCehters. in addi-
ton to the secret places, every citizen
knows that the sale of liquors, and conse-
auent drunkenness and Generalization
would be quadrupled. Ii we had double
that number of open dram shops, prop
ped up by law, which is the average num-
Der in license cities, of similar population,
every thinking man knows that the evils
Of intemperauce would be greatly increas-
ed. This will be evident when it is re-
membered that the average of arrests for
drunkenness in Lewiston for several years
has been only four to every thousand In
habi,ants, while in lowell license
city of similar popula,ion-it has been
thirty besides half as many more report
ed as having been assisted home.
Whatever may have been the short
comings Of prohibition in Maine-for
nothing is perfect in this world.-yet ev-
cry candid thoughtful citizen knows that
on the whole, it has worked benehcient
results aud has had great influence in
restricting dram.shops. strengthening
temperance convictions by the educating
force exered by good laws. and improv-
ing he drinking habits Of the people. No
friend Of prohibition claims that it has
extirpated dram shops. any more than
the laws prohibiting larceny have extir-
pated theft. But every candid citizen
knows that both have mitigated the evils
against which they are aimed. The des-
perate means WHICH the liquor interest
take to misrePresent our situation, and
fight prohibition, affords conclusive evil
dence that they know it seriously inter
feres with the sale and use Of liquor
Le,0iston Jorunal.