The Portland daily press., 1883-07-31
THE MARANoCooK MEETING.
Hon. Josiah "A. Drummond on the Pro
hioitory mendmsnt


Among the speakers at the Maranocook
Drummond of Portland In the course OF his
address, according to the Lewiston Journal he
said:
We propose to put a constitutional prohibi-
tory amendment into the State. 1t contains
state 1t. The question that we are to discuss
then Is this principle In the constitution No,
that Is not the question. We have gone past
that We have started to put it In. 1t has
come where we must vote upon It, The ques-
ton is as TO votes That is the question.
am here to talk as to your duties as to votes,
not only to you men but to the women who d.
rect and tell US how to vote.
did-yes / will say something about it
though thought / wouldn't. I did hear
doubts at the beginning as to whether this
amendment was best. l thought that the
question could safely be left to the people of
the grand old State of Maine. l do not think
it best now we are destined to have the battle.
think the time has been chosen none too
early, none too late. IL is serious question
to meet. If it is established now, 1t is estab-
lished for all time, If lost then the work OF
twenty, thirty, forty years must be done over
again. 1t is for me to say to every man with
any regard for the church, for public moralsor
welfare for the best of everything to come for
ward and vote.
1t is the cry that it is against the liberty of
every citizen. 1t is said that men have certain
inaliensble rights against which we cannot leg
isate. It would be strange, wouldn't 1t, II
man had an inalienable right to do wrong,
perpetrate crime. lead their felowmen into
evil ways, degradation and ruin? 1t would
seem very strange, but people have heard so
much of the statement that they have nearly
been led to believe it. Such is not the consti-
tutional law. Man has liberty, it is true,
against which we must not legislate. No man
has higher regard for that liberty than
49, II am4rx A~Aa Af Ii
cense. Applause That liberty of the con-
stitution ls so to do with our own property as
not to iniure the rights or property q others.
Is it not license to do wrong. Our courts
have said that our people have the
right to protect their institutions, their health
and morals. An example before the people
today in the stoppage of merchants import
ing rags from a cholera stricken land without
their undergoing quarantine. Is not the pub
lie morals OF as much importance as the public
health, however great the latter may be?
When men come to make our children drunk
ards, and bring crime and sorrow openly, do
you believe there is anything in the constitu-
tion prohibiting our preventing that? Law and
liberty go side by side. You may lay aside any
belief that in adopting the constitutional
amendment you do anything approaching an
encroachment upon popular liberty. "God
gives us law in liberty and liberty in law"
desire to pass from this to a consideration
ofswhy we should adopt the constitutional
amendment.
1t will not of itself be prohibitory law. 1t
does however assure that the liquor traffic can
never be allowed by law. It assures us either
prohibitory law or no law at all. 1t might be
questioned that II the prohibitory law were
subsequently repealed that act would be con-
stitutional Either one or two things is ensured
= prohibition or no law at all. don't propose
TO discuss whether prohibition has been a
failure. 1t is true that the traffic has not been
stopped 1t is equally true that no law against
,rrt~ fo NH Iu of mi
We have laws against burglary and murder,
but they occur. 1t may be remarked that it
mas not succeeded as well as we had hoped; but
IL has succeeded better than we had any reason
to expect. In many cities and towns liquor
selling has been blotted out. In most of them it
has been driven into holes where other crimes
needs must lurk.
had the curiosity to look at the docket of
the Law Court in Portland. Out of the IA
criminal cases, all but two grew out of intox-
ication. In all but very few, the verdict will
go back-"Exceptions overruled, judgment
rendered for the State" When the cases
come before Judge Bonney Of Portland, he
will say with all grace and suavity (because /
think he likes to do iD thirty days, sixty
days. ninety days" to these various cases. For
these various reasons, l think the struggle
should be made. Another reasOn--I believe
that this will have the tendency to take this
principle out of the vortex OF partl san politics,
believe / am not wrong in saying that the
party, is greater than to his religion. hope
to keep this out of the party. If one party
adopts it the other will array against it. 1
want to see this question out Of all parties.
Another trouble-the law was an experiment.
1t was built from principle. as is all common
Law. Common Law was not made in day. Ii
is the growth OF the daily needs of thousands
of years almost. The prohibitory law has un-
dergoue numerous changes. 1t seemed to give
1t an air of instability. The principle has
never been changed. The changes have been
those of needs arising from the people itself. 1t
is the principle that we want made permanent.
want the amendment adopted for that reason.
We have thrown down the gauntlet in this
fight. Be assured our enemies will take it up.
We are to have the fight. II we go back it
will be failure. We are not to meet mean
foe. They will bring rum and money to defeat
us, The question is one of victory or defeat.
In my judgment if this amendment fails the
next step will be the attempted repeal of the
prohibitory law itself. When the second Mon
day of September comes next year let every
man consider what he will do and vote with
the right. When that time comes there will
be listening ears all over the country. lis
proud old saying of our own that MAINE leads
the way" Let us in September send out,
borne ON every wind, scattered broadcast by
the lightning flashes of the telegraph the glo-
rious message. "Old Maine still leads the
way