The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-22
Letter from L. C. Buckles.

Letter rom LIE =. BUCKLES
/ To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal
The Journal has several times said edito-
rally that prohibition had proved failure,
Many quotations from other papers making
the same charge have appeared in the Journal
| from time to time. And now comes Judge
Bundy, who, in an open letter, makes the
unqualified statement that prohibition,
wherever tried has been a failure" And
| yet not one single reliable fact, so far as
have observed, and 1 have been constant
reader of the Journal, has at any time ap-
peared in the Journal to sustain these state
ments; nor does Mr. L. furnish one. 1t
seems to be taken for granted that the people
will accept all such statements as facts with
out evidence and find for the plaintiff with
out investigating the case. Statements made
by unreliable correspondents, anonymous
writer's, or persons who have an interest in
prohibition being failure, are not now suf-
ficient. Let us have facts.
Governor Chamberlain, in his message to
the Legislature in 1870 says: The laws
against intoxicating liquors are as we'll exc.
cuted and obeyed as the laws against pro-
family and murder" Governor Perham, in
1873, said: at is probable that less intoxi-
eating liquors are drunk in the State of
Maine than in any other place of equal
population in the civilized world" Gov
ernor Dingley, in his address to the commits
sloners of the Canadian Parliament, said:
| The great majority of the people, at least
two-thirds, heartily approve of prohibition
as the best system for the restriction of the
liquor traffic yet devised" Referring to the
cities of Lewiston and Auburn, with a joint
population of 1000; he says: They have
not one open dram shop; and secret drinking
has not taken the place of open drinking"
Hon. VIM. P. Frye, who was for a number
OF years prosecuting attorney in Maine, and
| whose opportunities were second to no man
! for extended and correct observation as to
| the workings and practical results of the
| law, says
| The "ATaine law" has not been failure in
| that, first, it has made rumselling crime so
| that only the lowest and most debased will now
| engage In it; second, the rum-buyer is a par
tlclpator IN crime, and the large majority of
moderate drinkers have become Aust tanners;
| third, 1t has gradually created a public senti-
lnent against both selling and drinking; fourth ,
| IN ALI the country portions of the State, where,
| twenty years ago, there a grocery or tav-
ern at every four corners, and within circuit
| of two miles implanted houses, broken windows,
| neglected farms, poor school-houses, broken
| hearts and homes, it has banshed almost every
such grocery and tavern and introduced peace,
| plenty, happiness aud prosperity. These two
| thlngs, making the rum traffic dissraceful
| DoIh TO seller and buyer, the renovating and
| reforming or all the country portions of the
state, are the worthy and well-earned trophies
| OF our Maine liquor law, aud commend it to the
prayers ana good wishes of all good citizens. It
has done more good than any law on our statute
| book and is still at work. There cannot be found
| man in Maine, who is not prejudIced by reason
OF being seller or drinker or by parry passion,
VINO Will not concur with me In saying that its
| blessings have been inealeuable, nor a respect
able woman who does not pray for its continu-
ance Thus briefly 1 have given my testimony
| and know whereof affirm.
Either Senator Frva IN tho oOa hand or
the Journal and Mr.. Bundy on the other
must be very greatly at fault, for their con-
| cluslon as to the value and success of prohibl-
ton are as far apart as the poles. Who
ought to know the best? Judge Davis, of the
Supreme Court for ten years, said: The
Maine law is enforced far more
than the license laws ever were"
Horace Greeley, after some time spent in
travelling through the State gave the follow
ing testimony: THE pretense that as much
liquor is sold now in Maine as in former
years is impudently false" Benjamin Kings
bury, jr., mayor of Portland, and four ex-
mayors of the city, united in saying that
'as to the diminution of the liquor traffic
in the State of Maine, and particularly in
| this city, we have to say that the traffic has
fallen off very largely. In relation to this
fact there cannot possibly be any question"
l.. L. Drummond exAttorney- general, said:
There are no more violations of the Maine
law, in proportion 10 the number of drink
ers, than of the law against theft in proper
ton to the number of thieves" Hon. Wal
colt Hamlin, supervisor of internal revenue
for Maine In 1872, says: I'm the course of
my duty as an internal revenue officer,
have become thoroughly acquainted
with the state and extent of the
liquor traffic in Maine, and
have no hesitation in saying that
the beer trade is not worth more than per
cent. of what I remember it to have been,
and the trade in distilled liquors is not more
| than 10 per cent. of what it formerly was"
Would not little of this kind of failure,
under prohibition, be wholesome for Indi-
ana? A few years since there were seven dis
! tilleries in Portland; now there is not a dis
| tillery or brewery in the State. Is the law
failure? Suppose every State had Maine
law. under the administration of which we
all know that every distillery could easily be
closed? Then what about the main difficult
ties now in the way of successful prohibi-
! ton? They would then have no existence
| No, the law is not failure in Topeka The
| latest information is that the law is being
better enforced and more convictions secured
than ever before. 1t is failure in exactly
the same sense that the law against foot
pads and theft is fail
ure in the city of indianapolis.
Instead of sentiment of disregard and con-
| tempt for the law in Maine, growing out OF
the partial failure to enforce il in its earlier
| history, as we have been assured a thousand
times over, would occur in Indiana the evil
dence is that there greTs up, under its ad-
ministration, strong sentiment in favor of
the law and its more perfect enforcement.
| Is any liquor sold in Maine? OF course there
is. Is the law, therefore a failure? Are the
crimes of arson, felony and murder commit
ted in Indianapolis? Who will deny2 But
are the laws, therefore, failure? Prohibit
tory laws against these crimes have been tried
for some fifty years in Indianapolis. Would
it not be we'll to try high license while and
see what effect that will have? When any
man says that prohibition is failure. as
compared with other laws, let him furnish
the facts. Facts are Gods arguments.
l.. c. BUCKLES.
GREENCASTLE.