The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-13
Prohibition in Maine.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis journal:
After spending three days here, during
which l have made diligent inquiry both
from friends and enemies of the prohbitory
law, have gathered few facts and formed
some opinions that may be of value to others,
who, like myself, have been puzzled by the
contradictory statements published in the
Journal and other papers regarding the eff
fleets of this law.
in the first place, it is certain that much
liquor is sold and drunk here. At temper
ance meeting 1 attended on Saturday even
ing several of the speakers mentioned in
stances of drunkenness that had come under
their notice recently, and told of the
efforts they were making to reform those
who had fallen. They spoke of their work
among inebriates just as temperance work
-ers do in Indiana or elsewhere, where
license laws prevail. On my expressing sur
prise at this, and asking them how they
could have such difficulty in their work I'M
der prohibitory law, it was replied that
there were plenty of places in certain quar-
tiers of the city were liquors were sold regu-
larly, if not openly. They said it was an easy
matter to get intoxicating drink for anyone
who knew the places where it was kept, and
there was great deal of drunkenness In
proof of this latter statement it was asserted
that of the sixty-four arrests made by the
police the previous week more than forty
were for intoxication. In a copy of the
Daily Press of Monday the number of ar
rests was given as thirty instead of FORTY
Either number is sufficiently large, how
ever, and enough to astonish a stranger
who has INDUCED the dellIsion that the
Maine law, so strict in its provisions, entire
" prevents the use of intoxicants. In passing
along the streets we saw one or two drunken
men and several who were partially
drunken, and on two blocks of one OF the
lower streets, where there was general APP
pearauce of dilapidation and stagnation, we
noticed evidences of the illegal traffic, in the
smells that arose from the gratings, and in
the appearance Of the loungers standing
about the half-opened doors. In several of
the eating-houses we noticed that the guests
were seated in alcoves, which were screened
from the public gaze by curtains let down to
the level of the tables. In one of these where
we happened to stop for lunch, we saw the
waiter pass in two or three pint bottles
which anywhere else we would have said
was beer, and have no doubt but that it was
such. The young men who were drinking it
were quite hilarious and laxative, in that
peculiar manner so common in drinking
places generally.
In the diligent search made with view to
account for this state of things we made in
some of whom favored the prohibtory law
and others opposed it and believed in high
license, and these are some of the facts we
learned: The city authorities mayor and
police are not working in harmony with
the sheriffs, whose duty it is to make
seizures of liquors. They belong to differ
erent parties, the former being Demo
Gratis and the latter Republicans. In
the city administration preceding the present
the reverse was true. But the candidate for
may or on the Republican ticket being unsat-
isfactory to the radical temperance men, they
withheld their votes and permitted the Dem
ocratic candidate to be elected. He is OPP
posed to the prohibtory law, and of course
makes no effort to enforce it. A policeman
of whom we made inquiry. told us that it
was none of their business to inform on the
violators of the law or TO seize LIQUORS That
was the duty of the sheriffs. He said that
liquors were brought into the city and slowed
in the cellars of the drinking places during
roll-eall; hence the police are supposed to
know nothing about the matter. They
make arrests when drunken mon APP