The Portland daily press., 1883-05-30
w. G. T. U.
conducted by Member. of the Portland union.l
"ForiGod, and Home, and Natire Land"

"Just before going into battle, Lord Nelson
called to his ship two of his captains who had
been bitter in their enmity toward eaoh otheri
and as they stood upon the deck, ne pointed
TO the fleet that lay little oil az sea Retung
ready for tho fight: Gentlemen" ne SAID,
there is the enemy; shake hands ana DO En-
glishmenl"
Philanthropic men and women recognize
in the liquor traffic the deadliest zoe OF all
good. They admit that large proportion OF
poverty and crime is directly traceaDle 70 II;
that insanity, pestilencs and death follow IN
its wake, and never before wer they 50 ready
as today to clasp hands and declare that what
Is SO plainly "morally wrong can never be
legally right" and TO ayow that civilized
country ought not to legalzs and derive reye-
nue. from the sale OF compounds 10 be used as
beverages which II knows by centuries OF aw-
full demonstration are the greatest curse to the
people its rulers are sworn TO protect. Are
there still those who contend that prohibitory
laws are an infringement upon personsi
rights? These laws have never said men
should not drink Suicides by slow on a
quicker process have never beon Illegal. But
what kind OF liberty Ii Invaded when the
public for public safety forbids he sale OF a
dangerous article OF commerce? Are there
still those who say license viii regulate; pro-
hibition does not prohibit. In the license city
of Hartford there are about the same number
OF licensed dramshops as the ant-prohibition-
lists claim there are in the entire State OF
Maine. And not long since, Judge Butler,
writing In regard to 1t, stated there were as
many more unlicensed ones. In Chicago there
are 5000 licensed and 800 unlicensed shops
open ON the Sabbath Day. On the authority
OF Henry Faxon there were at one time eighty
six drinking places in Chelsea and only six of
them we're licensed Abundant proof can be
furnished to show that license laws are violat-
ed to a greater extent than arc strictly pro-
hibitory laws.
Were this not so, were loonse laws truly
regulative is it ever right TO license wrong
to compromise with evil? Surely the revenue
thus created can DO used in no righteous way
since it can not restore lost manhood, heal
broken hearts or bring peace to deslolated
homes.
II seems almost unnecessary IN the columns
OF the Press TO undertake to prove that prohi-
bition prohibits. We must all agree that no
business ever prospered so we'll with the law
set against Il. The brewers and distillers aud
dealers declare in louder terms than any others
that prohibition h failure, and they use their
most strenuous efforts to repeal such laws or
hinder their enactment, as the following resc-
luton from the Wine and Spirit Review will
show:
ReSoleed, That the time has arrived for the
formation Of National Organization COM
posed of all those brewers, dstillers, and
wholesale and retail liquor dealers throughout
the whole country, who feel the necessity and
recognize the need OF meeting and turning the
tide OF prohibilory legislation in the several
States IN which such legislation has already
been enacted, and OF eusctiug Just and
Wholesome laws upon ths subject of the liq-
aor traffic In the place 81 those existing laws
which, IN most OF the States, are palpably un-
just and oppressive and OF evil rather than Of
good tendency.
License laws have bsen tried for more than
200 years and we know the results. Prohibi-
tion has had fair trial nowhere except In the
State of Maine and that since the close Of the
war, and he "who rams may read" the benefits
to our State More than half our towns are
entirely free from the traffic. It has effect
ually stopped the manulastare Of distilled aud
iermeuted liquors and reliable statistics show
there is less drunkenness III Maine according
to its population than in any otser State In the
Union.
1t is painful fact wa haze to acknowledge
that there is great dssl Of liquor selling in
some Of cur larger cities. The traffic is mostly
confined TO the larger centers-foF instance
Portland sells most Of the liquor for Cumber-
land county, and hence the progress is not SO
marked.
We do rot claim that prohibition exler-
inmates the evil against which II is aimed,
very few II any Of cur laws do this, but we do
claim ii IS founded npoisihe principles Of truth
and righteousness. In license State poor
woman who had suffered as only drunkard's
wife can suffer went to the mau who sold her
husband the fiery poison She told him Of
heir miserable poverty aud wretched lives,
and begged Of him to sell Kim no more. He
listened to her pseachings, pointed to his
lieeuse saying: The city says may sell strong.
drink 70 your husband AID the State does not
say may not sell 70 lin or any others like
him. You % home and atscud to ysur bust
mass aud / vii continue to attend to mine. 2
Isr't 1t worth something to live in State
where 10 peader for meTcy can be answered
In this wal? Isn't 1t due TO cur prohibitory
Law that 1t should be diguifed and made per-
maneut by having place In the constitution?
The Legislature has said So and II the temper
auce men aud Noinou do lheig duty the com
ing year. when 1t small be submitted to the
voters the result will be such as to forever
silence those who say "Pruhibition is a failure
and the people Of Maine want no more Of it,
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