The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-04
THEY DO DRINK IN MAINE.
A Mysterious Language Which the Father
of Prohibition Has Never Learned.
New York Sun.


of Prohibition Has Never Learned.
New York SUM-
Twill you turn your back?' courteousy
inquired a gentleman prominent in Maine
politics of reporter of the Sun who had
called at his hotel
Nervously wondering what April idiot
had been decorating his overcoat, the report
er painfully twisted himself into position
favorable to overlooking his own back
mo, no, you misunderstood me-" and the
Maine man hastily checked the contortionlst
on the ragged edge of starbismus. l mean
shall we shut our eyes?'
Shut our eyesl" repeated the mystifed re-
porter, land why?"
"Pshaw, man, you say you have called to
ask me about the workings of the Maine
| liquor law, and yet you do not seem to under
stand the lphabet OF prohibition. mean,
will you take q blinderT Will you
d-r-i-n-kY
After absently touching the electric bell
and allowing the reporter time to assimilate
his first lesson in a new language, the citizen
of the cold-water State continued: ITO prop
erly understand Maine prohibition, or to
thoroughly appreciate pure whisky, it is
necessary to live in Maine"
SIS it then true that liquor is scarce there?'
pure liquors are scarce but intoxicants
and intoxiCaton are not at all So"
But it is asserted by the father Of"
"'Lies,' as some Maine men call him-yes,
go on"
by General Dow, that the sale of liquor is
confined to the lowest and most degraded OF
your foreign population"
Yes, know; these assertions are more
than twicetold tales to us at home but Mr.
Dow is not the best evidence on that point.
| see that your paper is calling his attention
pretty sharply to the issue of some / 200
wholesale and retail United States internal
revenue licenses to Maine liquor dealers in
a single year. Now, the lowest and most de-
graded would find it difficult to obtain or pay
for such licenses. Do you suppose that the
heroine in Mr.. BOWS favorite fables, the wo-
man who, as she says, carried her whole
stock of liquor under her petticoats, stiffened
her skirts with a Government license?
"Then you regard prohibition as afailureP'
Morally, perhaps politically, no; it is
most invaluable political engine, generally
out OF order, but always capable Of being
tinkered up about election time; always dis
organized in the interest of any, or all of
the political parties in the State, " and here
the politicians hand moved mechanically
toward the decanter and closed trustfully
about its neck.
who sell liquor in Maine2'
Druggists, hotel keepers generally. and
restaurant and saloon keepers to customers"
by the glass; openly?'
More frequently by the bottle or pint
and secretly. Secret drinking is one of the
triumphs of the Maine law. There is fell
onious flavor about stepping behind the bar
and into closet to take drink that is too
apt to attract very young or very foolish
man into violating law he cannot respect"
Does General Neal Dow know of these
trieks2',
"Well, he is a fine example of the rudder-
less reformer and you can imagine just how
far such men got in self-deception. Then,
TOO, he never drinks himself, and probably
has no means of knowing how freely liquor
is obtainable, or how generally wines and
liquors are offered at balls and parties, we'd
dings and dinners, and at social gatherings
and merry-makings OF all sorts, public and
private"
Has General Dow ever been accused OF US
ing liquor himself"
'Not to my knowledge, and such accusa-
ton would be utterly false. The surgeon of
his regiment isl my authority for the state
ment that the combined tortures of Hatteras
and seasickness never conquered Mr.. Dow's
repugnance to liquor. No, we ought to be
proud of Mr.. Dow. AS long as he lives we
can say there is one man in the State of
Maine who does not know the taste of
whisky"
"And the rest of your inquired the re-
porter as he rose to leave"
eve turn our backs and shut our eyes, ,"