The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-03-11
How tho Maine People Get their Liquor.

A gentleman in New Jersey wrote to Gen.
not long ago. inquiring whether prohibition
In Maine was dead failure" He had seen
an assertion to that effect.
There was something very naive In this
proceeding on the part OF the New Jersey
gentleman. For accurate and impartial In
formation he could not have gone to worse
quarter than to the venerable father of the
prohibitory system. He might as well ask
the inventor OF q perpetual motion machine
whether the machine was likely to work
when finished. Gen. BOWS reply WAS brief,
emphatic, and yet not wholly satisfactory.
He assured tho New Jersey gentleman that
from the day In 1851 when the Maine law was
enacted up to the present time 1t had been q
great success" that tho assertion to the
contrary was ian old lie, invented by un-
scrupulous men In the liquor interest,"" and
that the law had reduced the liquor traffic
to at least one-twentieth OF its former vol
ume. and saved annually to the State at least
$4,000. 900, which, without the law, would be
spent in drink and an indirect sum Of equal
amount at least"
Mr.. NELSON DINGLEY, Jr., is a more valu-
able advocate Of the prohibitory cause than
Gen. Dow, because while equally sincere he
Is more judicial in temper, more reasonable
In argument, and more cautious in statement.
Yet his opinion too, Is that OF q Jealous adj
vOcate, and must be weighed as such. Mr..
DINGLEY informs the New Jersey gentleman
that although prohibition has not extin-
guished the secret liquor traffic, "any more
than the laws prohibiting larceny have ex-
tinguished theft, 1t has we'll nigh driven the
open grog shops from the State, and forced
tho traffic into hidden dens." Mr.. DING
LEY. moreover, estimates that the number OF
these secret places Is "less than one-third
tho number. proportionately, Of open grog
shops on the average in the Union" that ar
rests for drunkenness are far less than in
any license State In tho country, and that
the people OF Maine arc "less given to drink
ing habits than any similar population In
the country" We print MIR. DINaLEY's let
ter in full elsewhere for It's allegations are
evidently well considered.
As matter OF fact, the hidden dens" con-
stitute only one OF several channels through
which people In Maine procure liquor in eva
sion of the law Including the channels
which Mr.. DNaLEY ignores tho classiiica-
ton Is something like this:
| l. Tho "hidden dens," grog shops run with
moro or less secrecy to escape search and
seizure by tho State authorities These dens
are often, but not always licensed by the
United States to carry on the business.
| H. Open saloons and hotel barrooms, where
there Is little or no attempt at concealment
OF the traffic These arc found in various
cities and towns OF the State. Their pro-
prietors openly defy the law which Mr..
DINGLEY's party fails to enforce where strict
and continuous enforcement would be polit-
ically Improbable. Establishments OF this
class invariably pay the special tax imposed
by the United States Government on whole
sale and retail dealers In spirituous and malt
liquors. A few days ago We printed a
transcript from the books Of tho Collector OF
Internal Revenue at Portland showing that
the number OF licenses granted to citizens of
Maine during the present year Is ,162, and
that they extend to 172 towns and cities of the
State. In Portland alone there are 212 In
Lewiston, where Congressman DINGLEY
lives, city OF less than 10000 inhabitants,
there are 60 such licenses about ono grog
shop for every sixty-five voters
Ill Groccrs, who supply prohibited arti-
Giles for the convenience Of their regular GUS
toners. This branch Of the business is prob
ably confined, for the most part, to the malt
liquors-bottled ale, porter, and lager beer.
~. The druggists. 1t Is notorious that an
enormous retail traffic In spirltuous liquors
is carried OIL behind the prescription desks OF
the apothecary shops in Maine. This con-
sists not only In the filling OF small bottles
and TASKS. but also in the filling OF the pur-
chaser directly from the wine glass or tum.
bier. In theory, Maine druggist sells
liquor only upon physician's prescription
In practice. hundreds Of apothecaries keep
open bar for the benefit Of customers person
ally known to them as discreet and RESPONSE
BILE individuals.
v. The railroad, steamboat. and express
companies. Citizens Of Maine Wishing to re-