Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1883-03-21
Prohibition Of the Liquor Traffic.
RESULTS IN MAINE.


1t is a matter for great surprise among the
working friends of temperance that there
can be any difference Of opinion among sim
cere friends Of the temperance movement
as TO the propriety and necessity of the pro.
hibition of the liquor traffic. In England
there are many intelligent men who deny
that government has the right 10 put 1t I'M
der the ban of the law. In this country it
is very rare to find such person who holds
that opinion, especially since the justices of
the supreme court of the United States have
unanimously affirmed it, and the upper
courts Of every state where the question has
arisen have done the same thing. We may
dismiss then, as of no account the objection,
from whatever source it may come, that 80
ciety has no right 10 protect itself from the
liquor traffic, which inflicts far more mis-
chief upon the community than any other
source of evil.
policy Of prohibition is, mainly, that it does
not prohibits that prohibitory laws have
been, and are, failures. / have before me
now, as / write, a most respectable republi.
can paper, of great city, in which the ed
itor says, "The remedy for intemperauce
which many thoughtful men propose is not
in prohibition, which has been dead fail
ure even in Maine" This is fair speci
men of the opinions entertained by the lead
ing newspapers of the country, and by a
great many leaders of public opinion, both
clerical and lay.
Now, if the question of prohibition were
a matter of minor Importance to the coun-
try, it might be pardonabe in such papers
and such persons to be imperfectly informed
in relation to il; but seeing that it Is a
matter of far greater Importance to nation,
state, and people than any other political
and social question, even more important
than all other such questions combined, it
seems to me not to be a proper thing to
do, for such papers and such persons to
undertake to teach the people in relation to
it without first ascertaining the facts in the
case.
In this country and in Europe there are
many hundreds of localities where prohibi.
ton has been established for various periods,
in some of them for more than a quarter Of
q century. In not one of these places has il
in any sense been q failure in every one OF
them it has been a great success; in some
of them, in entirely sweeping away the Ii.
quor trs tfic and the evils that come from it
in all of them in greatly diminishing the
traffic aud reducing the volume of the pow
erty, pauperism and crime originating in it.
Not long ago one of the most respectable
and influential papers of New York said that
prohibition had been a failure wherever ii
had been tried, even in Maine, where it had
its origin. The editor was kind enough to
admit reply from me into his columns, in
which l said he was entirely mistaken in
his opinion upon that matter, and | added
that, of the many hundreds Of localities in
hos llt a
been established many years, he could moi
name one where it had in any way failed.
earnestly requested him to name one such
place. His reply was that it was "a matter
of common notoriety that prohibition was 8
failure, and that was conclusive" | rejonet
that common notoriety was of no authority
whatever, unless founded in the facts of thu
case, and denied that there was even ont
fact in the case to justify such an opinion
1t was once matter of common notoriety
that the earth was fat and not round, anc
that the heavenly bodies revolved about TIT
earth as the centre of the system. There
are some localities within two hours ride o
New York where prohibition has been estab
lished for many years, and the facts as Il
its success there, as well as in many place
more remote, have been often published t.
the world. Why, then, should not intelli
gent men, who really wish well to their fel
lows, be correctly informed upon them, 81
as to be able intelligently and honestly Il
discuss the question Men with a deel
pecuniary interest in the enormous profit
of the liquor traffic set these false report
sfloat in the press, and somehow they pre-
cure them to be repeated as If they wer
true, by a great many more respectable pee
pie in church and state.
l suppose unprejudiced persons will read
lily concede that the people of Maine, afte
an experience of prohibition of more tina
thirty years, ought to know what its result
have actually been. The republican party
the dominant party in the state, has Away
had prohibition in its platform, and tn
democratic party has repeatedly and en-
phatically repudiated the policy of license
have only four of the resolves of the stat
conventions of the republican party G
Maine, and give them here
1873 Temperance among the people may /
| greatly promoted by wise prohibitory Legislation
as well as by all of those moral agencies whic
have secured US beneficent results; and II is
source of congratuation that the principle of pr,
hibition, which has always been upheld by repu'
leans, Is now concurred in by 80 large msjorit
of the people that 1t is no longer party question
the democrats having for several years decline
to contest and dispute it"
1879. "We recognize temperance as caui
| which has conferred the greatest benefits on Il
state, and We sustain the principle of prohibition
= which in its operation has SO largely suppresst
liquor selling and added incidentally to the SUI
OF virtue and prosperity among the people"
1880. Experience has demonstrated the wi
dom OF the policy OF prohibition as an auxilial
Of temperance, and as contributing to the materi
wealth, happiness, and prosperity of the stat
and we refer with confidence and pride TO an III
deviating support of the same as one OF the card
nal principles Of the republican party OF Maine
There was no election in 1881, and 4
convention but in 1882 the largest CONVEX
ton ever held in Maine assembled in Por
land, more than 300 delegates being pre-
ent from every county in the state, and Il
following resolve was unanimously adopted
eve refer with confidence and pride TO Il
general r. cord OF the republican party In suppo
OF the policy Of prohibiting the traffic In intoxca
ing liquors. the wisdom and efficiency Of whit
legislation in promoting the moral and mater
interests OF Maine have been demons t. at
through the practical humiliation OF that traffic
a large portion OF the state; and we favor SUI
legislation and such enforcement of law as W
secure to every portion Of our territory freedo
fr IN that traffic. We further recommend d
submission to the people OF constitutional pr
hibitory amendment"
The legislature has now, within a wee
voted by IA TO 81 TO submit such propo
tion to the people. am confident that
= telligent men, uninauenced by interest, a
| patita nasaion or preiudica will sccent Nh