The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-11-14

gances of life as well as the necesssries.
There has been much building here the past
season, and many great shops are still In
progress, nearly finished. These buildings
are mostly of brick, solldly built, so that
fires may be easily checked, unless driven by
high wind, such as prevailed during the
great burning in Portland in 1886.
In Illinois, as in all the West, the burning
question Just now is: "What shall we do
with the saloons?' The politicians here, as
in other States, look at 1t carefully on all
sides, very much as child would examine
a pocupine with quilts erect and defiance In
its eye. With them 1.-THE politiciansl It Is q
study how not to touch 1t, being sure to be
pricked which ever way they may take 1t.
In this State it is "high license" the law
providing that no saloon shall be permitted
for q less sum than five hundred d0llarss
year, but the municipalities may increase
this sum indefinitely. In Decatur the talk
is to raise the saloon fee TO fifteen hundred
dollars, which it is said the saloons can very
well afford to pay. since the business, 10
amazingly profitable in many ways; NO
grocers are allowed to sell liquors OF any
kind. and the saloons are run on the most
scientific plan and with great deal Of skill
and enterprise, such as Is displayed in other
branches of trade, with view Of expanding
it and making the most of it.
The success has been very great in this
line. A gentlemen told me, to-day by way
of Illustration, of three large estates In this
town that went into liquidation within three
or four years after the saloons turned
their attention to them. The propri-
etors died, one of them leaving
son of 81 years, the only heir, the
others leaving two sons each. The saloons
cultivated the acquaintance of these young
men so successfully, that within hve years
their estates had changed owners, the sa-
looms being so much the richer, while the
nice young men were stripped of every PEN
ny. The young man who was sole heir to
his fathers large property, died at rs years
OF age at the house OF an uncle where he
had been sheltered for year, the uncle pay
ing the funeral expenses. The saloons can
very we'll afford to pay fifteen hundred dol
lars year for the permission and protection
of law in carrying on their most respectable
business. 1t is highly respectable, because
no one is allowed to engage in 1t without
certificate that he is man Of most respec-
table and excellent character. Tom, Dick
and Harry may sell -four, shoes, cloth or
hardware; but they cannot keep saloon
none but the best men are allowed to do
that; the purpose of the law being to maks
the trade respectable and honorable, as 1t is
useful.
In many other states, and even In the do
minion of Canada and in England, tue tenn
perance people have been harsssing the liq-
uor trade to such an extent, that the Oldest
statesmen have felt themselves called upon
to stand boldly in its defense. In Delaware
Senator Bayard has done great service to 1t,
as Senator Macdonald has in Indiana, and
several eminent men in Ohio have done the
same thing. In England Lord Beaconsfield,
late prime minister, took the trade under
his special care, extending to IL many valua-
bic privileges, and now, John Bright has
manfully undertaken the work of protecting
1t from the unreasonable and unjust attacks
of the temperance people. But nowhere ex-
cept in Illinois have the clergy undertaken
the defense of saloons against their assail-
ants. There was famous meeting OF these
gentlemen in Chicago year ago, which re-
solved almost unanimously In favor OF The
saloons. This was labor of love, solely In
the public interest, since they could have
had no personal ends whatever to promote
in that way. The trade Is under great obli-
CATION to these gentlemen, which gratitude
should lead the saloons to acknowledge In
some suitable manner.
Illinois is as everybody knows, prairie
state, being quite nat in the north, but roll
ing" towards the south and down to the
Ohio river, and of deep, black, rich soil,
everywhere capable, with high cultivation.
of boundless productiveness. The Illinois
Central Railway is great public work OF
immense benefit to the state-and to its
stockholders. No railway in the country
is more profitable or better managed; but
there was time, not long ago, when from
mismanagement or from some other cause,
it was in very poor way, paying nothing.
was in England and was consulted on be-
half of Mrs Golden, whose husband had
left her a large block of Illinois Central
stock. asked: "Can she live for the present
49, -N-01N "