Smyrna times., 1883-04-25
The Maine Law in Maine.
GENERAL NEAL DOw's DESCRIPTION OF
AN UNDERGROUND RUN SHOP.


that you have any other wish in rela-
ton to the great movement for Prohi- |
bition than that your readers should |
know the exact truth. The Liquor |
Leagues throughout the country are
vehement and untiring in their opposi-
| ton to prohibition and to any party
and to all public men who in any way
favor that policy. They declare pro-
hibition to he failure, and affirm that
it in no way diminishes the sale of
intoxicants, but rather increases it. If
they believe this should they fear it?
In your issue of March 80 is an arti-
Gle commenting upon mine in the issue
of the 28th. In it you say the internal
revenue receipt for payment of the
special tax " is permission to continue
the business so far as the Internal
Revenue Bureau is concerned" 1t is
quite worth while to be accurate in the
use of terms, though the difference is
not material. The special tax receipt
is not permission in any way; it
simply secures the party paying it from
prosecution ia the United States courts.
The United States law expressly dis
claims the authorizing or permitting
the sale of intOXicants in any State
where it is forbidden. But this is not
a matter of any practical importance.
| wished to call your attention to
. another, in which you think have
made mistake. You say:
a "Gen. Dow misses the real Signif-
canoe of these figures. They help to
show the magnitude of the liquor
traffic in Maine in spite of the legisla-
ton which Gen. Dow fathered, and
Z which he now pronOunces great sue
cess. Prohibition in Maine does not
prohibit. 1t does not come anywhere
near prohibiting"
am not surprised that any one liv-
ing in license" State should con-
clude that the l 1852 liquor dealers said
to be in Maine indicate large sale Of
. intoxicants but if he could see the
sort of places these l 1852 shops are he
would know that the traffic in Maine
is really reduced to very small proper
tiOns l will try to show your reader!
what the state of the liquor traffic is il
the State.
In Portland we have more of thest
people with the Especial tax" receip
than in any other part of the State
We have also three Sheriffs officers ap
pointed and especially paid for huntin.
down these people; they do nothing
else. They have an Office in the base
II. ment of our City Hall, and they consti
pit tute an important part of our count
,y police, set apart by special enactmen
d to bring liquor sellers to justice.
OF make it point to visit their offic
sS' every day, except Sundays, to kee
myself informed of the actual state c
the liquor traffic here. They meet in
coming railway trains and incoMin
steamships for the purpose of seizin
Us; any liquors that may be brought int
ar, the State, and they are so vigilant
me their work that it is difficult to elud
,y them, and when this is done the quar-
- tity of liquors smuggled in is small.
o. Wherever they suspect liquors to b
sold, they search the place carfully an
thoroughly. On the 29th they searcl
ed one Of these places, low den occl
al pied by low people. The cellar W;
surrounded by planks instead of stone
sM In these they discovered what SCENE
sm to be door, but there was no appea
ance of hinges or lock. After a caref
search they discovered spring, c
touching which the door opened.
gave access to a small cave, with l
window, and no means of entrance b.
by this door. In the cave were tv
jugs partly full of whiskey, and an ire
. gas pipe, coming from and leading
J nowhere that they could perceiv
n On pulling this pipe, piece of rubb
hose was found to be attached to
the outlet of which they did not d
cover. On cutting this hose, whisk,
mud ran out, only q small quantity. T.
duu whole stock in trade was not ty
gallons, but the keeper is one of t
], ,162 who pay the Especial tax" IT
ork penalty in this case is 800 fine al
costs and six months in Jail.
another place the entire stock was CO
an tanned in two junk bottles, fastened
the belt, one each side, under t
outer skirt of the woman who ke
'rse the place. In another place the emit
stock was in fiat tin vessel, scontai
If ing about two quarts, fitted to t
. person and worn by the especial ia,
payer under his vest.
These are fair sample of the trio
resorted to by these special ia
n payers to evade the law. l col
q easily fill one page of The Sun by {
scriptiOn of o great many ingeniC
devices of this sort. The Sun c.
tinues:
c 1.-THE father of prohibition persists
his extraordinary assertion that /
Maine law has reduced the liql
traffic in the State to oRe-twentieth
dS what it was"
' Yes, persist in that. The law
suppressed every distill cry and brew,
in the State. We had many of the
seven of which were in this city, n
ming night and day, and turning
70 great quantities of New England ri
We had also two great preweries.
the same time coasters brought la
Om quantities of rectiied rum from n
al York. We had also cargoes of w
India rum brought here, some of til
large cargoes.
Now we have not a puncheoR
ZiS liquor brought into the State;
Y. liquors that come here are in sn
- packages concealed in -four or su
, to barrels, or in dry goods boxes, mar
POST "eggs" or "glass, this side up v