The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1883-08-09

those already returned, and there are As
open dram shops ilh Maine outside of
Bangor and these irl only fifteen towns
and 443 secret or suspected places in
which liquor may be obtained as a bever-
age with more or lest difficulty making
622 IN all or one tp over 1000 inhabi-
tants.
The result of this inquiry shows that
Notwithstanding 49C persons paid taxes
as dealers in fourteen cities of Maine, yet
the whole number of known or suspected
dram shops reported in these cities is
only 432-l56 of these being reported as
practically open in t hree cities, (l34 of
them in one city, and 2S6, as "secret or
suspected places" In the remaining
4o6 towns only 100 dealers are reported,
and these, with 20 e. RECEPTIONS in twelve
towns are all put dow n as only 'secrct or
suspected"
HON. JOSIAH II. DRUM MoND ON THE PRO-
HIBITORY AMENDMENT.
Among the speakf frs at Maranocook
was the Hon. Josiah ii. Drummond OF
Portland. In the cd urse Of his address,
according to the Ldwiston journal, he
said:
We propose to p pit a constitutional
prohibitory amendme ent into the State
1t contains the pr4hlblt0ry principle
There is no need to state it. The Ques-
ton that we are to discuss then is this
principle in the const tuition. No, that is
not the question. We have gone past
that We have stardcd to put it in. 1t
has come where we must vote upon it.
The question is as to votes. That is the
question. am here to talk as to your
duties as to votes, mott only to you men
but to the women WHIP direct and tell us
how to vote.
| dld-yeS will say something about
1t though | thought | wouldn't. | did
hear doubts at the beginning as to
whether this amendment was best.
thought that the ques ton could safely be
left to the people of be grand old State
of Maine. do not Til ink it best now we
are destined to have t he battle | think
the time has been cboB sen none too early,
none too late. 1t is SERIOUS question to
meet. If it is estabhE she'd now, it is es-
tabllShed for all timd, if lost then the
work OF twenty, thirty, forty years must
be done over again. is for me to say
to every man with dny regard for the
church, tor public md rails or welfare for
the best OF everything to come forward
and vote
1t is the cry that it is against the liberty
of every citizen. 1t is said that men
have certain inalienaPle rights against
which We cannot legisEate 1t would be
strange, wouldn't it, f men had an in
alenable right to do wrong, perpetrate
crime, lead their felowmen into evil
ways, degradation and ruin 1t would
seem very strange, but people have
heard so much Of the 1tatement that they
have nearly been led To believe it. Such
IS not the constitutional law. Man has
liberty, it is true, agaih hst which we must
not legislate. No m pn has a higher
regard for that Liberty than | have
Liberty does not, however, mean license.
Applause. That lip perty of the con
stitutoE is so to do W th our own prop
erty as not to injure the rights or prop
ertN Of others.
Is it not license t do wrong. Our
courts have said that our people have
the right to protect their institutions,
their health and mon ais. An example
before the people tO-dhy in the stoppage
of a merchants impb brting rags from
cholera stricken land without their un-
dergolng quarantine. Is not the public
morals OF as much i Importance as the
public health, however great the latter
may be ! Nhen men come to make our
children drunkards, an q bring crime and
sorrow openly, do y0h believe there is
anything in the constitution prohibiting
our preventing that ? Law and liberty
go side by side. You may lay aside any
belief that in adopting the constitutional
amendment you do aHything approach
ing an encroachment upon popular lib
erty. "God gives US Ii w in liberty and
liberty in law"
desire to pass from this to consider
alton OF why we shouP Id adopt the con
stituti0nal amendment
1t will not of itself be a prohlbitory
law. 1t does howeve1 assure that the
liquor traffic can new er be allowed by
law. 1t assures us either prOhibitOry
law or no law at all. t might be Ques-
toned that II the prohibitory law were
subsequently repealed that act would be
constitutional. Either one or two things
is ensured-prohibition or no law at all.
| don't propose to disc uss whether pro-
hbition has been failure. 1t is true
that the traffic has not been stopped. 1t
is equally true that no (aW against crime
IS wholly et1ectual against that crime.
we nave laws agalnFt burglary and
murder, but they occu F. it may be re-
marked that it has not succeeded as well
as we had hoped, but it has succeeded
better than we had ann reason to expect.
In many cities and to vns liquor selling
has been blotted out. n most of them it
has been driven into holes where other
crimes needs must lurkL
| had the curiosity to look at the
docket of the Law G. Purt in Portland.
Out OF the l44 criminal cases, all but two
grew out Of intoxicat pm. In all but a
very few, the verdict will 90 back
exceptions overruled, Judgment render
ed for the State" When the cases come
before Judge Bonney of Portland, he
Will say with all grace and suavity (be-
cause think he likes to do it) "thirty
days, sixty days, ninety days." to these
various cases. For theS 10 various reasons,
| think the struggle should be made.
Another reason bel eve th this will
have the tendency to pike this principle
out Of the vortex of p hrtisan politics.
believe | am not wrohg in saying that
the fealty of the a Eerage American
citizen to his party, is greater than to
his religion. | hope b keep this out of
the party. II one party adopts it the
other will array against it. | want to see
this question out OF all parties.
Another tr0uble-thP law was an eX
pertinent. 1t was built from principle, as
is all common law. Common law was
not made in day. 1t is the growth Of
the daily needs of tH Housands of years
almost. The prohibitofy law has under
gone numerous changds. 1t seemed to
give it an air of instability. The princi
pie has never been changed The chang
es have been those of II eeds arising from
the people itself. 1t is the principle that
we want made permali ient | want the
amendment adopted for that reason.
we have thrown down the gauntlet in
this fight. BE assured our enemies will
take 1t up. We are to have the fight If
we 90 back it will be a failure We are
not to meet mean foe. They will bring