The Portland daily press., 1884-08-05
Senator Frye on the Constitutional
amendment.

ADu6uQID6AUs
The following is report of the line Of re-
mark by Senator Frye at the Sebago Lake
campmeeting last Saturday:
n Senator Frye,opened his remarks Swith a,graphic
sketch of the wonderful prosperity Of this country
and the blessings it offers to all. But in the midst
of so much of good we find the serpents trail =
intemperance with the fearful evils Of which it is
the parent. 1t imposes on the nation annually q
direct and indirect expenditure OF sum equal to
the whole national debt. But fearful as is the
waste of material wealth caused by intoxicating
liquors, it is nothing as compared with the moral
ruin which it works The dram shop is the jugger-
naut which brushes the brightest and the most
promising in the land. But, thank God there is a
remedy for these fearful evils The remedy is two
fold, moral suason for the drinker, legal suasion
for the dram seller
What shall be the character OF the legal meas
ures designed to remove so far as possible the
temptations of the dram shop? Some say license
them; but all experience has shown that this is fu
tile. You may as well attempt TO restrain theft by
this country who advocated the French system Of
licensing brothels under the impression that this
would restrain the social evil 1t was tried In ST.
Louis, but it was found that it only increased the
evil. So licensing the dram shop only increases its
power to offer temptation.
Again, there are those who favor local option i.e
giving any city town the right to license pro-
hibit the dram shops But If the closing of the
rum shop is good for Auburn, why not for Lewis
ton? Why shall one town in a State be authorized
to set up dram shops and another prOhibited2 Lo-
cal option is better than license, but general Droh
bitiOn in State is better than either.
Now there remains the third policy of dealing
with the dram shop, which we have had in Maine
since 1857, with the exception Of two years. Some
people say it has done no good Such persons can
not have seen Maine as it forty fifty years
ago. in the days Of license, when a grog shop was
found at every corner. No candid man can deny
that it has done great good, and has had potent
influence in creating good sentiment against
drinking habits. To be sure it has not extirpated
secret liquor selling. Neither has the law prohibit
ing theft and murder extirpated these crimes.
Having statutory prohibition so long, it is now
proposed to take another step by adopting pro-
hibitory constitutional amendment. He regarded
IL as important that this amendment should be
adopted, because the vote on it will be regarded
everywhere test vote the question of prohibit
ton or license A negative vote would be equiva-
lent to declaration against prohibition and for
license. An affirmative vote will strengthen proh-
bition. The amendment should strengthen the law
Statutory law may be repealed by the legislature At
any time Constitutional law eau be repealed only
by the people. Again the adoption OF the amend
ment would tend TO lift the question out Of partisan
politics. The vote on the amendment will be non
parlsan and it will represent the moral sentiment
of all parties.