The Portland daily press., 1884-04-29

| BILE even now, and that notwithstanding the
continued appeals and activity of various or
1 CARNATIONS the mere existence Of which, in
l my town, testifes to the alarming extent OF
1 the evil. And Yeti may have been still more
1 widespread and virulent before the adoption
| of the law. Declining, therefore, to make
/ any more positive statement with regard to
| the working of our prohibitOry law, ! am
/ still more reluctant to express an opinion as
to 'the wisdom and eXpediency of the pro-
1 posed constitutional amendment" and chiefly
| for this reason, viz: that my observation and
/ reading have not been wide enough to enable
| me to have a decided opinion as to the specific
4 and peculiar advantages which may be eX-
pected to flow from constitutional amend
l ments as distinguished from statutory pro-
l visions, the end sought being the suppression
1 of an existing evil. Many others here, /
| think, besides myself, need enlightenment on
1 this point, and perhaps some of your Boston
lawyers will undertake to guide our Judgment.
Looking at the question as a mere uninstruct-
1 ed layman, have been unable to find ground
for the anticipation of great benefits from the
1 proposed constitutional change, and consider
l ing that under a popular government the en-
1 fOrcement of all laws is chiefly dependant
upon the sentiment of the people respecting
1 them, should not the feeling of our people
1 have been more decidedly expressed by actual
| obedience to the existing laws before it can
1 be wise or expedient to engraft such a provi-
l sion upon the constitution? Reverence for
| is impaired by the habitual disregard of one,
and this consideration, it seems to me, should
| make us particularly cautious in declaring
| for any change in the organic law lest we
bring even Its sacredness into contempt.
Ex-Chief Justice Appleton.
My opinion of the utter uselessness of the
proposed constitutional amendment is well
| known. / may hereafter give my views as to
the questions proposed, but it is not expedi-
ent now.
President Cheney of Bates College.
As member of the Maine legislature l had
| the honor of voting for the bill for the sup
preston of drinking houses and tipping
shops, approved June 2, 1851. That law was
| not party one, democrats, wings, anti-slave-
cry men voting for it together. And yet, the
democratic party, having the governor and
both branches of the legislature, was respOn-
sible for its passage The bill was signed by
the late Hon. John Hubbard, governor for that
year. think prohibition has been a great
success. Since the passage of the law not so
much has been done as | wish had been for
| the removal of the evil of intemperance, but
do not regard this as the fault of the law
| mean not to blindly follow any principle
Certainly if something better than prohibit
ton shall be found, hold myself ready to
accept it. But have no faith in that direc-
ton. On the other hand l believe that what
ever experiments we may try we shall in the
end be compelled to come back to prohibition
[ think the proposed constitutional amend
ment both wise and proper. | believe that
prohibition should have place in our eOnsti-
I tuition, but whether this year is the most
suitable time for making the effort to put it
| there, l have had some doubt. mean that
national issues must unaVOldably enter into
our September election, and this may prevent
our giving that calm consideration to the sub
! ject which should be given it. But the ques-
ton being before us there seems to me but
| one course for all the friends of prohibition
| to take, and that is to vote for the amend
ment Our women are moved on this subject
| as they have never been before: and they
purpose to ask women from other states to
| help them. Among those to be invited to
take the lecture field, understand, is Mrs.
Burlingame, of Rhode Island, an eloquent
| platform speaker God is always just. The
slave power of the country was never so weak
as when it thought itself strongest and was
boasting of its strength. So it is with the
rum power of to-day. 1t seems to me that a
| riot, such as that at Cincinnati, ought to show
the people OF the United States how danger
GUS are grOg shops within reach of men lost
| to all respect for law and order. Should the
| friends of prohibition fail, for any cause, to
carry the amendment this year, the matter
| will not end there. Maine win never allow
herself to be behind Iowa in good cause.
| My hope is that the question may be consid-
cred on its merits, and independent of all So
called party questions. 1t is a question that
comes near to us all; and | think there is
many father of little children who will be
SLOW TO take the responsibility by his vOt1 of
| opening grog shop at the corner of a Sect
| into which his own child may be enticed and
l ruined. ask pardon for writing you at such
| length. My only excuse is that hope the
time will soon come when in our broad land
no sister will have drunken brother, no
mother a drunken son, no wife a drunken
| husband.
Uncle Scion Chase of Chase's Mills.
Prohibition has done our people great good.
There is not brewery or distillery in the
state. In large portion of the state gen
Grafton has grown up and never seen dram
shop l was born at Chase's Mills and have
always lived on the farm where was born
Before we had prohibition nearly all the men
and boys at ChaSe'S Mills drank intoxicating
liquors, more or less. Now none of the men
or boys drink at ALL The same is true of
most of the substantial rural towns of the
state. Our best people have set their faces
against rum and have faith in prohibition.
There is no state or country of equal area
and population on the face of the civilized
| globe so free from the curse of rum as the
state of Maine. But Maine is not free. The
law is not enforced in the seacoast and river
towns and in the backwOodS. The delightful
mountain scenery of northern Maine with
trout in the rivers and lakes, attracts mighty
host of summer visitors. They do not know
that the pure water, clear as crystal and, cold
as ice, that guShes from our mountain springs
IS the most delicious beverage in the world,
but want whlskey, and whiskey is carried in
to the woods on mems backs to supply that
want. While the sober, Industrious people
OF the farming community are sweating in
the meadows and holding gospel temperance
meetings on the Sabbath, at our mountain
orn Nf
revelry that are disgrace to the state. The
same is true of our seaside resorts. In our
large towns rum is sold all the year round,
on the sly-not so sly but that those who
want it can find it, but so sly that those who
don't want it don't see it. Everybody who
drinks rum in Maine drinks on the sly All
the best people of our large towns are strong
for prohibition, but the municipal officers
don't think it is profitable to enforce the law
too strictly. The great mass of prohibition
lists belong to the republican party, and the
republicans hold the most of our cities by q
small majority. Without the support of re-
publican rumsellerS and republican rumdrink-
ers they could not carry the cities of Maine.
Nothing makes rumseller enjoy religion
like voting, the temperance ticket and be al
owed to sell rum. The most of the republi-
can rumsellerS are converts from the demo-
cratic party, because it is safer for a republi-
can to sell rum in Maine than democrat.
You ask my views as to the wisdom and
pTOprleIy OIL duOpllnS Une proposed amend
ment to the constitution" Prohibition is so
strong in the hearts of the people, there
would seem to be little danger of a repeal of
the Maine law. The republican party never
will repeal the law. If the Maine law is re-
pealed it will be done by the immortal demo-
cratic party. Here Uncle Scion vigorously
blackguards the democracy.1 In that event.
to say the least, constitutional prohibition
would not be unwise.
Ex-Governor Arson p. MorriIl-He believes
Prohibition Success and FavOrs the
Amendment.
That prohibition has been wonderful sue
| cess no man can doubt who is familiar with
the rum traffic at the time that law was
enacted in this state and at the present. 1t
may be admitted that prohibition has not
extinguished the illicit traffic in intoxicants
| but that it has diminished the sale immensely
| and advanced the case of temperance vastly,
no candid observer can doubt and yet you
| may be told that there is as much liquor used
| in Maine as there was prior TO prohibition.
| At the date OF this statute there were but few,
if any, grocery stores in the state that did not
| sell liquors as openly as any other goods. In
| this city, for instance, liquors were not only
| gorgeOusly displayed for sale in the bar-room
| of every hotel, and by numerous shops and
| saloons, but we had the honor of wholesale
| establishment where great quantities were
| sold daily, by the barrel and hogshead; and
Ut hrrNr g 4