The Portland daily press., 1885-02-04
ENFORCE TIE LAW.
An Address from the Law and Order
League of Portland.

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY AND GENERALLY
MANAGER OF THE STATE LAW I
AND ORDER LEAGUE,
PORTLAND, February 3, 1885,
TO the Citizens Of Portland:
For thrty-six years there has been upon our
Statutes a law prohibiting the sale of alcoholic
liquors for tippling purposes, but allowing their
sale for all the purposes for which experience and
science have shown them to be useful. Under this
policy an unexampled degree of prosperity and
happiness has been attaineA, so that on the whole
there is not in any country equal number Of peo-
pie In single commonwealth 50 temperate, so
moral, so intelligent religious as the people Of
Maines While the increase of crime from 1870 to
1880 was but 9.97 per cent in Maine, it was 1885,
75 per cent in Alabama; 1900 per cent in Dakota;
81 in Illinois, and 1852 in New York; and 82.33
In the whole country. Many facts equally astonsh-
ing could be presented and it was in view Of such
facts that our people voted by an overwhelming
majority to make the greg shop crime against the
Constitution of the State-the highest and u.ost
sacred authority.
With the exception of a few of our cities the
State is wonderfully free from liquor saloons. In
most, if not ALL of these cities the volators of the
law are compelled to keep watchmsn at the doors to
give warning Of the approach of the officers, and
have "dumps, "shoots, /" "toters" and other arti-
ices, for outwitting the officers court and leglsla-
tors. But with the traffic reduced to such small
magnitude and with patronage made up Of a
comparatively small number Of our unfortunate
citizens who have become SO enslayed by appetite
as to be almost rresistibly drawn into these uncon
sntutional and disrePutabe places where beer and
other llqsors are sold, they still do great harm.
For. hrst, according to the testimony in the Libby
trial now IN progress in this city it hotel whis
Key he drank before numbering Miss Snow and at
tempting to kill himself. Second according to the
reports of our city mArshals the last fourteen wears
zz,oI4 persons have been turned from the doors Of
our grog-s into our streets and upon our COM
munity to be arrested for drunkenness adding to
the hardships and dangers of our polce-the noble
guardians OF our lives property and peace. Beside
these %, ,674 criminals these drinking places have
turned upon law abiding citizens and tax PAYERS at
least two-tnlrds OF the remaining 1o,7S2 persons
who were arrested for other crimes from 1S7O-1 to
1854 What an awfHl amount Of wretchedness
these liquor shops have brought upon our citizens.
And all this time the men who made our criminals
city. -" "DO''
Nor has the liquor traffic affected us less in our
business interests. The past fourteen years $685.
S7SS5 has been paid out of our treasury for pauper
and criminal expenses. and the private and church
charities OF our city will swell this amount to over
million dollars. Then the money spent for
drink, and the time worse than wasted amid ar
room associations, if spent for drygoods. crockery
books, papers, and home comforts and adornments
would put thousands of dollars in the pockets Of
our business men and save many small trader
To bless our city is the object of the movement
now being conducted by the Portland Law and
Oruer league IL Is 10 enforce the constitution to
protect our homes to foster legitimate business ia
terests, and to save and bless the law-breakers
themselves We are their friends and not their
enemies. The motto OF the National Law and
Order League, of which ex-Gov. Long of Massaebu-
setts is president, is 1--WE ask only Obedience to
law" In behalf Of the Maine State Law and Order
League, and the National Law, we ask it firmly.
and shall with all legitimate agencies insist upon
the obedience which the vote of our people and the
statutes OF our State demand. IAt the same time
we ask obedience to law in the spirit of hove.
LIQUOR sellers are men,-many times not the worst
4I tl men Iney are what they are by virtue Of nve
things all OF which would make us Just What thew
are BY birth, by education, by love Of gain bv the
fault OF legislators and officers by the unws iom Of
some citizens, the demagoguery Of others, and the
apathy Of many. Christ came TO save these man
TO make them useful in society and a blessing 10
themselves and their families. We cannot at least
In our aims, do less. All good laws are the expres.
sion OF the Eternal WILL and must be obeyed. To
violate them is to incur their penalties 10 with
Law and encourage disobedience or fix a eondition
or society," from which love can only with difficulty
and as with miracle, reclaim the Individual or
Tegenerate the mass. Gladstone well said: fIt is
the duty OF the government to make it as hard az
possible for man to go wrong, and as easy as DOS
sible for man to go right; and so laws having
been made to protect the individual from crime and
society from the miseries and burdens of his trans
gressions, these laws must be Hgidly impsrtiary
and continuously enforced in the spirit of the Cos
pei.
Against one thing all must guard-the carving
OF party feelings and personal selhshness into The
field of morals. In the past the making and en-.
forcement of law has been, to some extent a nartv,
question. BY vote of our people In Portland and
state the question of temperance has been taken
out OF the domain of party and placed within the
lines Of the constitution. Henceforth in Maine m
Ish 9nty become party question SO far officers
legislators or classes Of men by their sins of omis-
SION or commission, drag back into the arena Of
state OF local politics. In reality, however it will
remain still non-partisizan question and men will
have to pay the penalty of dragging the 0uestion
into party politics by what they do, or fail to do
Inc people have voted to take the question out OF
party politics, and it will be fault of the ques-
ton II legislators or municipal authorities fail to
respect the popular will and force general or local
contests upon the people to get what the law de-
ment. ''-'-N
One thing we must now clearly see: The question
having been settled by the people, the Immediate
ana Imperative duty is to enforce the peoples de
clsion. To this end law-abiding citizens should
unite their influence in common, we'll considered
earnest Efforts rejoicing as confederate host from
the ranks of all parties that, with such an organ
lzation as the Portland Law and Order League in
every city of Maine it will be impossible for any
man, ring of men, or party to make effective bar
gains with hquor,sellers for their votes for the
very men they would elect can be made to enforce
the laws against them if the people ara sincars
take out warrants and secure evidence az do ON.
leagues: WIN tne hopes OF the liquor sellers 90
OF party ends In patriotism. With Law and Ordsyy.
Leagues in our cities it will be useless for tfte
keepers OF grog SHOPS to offer themselves to anv
party, since no bargain or promises of inn1DnS,y
from prosecution will avail them anvtbi,,r WY
10 Law n9 GuGr league in Portland there can be
because they do not affiliate with what bs.
10 De the dominant party and no favors boasRRs
party connections. AN'0'S oecause OK
onH we SN therefore ask in behalf of the stateIav
order Iovi Heague OF Maine that all the law and
20 oizens OF Portland unite in the work
and "9Gspdieogsy Glde begun inaugurated by the Law
4eor,S aau 0Iaer b League Of the city Whatever me
eS. People nave enacted let all obey Good citizsDs
AN tnos throw the influence of their silence nnoT,
S Sne sue oi the lsw-breakers. However honestly
tb 1 ay olier they are still expected to respect
Ssra Te law, and yield to tho will of the majority.
dnere Iean be no government without this onIv
soaro contagious lawlessness and finally
SenaLcny. tor the honor and purity of our city
Ier our wives and children, and ho1aes and for tie
ii So oi sou 90 we wage boodless war against
e'ii S uSYeIs, their good our prayer and aim.
ana let us not, in all eur efforts to enforce the
law, NV Ior one moment forget these words of Roy.
III. Suyler; The moment the friends of God and
Iuth and virtue rely entirely on civil law and
neglect all moral efforts, the battle is iost.p