Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-07-25
Prohibition III Maine.

The following quotation from the
Natchez Democrat was sent by my
self to Rev. G. B. IIsley, Bangor,
Me-. with the request to give the ex-
act facts concerning his city in re-
gard to Prohibition. | give below
the quotation and his answer in full,
which YOU ean publish if you wish.
l.. S. FOSTER.
~ correspondent of the Natchez
Democrat, writing from Bangor, Me,
says
This is the place where they have
prohi5ltory liquor law. No larger
beer signs are TO be seen, and there
are no places where it is openly
sold. saw on the opposite side Of
my bill Of fare a wine list Il foot
long, and | saw the cup that cheers
and does intoxicatc, drunk at the
table. The wine list includes such
hardware as jamaica rum 40 years
old. I Whether or not there is a
back-door business | am unable to
say. Probably in spots the right
facial contortion would get you IN
audience witt. the poison.
In conversation with men and
women who have lived here all their
lives, they say that the law is
humbue and shonld never have been
passed. 1t can be bought at many
places, and there is as much Of the
ardent destroyed by the Pine Tree
people, according 70 the population,
as by those OF any other State. SeV-
eral thoughtful people deplored the
law as influencing strangers to re-
gard tie temperance prestige OF
Maine as so much moral lagniappe.
Think Of it. Here is State with a
Maine liquor law" a positive prohi-
bition law, and the stranger within
her hills and forests is supposed to
believe that smell of Bourbon
would give the people moral spasms.
Yet when he sits down to dinner at
| the table d'hote he can order for his
meal water cracker and a gallon of
jamaica rum. The question comes
up, does Prohibition prohibit? The
answer, in practice, is that it does
not.
BANGOR, Me-, June 16, 1885.
Rev L. 5 Foster.
DEAR Bao. Yours Of 31st Of May
Was duly received. While the piece
you enclosed, in some respects, is ex-
aggcratcd, we have to admit that
Bangor is greatly cursed with intem-
pcrance. 1t is one Of the bad
places that has not been healed OF
the awful scourge. But we are
working away, and some improve
ment is noticeable. There is not
such strong and healthful public
sentiment rs we ought to have from
our leading and wealthiest citizens.
Some Of them, tear, keep and take
it in their own houses. And then
the question OF the enforcement OF
the law is made an issue at every
spring election. Our foreign popu-
lation Catholic of which we have
about 5000, casts its vote, almost to
man, in favor of free rum, and they
are the ones who keep the saloons.
With rare exceptions is an Amer
lean engaged in the business. | am
glad to say that our present city
marshal is making arrests and selz-
ures, and there is some improvement
taking place. It is no doubt true
that any traveller can get what he
wants ON the wink at our hotels, anC
there is a list of liquors on the back
Of bills of fare, but they are notquitt
foot long.
The writer probably converseC
only with those who were opposed
to Prohibition, and of course they
would have great deal ofsympathy
for strangers" who love the ardent
1t is difficult to prevent these
strangers from bringing samples
with them and selling it to those whC
ought not to have it.
We must have common sense il
all things. None Of our prohibitor!
! laws against any crime are a com