New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-04-09
ruE CRADLE OF PROHIBITION.
;, EXPERIMENT OF rBlRrY-FoUR YEARS.


pD~r,,un Me- March 30.-In the recent
.,nsntal election st. John obtained in Maine 2'ioU
-, or o As per cent OF the entire poll lniS 's.
ots in the very cradle OF Prohibition SHOWS ~, a.
..,esm in which the scheme OF Natona' -, s,ate
n.,a nv man who have watched the opcia -. a. an
prohbitory laws since they wero HIT" "a their anger
sxnerimeut thirty-four years ago. ~ 80 ,,o,n tho
t'. ., ..or,i,g Republicans Is the greater ilo
-. 49,, tho marty here. has been identheA WIZ"
,,orancc reform since its Organization an" .uo
&c been distinetvey and oponiy i.s eno 18th,
.rno ucidal polcy OF the Prohibtonsts Is seen Sun
. -, g., rho result OF the local election in this eitv
,S.ho Although the enforcement OF the Sta'o ID"
a. n tho hands of the local officers, and II mag DO
.sod latter by their lack OF ZEAL thrd 'icAo. wa"
So the aed; and, though 1t received only 4i' ou Va
,ne 1888 votes cast. 1t prevented an eiec.'o' .
,ocratc candidate for Mayor only lacked % 'o'es VI
,,-a,i,v In view of the utter reekessness as W
results shown by the ultra-prohiDuohists' 'no ~
xithdrawal OF Neal Dow from the kepuohcau "a
not regretted even by Republicans VINO nave 'n o
esteem for his personal character ana tno unuou
purity OF his motives through All "n"Su' ~
active life. w., O.. .,o srb,eet OF
The general attention that was called 10 inc su'Joe.
nrobibition IN the recent National contest anu w
strurgle that is going on In Iowa. Kansas anu 80
Western States, make tue study OF prom, i a Tho
an interesting one The SUBJECTS so old herc uu .o
20, sanse of the people, gathered In con'ers"'io
and expressed at the polls, is so unmistaRaoy III io
prohibition that 1t is usually assumed "i'nou' P
that in most parts of the State at least inc laws
the sale of liquor have been and are rs'oV ono'o
To an great an extent is this the case tnat many o
- Ohio have passed their lives In this city anu IN
ether cities in the State thoroughly believe that q"or
sold only with great secrecy and Is ootaiheo WIN 49,
diaioulty II the frequency OF druhSenhoss u" w
.rees causes them TO revise their opinions they '"A
that the large cities exceptional ana that III 'o
villages and country dlstrcts incompetence"
or OF rare occurrence ,,
Men who make it their business 10 observe o'os
know that this not the case; though they nave w
heard their State spoken example to otners anu
bave been so proud know that the most stringent ~
h,b,torv Hesitation was known as the Name Law
that they hesitate speak with rankneSs Oh ''' uo
70 a stranger The fact, however that more S'r."e
recularons for the suppression OF the liquor 'ra"o WIZ
he brought before the Legislature this WINTER anu M
prlsonment be urged for the drst onenoe' ns'oa' 40
now for the second or third, is public confession lna'
the present laws are, in part at least iaiiure'
The HISTORY OF PROHIBITION IN MAINE.
Tn the intervals OF leisure from business during snort
Wait in this city, aud in otner parts OF the STATE Dave
taken particular pains TO obtain accurate ih'or"a'on
both by personal observation and by conversation win
thorouchly trustworthy menin every case trehas Vi
temperance reform. "To understand the si'"avou
properly" said a resident OF Portland you must unuer
stand that Maine has been temperance state ior Hall
centary The washingtonan movement spreau
through the state after its inception ana IN every
town Of any size total abstinence societies were formed
Tn the DAYS when liquor selling authorized by Law"
licenses we're granted with great discretlon ana any
person who sold without license was heavily puhisheu'
Finally, late fores. the Legislature ioroaue inc
granting Of licenses and the old statutes a2aihst se"s
xitbont license remained In force. Everywhere, ex-
cent in the large citie traffic in liquor became DANGER
Gus; laws enforced by justices or the peace"
most cases the leading citizens OF their several towns
and they we're sustained by all tho hest classes OF the
peope Probably by the year 1880 liquor was prac-
ticly driven out OF more than half the townships In
Maine or sold In obscure corners Of country taverns
where only travellers residents OF the neghporhoo'
who had no reputation to lose would venture.
In 1851 Neal Dow, member of the Legislature
Introduced the Maine Law which was passed This
forbade the sale liquor the keeping OF for sale as
abeverage under heavy penalties; gave to the proper
ocers extraordinary powers OF search ana dehneh WIN
more or less vagieness the testimony whlch shoua DO
in order convict the possessor OF liquor OF an
intention to sell II. But IN order to give the people
chance TO obtain spirits for medicinal or mechanical
purposes agent and local agents In every town
were created, To whom was given monopoly OF the
whole liquor business. Thus run AMI whisKey were
forced By law into towns where they had been
unkn for years. and the misuse OF bis position by the
agent-tempted by the large profits OF his trade-was
much dangerous than tie unlawfd frame III liquor
by others. In the year following Neal Dow was elected
Mayor of Portland and eferted all his powers and
stretched his legal authority the utmost to eGlorce his
law Trunks of arriving travellers were opened and
examined at the stations; boxes and bales OF dry goods
and groceries. addressed 10 the most respected mel
chants we're hauled the city trucks and
opened by city ocers long augurs we're bored through
barrels of hour-not without occasionally striking
brandy key Ia the centre. and TASKS 1t is said, were
sometimes taken from the Dreast-pockets OF men passing
through the Guy SO great opposition TO the
law created by the methods OF It's enforcement that
in 1852. there was Anti-Naine Law party which
poiled 3O4 within 5000 many as the Wings
The Democratic party, which in that year had 2,l32
votes broke pieces the tenn question almost
as much as on tiv antslaveTy issue ana ia 1904 be
Republican party had majority In the State. From that
until the outbreak OF tie war tue local name Or
10 il were known as ruiunies, without the sghtcst
reference TO their personal habits with only slight
look but has been modified IL
be admitted however thsf liquor Is still sold 10 all who
wish TO obtain 1t III nearly every town III the state
TOUR OF OBS RvATIoN.
A spasrodc effort made in this city few weeks
ago by few citizens resulting In few seizures
OF iouor and little less publicity for time IL its sale;
but even any person ind draIu-shop OF bar
roon without asking the aid OF friend. recent tour
observation through Portland showed that here st
least hardly pretence OF secrecy is kept up In sore
the lower part of Middle-st through
the open regularly arranged tars with decanters
aud glasses tenptingly displayed as In New forg
liquor-shop with standing in front drinking some
thing. The front window Of OF these places is ied
with bottles labelled with all the ordinary kinds of
nioxicants ~ the trade probable, indeed
that tho police should seize the bottles In tho window
they would found to contain only water, but sign
Of what obtained inside the shop they unins
taxable.
But these places OF low order and only
explanation the intoxicated sailors and boatmen
TO be seen on the wharyes. Where do the respectable
their drink is the natural question. stand
ing In the doorway OF one of thc large hotels two young
down fight OF stairs. Upon following them, they were
flrOan flU nm a hlf- Hlla.