The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-05-08
PROHIBITION IN MAINE
After Years of Legal Prescription, the Sale of
stimulants Has NOT Died 0ut-A Bitter
Fight I'm Progress.

Does prohibition prohibit? This is q
question that has been mooted ever
since the prohibitory liquor law was
first put on the statute-book years ago.
Gen. Neal Dow and his co-laborers in
the field of temperance reform take
the ground that prohibition has proved
a great success. The old white-haired
father of the Maine law, who is now
81 years of age, and who, despite his
years, is as active and Jealous in his
war on the grog-shops as ever, will
tell you that prohibition has crushed
out every distillery end brewery in
Maine, and such is the truth. He will
tell you that under the operations OF
the law liquor-selling has been nearly
suppressed in the rural towns, which
embrace nearly three quarters of the
state, and he will point with pride to-
the evidences of thrift and prosperity
as compared with the condition of
things in the old rum times, when that
beverage flowed rs freely as water,
and, as the result, poverty and degra-
dation were to be seen on every hand.
There are many grains of truth in this,
and yet, at the same time, liquor sell
ing has not been abolished III the ccun-
try towns. The traffic has only been
circumscritc I'd and driven into narrow
er limits. Any respectable looking
person, even though he be stranger.
can find no difficulty in buying all the
liquor he wants of the village apothe-
cary, should he fail to get it at the
country inn. The druggists, in fact,
carry on the liquor business in Maine.
Registered druggists keep liquor on
hand for the compromising and manu-
featuring of medicine, but are not al
lowed by law to sell liquors of any
kind unless compounded and manu-
featured in good faith.
The great weapon of the law is the
search and seizure clause, which re-
quires proof of two elements-tirst, of
the keeping, and second, of an intent
to sell liquor in violation of the law.
With the ordinary rumseller the mere
fact of finding liquor in his shop is
usually enough to convict, because it
is not kept there for any legitimate
purpose. With druggists, however,
there must be proof of sale. As re-
suit they have constitutional right to
sell liquor, and, as it is now heading,
they are fast obtaining monopoly of
the rum trade in Maine, on account of
the inherent defect in the constitution
which no law can get around. But it
IS in the cities and large towns where
liquor is principally sold, and where
the evils of the traffic are more plainly
seen. There is no doubt but what pro-
hibition has accomplished a great deal
of good IN the way of suppressing
the rum traffic, and it is equally true
that the men, women, and children of
to-day are more abstemious than were
their fathers and grandfathers. Still
the rum traffic flourishes; officers are
unfaithful in enforcing the laws, and
when they are executed the chances |
are that from some defect or loophole
IN the law the rum-seller escapes. The
situation to-day does not show that
Maine is the prohibitory state that she
is represented to be. 1t was only a
few days ago that Gen. Dow was
forced to admit that sit is not over
stating the matter to say that in
Maine to-day the liquor traffic is in
ficting upon the people far more mis-
chief, Indebtedness, and ruin than
they suffer from all the robberies and
frauds of whatever kind,
from incendiarisms, CONGREGATIONS,
and murder"
For the past six months the city of
Bangor has practically enjoyed free
rum. There are over one hundred
places there where liquor is sold and
no attempt has been made to enforce
the law. The law is nullity. In
Bath, Augusta, and other
fxr 10
one wants to wet his whistle. In the
city of Portland, under Gen. BOWS
own eyes, the liquor traffic Hourishes,
and yet at the same time in no other
city has the law, for the past ten years,
been more faithfully enforced. To
illustrate how hard it is to break up
the business in Portland, the prohibit
tioni.ts for five years pursued rum
seller in that city. They made him
pay fines more than forty times, and
hen got him in jail But this did not
break up his business, for his brother
took charge of it. Then the prohibit
,ionists went for him, and when, after
, protracted siege, he was forced to
.etire, his brother-in-law took his
place, and carries on the business to-
lay.
Since the first week In January the
have renewed the war
IN Portland grogshops, and the cam
,aign is to extend throughout the
tate, under the auspices of the Law
md Order league. Rev. Mr. Munson,
he agent of the league, is now enforc-
NO the law with more vigor than was
ver known before. Already he has
worn out more than six hundred war
ants, at an expense of over $4,000 to
he taxpayers of Cumberland county, )
nd in return, the amount of fines paid
nto the CITY treasury will not exceed
200. Last year there were nearly one /,
housand prosecutions of liquor deal
RS in the state, and, while there were !
umerous convictions, the number of
rogshops was not diminished. Dur :
10 the last fourteen years some
wenty- three thousand persons have :
cen arrested in this city for drunken !.
ess, and yet one would be puzzled to 4
nd one rumseller the less. Gen. Dow l
lmself says there are as many rum =
IONS as ever. Mr.. Munson will find Il