The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-12


more than half the townships in Maine, or sold
in obscure corners of country taverns, where
only travellers or residents of the neighborhood
who had no reputation to lose would venture
I'm 1851 Neal Dow, a member Of the Legisla
ture introduced the Maine law which was
passed. This forbade the sale of liquor, or the
keeping OF it for sale, as beverage, under heavy
penalties; gave to the proper officers extraordi-
nary powers of search, and defined, with more or
less vagueness, the testimony which should be
necessary in order to convict the possessor OF
liquor of an intention TO sell it But in order
to give the people chance to obtain spirits for
medicinal or mechanical purposes State agent
and local agents In every town were created, to
whom was given monopoly of the whole
liquor business Thus rum and whiskey were
forced by law, into many towns where they had
been unknown for years; and the misuse of his
position by the agent - tempted by
the large profits of his trade-was much
less dangerous than the unlawful traffic ip liquor
by others In the year following Neal Dow was
elected mayor Of Portland and exerted all his
powers and stretched his legal authority to the
utmost to enforce his law. Trunks of arriving
travellers were opened and examined at the sta
TONS boxes and bales of dry goods and groceries,
addressed to the most respected merchants, were
hauled to their stores ON the city trucks, and
opened by city officers: long augers We're bored
through barrels of four-not without occasion
ally striking a brandy key in the center-and
TASKS, 1T is said, were sometimes taken from the
breast-pockets of men passing through the city
In the cars. So great opposition to the law was
created by the methods of its enforcement that,
IN 1897, there was anti-Maine Law party,
which polled q. S04 votes-wthin 5000 as many
as the Wings. The Democratic party, which, In
that year had AZ, 1872 votes, broke to pieces on
the temperance question almost as much as on
the anti-slavery ISSUE and in 1854 the Republican
party had a majority in the State. From that
time until the outbreak of the war the local
name for that party was the Temperance party,
and all opposed to it were known as 'rummies
without the slightest reference to their personal
habits. With only slight intervals the Maine
Law has remained on the statute book, but has
been modified from time to time. 1t must be
admitted however that liquer is still sold to all
who wish to obtain it in nearly every town In
the State"
spasmodc effort was made in this city few
weeks ago by few earnest citizens resulting in
a few seizures of liquor and little less publicity
for time in its sale; but even now any person
can find dram-shop or barroom without ask
ing the aid of friend. recent tour of obser-
vatOn through Portland showed that here at
least hardly the pretense of secrecy is kept up.
In Fore street and the lower part of Middle
street one can see through the open doors reg
uarly arranged bars with decanters and glasses
as temptingly displayed as in New York liquor
shop, with men standing in front drink.
ing something. The front window of
one of these places is filled with bot
ties, labelled with all the ordinary kinds of
lntoxicants known to the trade. 1t is probable,
indeed, that if the police should seize the bottles
in the window they would be found to contain
only water, but, sign of what is to be OBJ
tanned inside the shop they unmistakable
But these places are of a low order, and can
only serve as an explanation Of the intoxicated
sailors and boatmen to be seen on the wharves.
Where do the respectable men obtain their
drink? is the natural question Standing in the
doorway of one of the large hotels, two young
men were observed fastening along a passage
way and down fight of stairs Upon follow
ing them, they were seen to enter large apart
ment in the basement, elegantly fitted up as a
bar-room. 1t was nearly filed with well
men, drinking, clinking glasses and noisiy con-
versing: although it was only 10 o'clock in the
forenoon-an hour when in community
where drinking was done openly, no
gentleman would think of standing before
bar. Passing on to another large
hotel and idly following group of young men
similar scene was witnessed No introduction
was required; the places were easy enough of
access, and there was no apparent reason why
an officer could not have obtained access to
either room as easily as the casual visitor. And
yet only few years ago, the private parlor of a
gentleman living with his wife at of these
hotels entered by officer. and decanter
of sherry was taken from his sideboard and con-
fScated
The number of apothecary shops, each with
an elaborate soda water fountain, to be found in
Portland and the other cities is somewhat
hceable; also the large amount of soda, COM
pared with the drugs, that is sold. And the de-
mand does not diminish as the weather grows
colder, as In some places, but seems to increase.
Indeed when the thermometer is below zero, it
is common enough to see groups of rosy checked
men standing in front of these fountains and in
dulgng in soda to degree that makes the I'M
initiated shiver. There is no pretense of doubt
that most of the drug stores thinly disguised
bar-rooms and do a thriving business
In a town in Oxford county, where there is no
large village, farmer who had passed his life
there, said: ''Any one can get liquor in this
town who wishes. 1t is disgraceful" do you
know where it is sod2" was asked. "Yes," was
the reply. 'Then why don't you assist in stop
ping it, The law is plain enough, if you will
help enforce It," Its not my business. I'm
not going to play the spy my neighbors
He was asked why there this change of
feeling. since thirty five years ago, when every
respectable man felt it his duty to aid in pre-
venting the sale of liquor. He said that then it
was the business of the people; now it was the
business of special officers Besides, he said it
might be that the severity of the penalty had
something to do with it. It was hard to make
people fully believe that man who sold liquor
should be placed quite par with highway
robber and suffer the same penalty. Inquiry
was made in many other towns with the same
result.
Another source of intemperance which no law
can reach, is the hard cider which is almost as
cheap as water all over the State. Maine is filed
with orchards, and along every roadside and
fence and wall are many apple trees. All the
fruit not fit for market may be converted into
cider at a neighboring mill at trifling cost of
labor, and there are few farmers who may not
put into his cellar from ten to one hundred
barrels of apple juice each alternate year. The
consumption of hard cider among the farmers
and village people is said to be enormous though
the sale of it at retail is prohibited young
farmer in New Gloucester said II shall make
no more cider. ! feed my small apples to the
pigs and buy my vinegar / will not give q
pitcher of cider to every man who calls on me
on business. and the only way can get out of
it is not to have any to give
Internal revenue licenses for retail liquor deal
ing were issued in the State last year to the
number of 046 of these, 258 went to Cumber-
land county. in which is Portland; 1S9 to
Penobscot county, in which is Bangor; ninety to
Kennebec county, in which is Augusta; and
ninety-two to Androseocgin county, in which is
Lewiston. These figures tell their own story
There were 8l8 prosecutions for drunkenness