Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-03-03
ELEVEN MONTHS
Of New Age Reform Under w.
rtngton.

ne increase in rum shops, rum drink.
lug anu all the appliances EMPLOYED nv
mug A'cohoi In strengthening his kinpdom
In augusta, since Marshal Farrinoto, ~.
tooi OF the iGDominious Plais,ed and No..
ring took control of the police department,
Is viewed with apprehension and alarm bv
every lair minded temperance citizen who
iavors order and enforcement of tho ,.r.
against crime. Well may the friends of
temperance take counsel among Themselves
In regard to this state of affairs.
One year ago the present month. wha, wero
we told by the New Age There was 70 no
REFORM radical reform. The rum shops were
10 suffer and the doors of mauv Of tbeso
death dealing institutions were to he closed
reace and quietness were to prevail IN ON,
streets and drunkenness was to be reduced
TO minimum. All this was promised
Some honest friends of temperance wero
misied by these honeyed tales. Marshal
Harrington was placed in charge. What was
the result? Let US see.
1t was not long after Harrington comman.
ced his term of Office before an increase of
drunkenness became noticeable on our straets
and in November the growth of inebriatiop
mad reached so far that during that month
there were 50 cases of drunkenness in the
Municipal Court, larger number than dur-
ing any month of the previous year of repub-
mean rule. Furthermore, the reports of
the Municipal Court show that during the No.
Rod following the LIST. of April 1884 and
ending Feb. LIST 1885 there was
an increase in the cases of drunken
ness in the Municipal Court, as COM
pared with the same time of the previous
year. This was under the rule of Plaisted.
Morton & Co.
We wonder how the friends of temperance
relish new departures of this character. Why,
so noticeable did the evil become. that even
democrats of the New Age stripe began to
grumble and one of them the present winter
writing to the Bangor Commercial, the or
gan of the democracy in Eastern Maine.
cited the immense amount of drunkenness in
Augusta and gave as an illustration the fol-
lowing:
within Two weeks leading merchant.
coming to his store after dinner. saw a six
teen-year-old boy living bv the side of the
street, absolutely dead drunk. He picked
him up, and put him in his Sleigh covered
him up and took him to the lookup to wax
en-"
This augmentation of drunkenness can
only be accounted for in one way, that there
has been an increase in the facilities for
obtaining liquor. An investigation reveals
the deplorable fact that there has been an
increase IN the way of additional rum shops
in the city since the beginning of Earring
toms rule. That there has been, no one will
deny. The record of special taxes paid by
liquor dealers to the general government, is
very significant of itself 1t shows, as we
have before stated, an increase of eight per-
sons in the city, during the year ending Jan.
LIST, 1885. paying these taxes. And this was
under Farrngton aud reform. A few months
ago the New Age talked about The forty
rum shops. Has auy"ne read about the fif-
ty rum shops, in the Age the present spring ?
The liquor brothels have really had but
little to fear from Harrington. During his
term of Office of IL months, he has made but
four seizures at the rum shops. Even the
New Age acknowledged that his predecessor
made five seizures at the shops in nine
months.
Is it not high time that some action was taken
to stav this tide of ruin which is flowing in
upon the city. Let our citizens arouse them
selves and crush out these ring masters who
have still further added to the kingdom of the
liquor monarch. This is a question of vital
Importance to every father of family; to
every mother. Within the past eleven
months there have been more saloons opened
to lure your boy on to death. More men
stand behind bars to-day and deal out liquid
poison to their victims, than one year ago.
TEMPERANCE.