The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-09-09
PROHIBITION IN MAINE.
Letter from President Cheney OF
Bates College.
Bad Effects of the Third Party Move
ment.
informing star.l

The rn1e of the Star is free discussion, fair
play in discussion and an end of discussion
when, in its own opinion, enough has been
said on the subject discussed. of TINS ruie'
no one has reason to complain.
Prohibition is great question ana shouiu
have place in every religious journal, tne
Star not excepted. L have been totai ao,
stainer my whole life; and as menlDel VI
the Maine Legislature of 1851, voted tor tne
original prohibitory law. That prohloition
is right in principle, and that the day oil its
trinmph is TO come, have no doubt. That
some of its friends, by courses they are pur-
snino are postponing that day, sincerely
balieve Their motives do not call in ques-
ton; and vet regard their action none the
less detrimental to the cause they and
love.
From what have written, one may infer
that regret the appearance In the Star OIL
the communication in which the writer states
that while I'VE have good prohibitory laws
in Maine which are well enforced in the ru-
raj districts, yet that neither the Republican
nor Democratic party faithfully enforees the
laws in a majority of the Maine cities; aud
to remedy these defects prohibition party
has been started, is rapidly gaining strength
and will throw from 10000 to 1900 votes in
the September election" do regret the ap-
pearance of this communication; and may
say that only from sense OF duty do write
few words in reply.
/ had something to do in organizing the Re-
publican party of Maine, one plank OF whose
platform is prohibition. This local party, it
Is claimed, was the nucleus of the general
party which carried the country through our
civil war. That this general party-the ma
tional Republican party-has completed lts
work, no true friend of the colored man VIII
say. That work will only be finished when
every cOlored man of the land is allowed to
vote and when his vote is counted. So l
purpose to vote with the Republican party
of Maine in the interests OF prohibition, and
with the national Republican party in the
interests of freedom. will not sacrifice the
interests of the one for the sake OF the inter-
ests of the other. God forbid. Both are sure
to win, as think; and II wise counsels pre-
vail, at no distant day.
The record of the Democratic party IS well
known and admitted. 1t Is license ana siaV-
ery So / need not say any more regarding
that party. 1t is admitted that the Republ-
can marty of Maine has been true to its
pledges in giving the friends OF prohibition
in the State good prohibitory laws. so lar
so good. If my recollection serves me,
Maine has ,(nearlyl tve hundred rural dso rs
cities are so small that with the exception
of Portland Lewiston and Bangor all our
districts may be called rural. The writer
calls five cities by name, and his statement
is narrowed down to this, ''In five cities the
laws are but partially enforced Five In
five hundred
That this statement is true Gen. Dow him
self is a witness in his Portland Centennial
address noticed in the Star OF July 18th. In
that address he says:
"Going back generation or So we find that in
Maine the manufacture OF ardent spirits was one
Of the most vigorous and active OF al tne purs9ls
in fha tat "
or distery to send broadcast its baletul curse
In the old time every grocery shop made q pro-
fuse display of the names OF all sorts OF liquors
kept within for the accommodation OF the public
At the end of the counter in every grocery was
arranged department for drinking. a pail OF
water, a sugar bowl, a teaspoon suspended from
the ceiling by string, while black bottles con-
aaHg ae drink were % @ Sg Sn rne seb an
arrangement to meet the wants OF thirsty souls
no longer exists"
In letter to England published in the
Alliance News Of June %, 1886, Gen. Dow,
speaking of what has been accomplished In
Maine, also says:
81. Every distillery and brewery has been
suppressed, and we had many Of them-seven OF
the former and two of the latter in Portland.
"2. The volume OF the liquor traffic has been
reduced by at least 192Oths OF its former amount,
whereby we save in the State annually at least
S120O0,0O9 direct cost, and indirectly nearly
''S. AS the result Of this great saving, Maine,
from the poorest State in the Union, has become
one of the most prosperous.
Such is the work of the Republican party
in Maine, and because it has not done more
it must be "killedP Others of my good
brethren in the cause of prohibition may see
their way clear to help "kill' it. but / do
not see mine. 1 purpose to stay in the party
to help it correct its mistakes, and to do
more good work for the elevation Of the
human race, giving the ballot to woman IN
cluded. i am in the party, and yet am not
bound to follow its action blindly. For cut
from my ticket the names OF men whom
know to be unworthy to hold office.
No human organization is perfect. An in
dependent prohibitory party in power would
be no better under the same circumstances
than the Republican party of today. John
B. Cough used to say that there must be
public conscience behind law before it can
be enforced in our country. This is true This
is what is needed in the five cities Of Maine
spoken of-and this will exist when the
Democrats in these cities are ready to help
the Republicans bring it about. l cannot
help ''kil' the Christian church of Maine
because it is not doing all it ought to do nor
can for like reason help ''kilP' the Repub-
lcan party of Maine. There are "bosses,"
in church as well as in state and there are
men in both whose discomfort arises from
the fact that they would like to be. They
have tried hard to be 'bosses," but have
failed.
In my opinion it would be a sad day for
Maine and for the country if ten or fifteen
thousand votes should be cast in Maine for
an independent prohibitory ticket, as four
fifths of that number would come from the
Republican party. That number of votes
thrown for such ticket would increase ten
fold the number of drunkards in my adopt
ed State. 1t would help give new lease of
power to the old pro-slavery party OF the
country, which means sacrificing the lives Of
colored men. Sonny vote must not be counted
for such purpose. For how can so vote