The Portland daily press., 1886-08-14
PRICE THREE CENTS.

would today be the law Of the land.
/ agree most heartily with the resolution
| of the State convention whlcn declares IL 10
| be ''unfair to withhold pension from a dis
| abled soldier on the ground that his dis
| ability cannot be proved to have Deen oirecty
incurred in the line of duty, Inc only Two
| questions to be asked, as the hepuDnean
convention well expressed II, are t1esS sa !;
| aid of the government he helped to saver
| Since the adoption of this resolution the
country has been panied if not shocked TO
see the President Of the United States using
| his veto power in many cases 10 deprive
| worthy soldiers who are in want OF Dread Oh
| the small bounty conferred upon them ny
| Congress. While cOnceding 10 the rresi-
| dent sincere and proper motives LOT 1ls nls
| action | think the general Ieellng Ol Ille
| people is that it is better for an lrregulaI
| case to escape the scrutiny OF our law makers
| than that the risk be incurred OIL throwing
| honorable soldiers as paupers upon tue
charity of the world A..
| much complaint of pensions granted to de-
serving soldiers. But for the efforts anu
sacrifices of the soldiers of the Union there
| would be no national treasury In existence,
| and hold that their claim should De REGARD
| ed first mortgage on the resources OF the
nation. President Lincoln gave TO the Union
| army the generous assurance tnat tne couI-
| try would care for the soldier and his widow
| and his orphans" l rejoice that in so tar as
L Tile 6cDuDuCdu party COulO dSb bAAo PASNbS
| has been honerably redeemed in the past,
| and that the future will see no abatement or
| justice and hberality.
/ congratulate the members of the eonyen-
| tion upon the unmistakable terms In Wnlcn
| they endorsed the prohibit0ry liquor law.
| The history of prohibition in Maine may at
| this time be profitably recounted. The orig.
| inal law in 1851 was enacted by the votes Oh
| both Democrats and Wings and was ap-
| proved by Democratic Governor. The next
/ bu q coalition nf all its OnnOnentG. the
| Democratic party lost control OF the state,
| and when it regained it in 1855 one oil the
| first acts was to repeal the prohibitory law
and enact a license law instead.
The Republican party, composed OIL the
| Free Soilers and of the anti-slavery sections
| of the Democratic and Wing parties, gained
control of the State in 1856, under the lead OF
| Hannibal Hamlin, and the Democratic party
| has never since exercised legislative power
| in Maine. Among the early and prominent
measures of the Republican party competed
| in 1857-S,) was the re-enactment OF the pro
hibitory law, which was approved by the dl-
rect vote of the people. Since then, the Re-
publican party of Maine for a long series Oh
years, has re-affirmed the doctrine Of prohi-
bition in its platforms as one element IN It's
political creed, and Republican legislatures
| have, in thirty different instances, enacted
| additional provisions to the law as expert
| enee suggested the best mode of perfecting
| it. Finally, in 1888, the Republicans, having
| more than two-thirds in each branch OF the
| legislature, submitted CONSTITUTIONAL
| amendment, providing that:
"The manufacture of intoxicating liquors, not
| including cider, and the sale and keeping for sale
of intoxicating liquors are and shall be forever
prohibited-except however, that the sale ana ana
keeping for sale of such liquors for medicinal and
mechanical purposes and the arts, and the sale
and keeping for sale of cider may be permitted
under such regulations as the legislature may
provide. The legislature shall enact laws with
suitable penalties for the suppression OF the man
"a aYeanfOnq herein SDec1ed.
This amendment was adopted by the pop
ular vote. The prohibition of the liquor
traffic in all its forms is therefore lncorporat-
ed in the organic law of Maine. These varl-
Gus enactments have been secured by the Re
publican party-its members sustaining them
in the legislature by substantially unanl-
nous vote of the Democratic party In the
legislature and at the polls The result OF
the prohibitory law and its enforcement un-
der Republican rule for nearly thirty years,
have undoubtedly been in high degree ben
efical to all the interests of the State, moral,
material and social.
A convention of prohibitonists lately in
| session in Portland truthfully declare that
| ''the record of the Maine courts, the deposits
| in the savings banks of Maine as compared
with other States, the small proportion OF
taxes collected by the United States author
| tiles for the sale of liquors In Maine, the
total destruction of the manufacture of alcO-
| halie drinks throngh0ut the State and the
dbotinu1seo tiorl 0rnu-in1 IN
undebauched by legallZed SaloonS-all snow
that Maine may proudly claim to lead IN this
reform and that she is a quarter OF cen
tury ahead of States which license this gl-
gantic crime.
And vet the convention which makes these
| emphatic and significant declarations and
gives this valuable and unimpeachable teStl-
mony proceeded to declare that the Repub-
lioan party, under whose auspices and con-
troll these great results were wrought, should
be defeated and deprived of all power to pro
ynka IL, fnTW
knows that either the Republican party or
the Democratic party will govern the State
for a series of years to come Every voter
knows that the Republican party has stead
lily favored prohibition and that the Demo-
and vet convention called in the
name of prohibition deliberately adopts
| a course which, If 1t have any
| effect at all, would turn the State over to the
| control of the Democratic party and to the
| bitionists who are bent on this destructive
course it may be idle to argue, but without
| questioning the sincerity of their motives L
must be permitted, to say that their cause
tends evidently and quickly to the destruc-
ton of the reform in whose supposed interest
their movement is organized. If nothing
else can persuade them, should think the
unanimous Endorsement OF their course by
| the Democratic papers and by the avowed
opponents of prohibition would at least
| Startle them into reflection. IL Is q notOrlJuS
| fact that all the secret viOlatOrS of the pro-
hibitory law in Maine who are engaged in
the clandeStine and unlawful sale OF liquor
regard this separate movement as the begin
ming of the destruction OF pr0hI0ltlon In
Maine and are ready and eager, therefore, to
promote it in every way in their power. For
prohibitionists to organize IN Maine IN nosti,
ity to the party that has always maintained
prohibition and in favor of the party that
has always opposed it is such breach OF
good faith and honorable cooperation in pol
| itical action that venture to express the
confident belief that few earnest friends OF
| the cause can be induced to join in so des-
| tructive a course. Having myself steadily
| supported the prohibitOry law from the first
| and given it my vote atsthe polls and in the
| Legislature, | have the right to appeal to Its
| sincere friends not to permit it to be des-
troyed by defeating the party whose loyalty
| to it has been unwaverlng.
| The industrial and financial condition Of
| Maine has rapidly and steadily grown better
| since the Republican party came into power
| in Nation and State. The aggregate wealth
| of the State has trebled within that period:
| Industry is the habit Of our people and all
| classes have alike shared in the increase OF
| wealth and comfort. The ratio OF increase
has perhaps been greatest among those who
work for wages The savings banks show
that the class of skilled mechanics and day
| lab0rers of Maine have at least forty dollars
| in the savings banks in 1886 where they had
| one dollar in 1860.
The agricultural interest of the State has
advanced with steady ratio and has rapidly
perence and not afofs SSRea66Rg tFa@e ex
| feel justified in saying that the lands Of
| Maine whether cultivated for crops or
| whether devoted to grazing will yield most
| satisfactory and encouraging return to intel
| ligent industry. 1t should at all times be the
| watchful care of the State to do all in its le-
| gitimate power for the agricultural interest.
The benefit which has come to all indus
| trial interests of Maine from protective
| tariff is beyond calculation. To uphold the
| protective systems the Republican party is
| committed, not merely by its record, but by
long series of public pledges. The main
| tenance of protection, and the securing OF
| an honest ballot in the South as in the North
| are among the most important objects to
which the Republican party is devoted.
| Those who are ready to abandon the protect
| i've tariff and concentrate all political effort
| on prohibition are likely to realize the de-
| structive effects OF free trade, and at the
| same time hand over the cause of prohibit
| tion to the tender care and guardianship OF
| the Democratic party. The Republicans OF
Maine will, as they have for more than
quarter of century, steadily maintain pro-
| hibition, but they will not cut loose from
| that great national organization which in
peace and in war has upheld the integrity
| and honor of the Union and secured the
| prosperity of the people.
| Whether one man or another may be gov
| ernor of Maine is of small consequence to
| the people except as his election represents
in