The Portland daily press., 1886-08-26
PRICE THREE CENTS.

| the question of enforcement of law above
parties, we should rapidly secure such SEN
| tlmenL as would overcome the difficulties OF
| enforcement in those exceptional cases
| where local support is weak Two wears
| ago. on non-partisan appeal to the citizens
| OF Ma1ne the friends of temperance gave
| 64,507 votes for the prohibitory amendment
| At the same election only 1857 votes were
| cast for the Third Prohibitory party. Is it
| not desirable to obtain the sympathy and
| support of the Ga ,507 rather than to adopt a
| policy which will contine our support to the
1157?
A distinguished advocate of the Third
Party recently said in public speech, II
| think half q dozen earnest temperance
men in any town can make it so hot for the
! municipal officers that they will be obliged
to enforce the law"
Then what we want are the earnest tenn
perance men in any municipality working
by their ordinary methods, and not a third
party which suggests weakness and division,
in order to enforce the law.
The complaint of the Third Party men is
that Republican officials do not everywhere
properly enforce the law They point out a
dozen places where they allege that this Is
the case, ignoring the 450 towns in which
the laws are enforced, and then triumphant
ly turn round and claim that the Republican
party is in alliance with the rum power.
Now supposing this method Of judging
political party is applied to any. OF our
churches. In nearly every church few
members may be found that do not honor
their profession. Would it be Just for an
inidef to point to them and say that these
ali alliance With the dsziis i 6ertainiY to such y i
would say that the church is to judged by
the great body of its membership, and not
by a few exceptions. So with party. The
Republican party is to be judged by the
general course of its officials, and not by
few exceptions.
Why,by this test what sorry spectacle our
Prohibitory Third Party would present. Ac-
cording to a statement made here yesterday
Party, the only Third Party man who has
been elected to position in this State mayor
Ladd of Gardiner) must have seriously back
slidden. Mr.. Thomas informed us that in
Gardiner liquor is sold openly, aud that the
officers will not enforce the law in that city.
If this be true, not simply mere fraction,
but all of the officials of the Third Prohibit
ory Party are already in alliance with the
rum power! If this new party backslldes
so greatly in two years, what sad spectacle
it would present in thirty years. Seriously,
does not this single Illustration show that
this attempt to represent that party is to
be judged by exceptional instances OF de-
reelection of duty by its officials, is all wrong?
Does it not show that any attempt to organ
iZe party to enforce law, is unnecessary
and impossible? Nowhere in history can
there be found an instance where a political
party has been organized to enforce law.
The party enact law; the people enforce 1t.
1t will be found on investigation that even
in those cities where it is charged that he
publican officials have been seriously dere-
lict in duty in enforcing the prohibltory law,
the charges have either been untrue in fact
or greatly overdrawn. 1t shonld be borne in
mind that any law against panderers to vice
is enforced with more difficulty than laws
against larceny or robbery. In the former
case the sufferer pursues and prosecutes.
Some people seem to assume that officers are
derelict in duty if any liquor is secretly sold
Why do they expect more OF law against
robbery? Nobody thinks of charging that
the officers are lax because there are secret
thefts.
venture to say that there are more efforts
put forth to enforce the liquor laws than any
other laws. But it will be found that where
there is a lax public sentiment on the tenn
perance question, there are unsatisfactory
results in enforcing laws. The way is to ed
ucate and improve the public sentiment OF
the localities where the law is not effectively
enforced.
Take Portland, the largest city in the
State, for example Our third party friends
charge that the present Republican ofhclals
of that city are in league with the rum pow
er. Notwithstanding last year they were eulo-
gizing the Democratic Mayor Deering and
Marshal Andrews for their alleged splendid
enforcement of the prohibitory law.
Now have been resident of Portland.
and actively identified with the enforcement
of the law during the year of Mayor Deering
and the five months administration of the
present Republican Mayor Chapman and
Marshal Hawkes., and stand here to say
and to prove from my own ODseryatloa ana
from official figures that the prohibitory law
in Portland has been more effective during
the past five msnths than in the correspond
ing five months of last year, Notwithstanding
last wear the Law and Order League gave
special assistance to the city officers.
The official figures show that from April,
1885, to August, 1885, under the Deerlng ado
ministration, 20 barrels, 210 half barrels, 12S
kegs, 35 jugs, 3,OO1 bottles of liquor were
seized.
In the corresponding period of 1886, under
the Chapman administration, 159 barrels, 800
half barrels, 50 kegs, 26 jugs, l6,477 bottles OF
liquor were seized.
From May 1, 1885, to Sept /, 1885. under
the Deering administration, the number OF
search and seizure cases before the court
were 60; number of liquor nuisances, 8.
In the corresponding period OF 1850, uhue.
Mayor Chairman. the nla1ber of search and
seizure eases befure the court were 64: num-
bcr OF liquor nuisanceS II.
For the whole municipal year of 1885, the
Deering administration of 1885 paid into the
city treasury as the receipts from the sale Of
empty liquor vessels from which seized
liquors had been poured, the sum OF $1,15O-
SO.
But under the present Republican admins
dlItduN, III uNC OuAJ
sum of $1.25247 has been paid in. 1t will be
seen by these official comparisons that even
compared with the only Democratic admlnlS-
tration in Portland that ever attempted to
enforce the liquor law-the administration
which commands the admiration Of our
Third Party friends-the present Republican
administration, which it is charged is In
league with the rum power, has done far
more effective work.
Is it not evident from this that our Third
cials for quite another purpose, than Tor the
advancement of the cause of temperance?
The charge that Republican attorneys and
Judges in Cumberland countyldo not admin
lister the law against dram shops as rlgldly as
the laws against other offences, is disproyed
by the official record of the court. At the
last term of the Superior Court OF Cumber-
land county, there were 502 liquor cases, 55
of which were mol pressed for want OF evl-
dence, defective complaints, failures OF 1u-
ries to agree, and flight of accused from the
State.
At the same terms of the court there were
Ill cases of other offences, of which II were
mol pressed. 1t win be seen that in both
classes of cases the number mol pressed was
exactly 10 per cent.-shOwing tat the law
was equally administered in both classes OF
offences.
These facts show that there is no good
ground for the charges so freely made
against the Republican party, and no suttc-
lent reason Tor organizing 1hlru IIohIoi
tory Party.
1t is true that it is the duty of temperance
men to so use their votes as to secure the
election of faithful officials to such positions
as have to do with the enforcement OF the
law, and true friends o. prohibition to
places that have to deal with temperance,
State or national. But the PrOhibitory
party, which nominates an opposing candi-
date when true temperance men are already
in nomination, which nominates independ-
ent candidates when one contes. is between
two candidates already in ths feld-the one
in favor of prohibition and the other OPP
posed, practically defeats the very ends it
processes to have in view.
With prohibitory laws on the statute book
the enforcement of these laws can be best
secured Iby temperance effort through the
leading parties, and by improving public
sentiment. The friends of temperance
should call to mind their splendid victory
two years ago, when, by lifting their cause
above parties and appealing to right-minded
men of all parties they won so splendid n
victory.
Parsons in Reply to PowderIy.
CHICAGO, Aug. 25.-The late speech of
Powderly, General Master Workman of the
knights of Labor, denouncing anarchy, has
A nf