The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-09-11
THE STATE CAMPAIGN.
An Audience of 3 500 People creets
Mr.. Blaine at Damariscotta.
He Talks of the Fishery Question, of
Protection and Prohibition.
An Interesting History Of Prohlbitory
Legislation in this State.

SCpbs ~.
ing the weather was cloudy, and a drizzling
rain continued to fall all day, Lincoln Hall
was packed to its utmost Friday afternoon,
and standing room was at premium. AT
least $500 people were in and about the hall.
VIM. Hilton, president of the day, intro
duced Mr.. Blaine, who was greeted with
deafening cheers and applause. Damaris-
Gotta is a coast town where the fisheries have
been formerly of great value. Mr. Blaine
dwelt at considerable length upon the fish
cry question, following somewhat the same
line he used in his opening speech of the cam
paign at Sebago Lake. He dwelt with the
question historically and repeated what he
had said before, that it was certainly the
first time in the history of diplomacy when
one nation was called upon to pay $5,550,oo0
for an agreement with another nation that
specialM desired the arrangement and
would have been willing to pay large bonus
to secure it. He described this whole trans
action as the most remarkable diplomatic
juggle of the century. He then dwelt at
some length upon the tariff question, espec-
tally detailing the adverse effect of the Nor
Iison bill upon all the material interests of
Maine. If it should become law, not one
of which interests, said Mr.. Blaine. would 1t
benefit, not one. of which would it fail to in
jure. Approaching the prohibition ques-
tion, Mr.. Blaine said he had been struck
with the studied attempt at misrepresenta-
tion by the imported agents in the State as
to the history of prohibition in Maine. There
was great effort to make it appear that the
original prohibitory law was the work OF the
Democratic party. These misrepresenta-
tions had deceived many persons in other
States and he had himself been applied to
for information by telegraph, and by
letter from almost :, every a, State ss, in in
tory Of the matter Il will give it, said
MI Blaine, ''as briefly as can condense it.
The original prohibitory law was enacted in
the month of June, 1851 The State admin
istration was Democratic. An honest and
upright man, John Hubbard, was governor.
The law was passed by combination vote
of the Wings of the Free Soilers and a mi
n0rity of the Democrats: Gov. Hubbard
was pressed ON all sides by his Democratic
supporters to veto the bill, but finally decided
to give it his approval The act led to his
political destruction He was defeated the
next year overwhelmingly by his own party.
VIM. A. Crosby, the Wing. candidate, was
chosen governor. Under his administration
the prohibitory law was amended SO as to
correct some points of the original act which
were considered unconstitutional. Governor
Crosby was succeeded in the election of 1854
by Arson p. Morrill,, under whose admins
tration new prohibitory act Of very strin-
gent character was passed; The Democrat,
ic party organized against it and defeated
Gov. Morrill, when candidate for reelection
in 1885, electing Samuel Wells governor.
This restored to power, after four years OF
defeat, the Democracy, who wiped out tne
whole prohibitory law and re-enacted the IL
cense system,a sweeping and radical change,
a great step backward. A few Democrats
of the Legislature refused to vote for the Il
cense law, among whom was Hon: Lot M.
Morrill,, and they all became Republicans at
nibal Hamlin beat Samuel Wells by a large
majority, thus establishing the Republican
domination in the State, since which time
the Democrats have never exercised leglsla-
tive power in Maine Mr.. Hamlin was trans
ferred to the Senate and the next year Lot
M. Morrill, was made governor. In the win
ter of 1857 the prohibitory law now in the
statute book was enacted by the
Republican legislature, submitted to, the. di-
rect vote of the people and approved Since
its enactment, 28 years ago, thirty acts in the
amendment thereof have been passed, and in
every instance the Republican vote has been
substantially unanimous IN favor OF
the law. The Democratic vote has
been almost unanimously, against it.
(Applause) Finally, in 1883, the Republicans
voted to embody the prohibitory system in
the constitution of the State, and that was
considered the c0nSummatl0n and the cOnclu-
sive step in the whole matter. That, In brlet,
is the history of prohibitory legislation IN
Maine, and now we have temperance men IN
this State combining with Democrats, who
are disguised as temperance men, clamoring
for the destruction of the Republican party,
demanding as the first step for the temper
ance reformation that the Republican party
be killed. (Laughter.) A few days since
asked one of the disciples of this school what
was the philosophy upon which they were
proceeding, what he thought the particular
object aimed at was, and he answered that II
the Republican party were rendered power
less it would dissolve and its members join
in the national prohibitory party. told him
thought ne was proceeding upon strange
misapprehension of human motives. 1t
would, indeed, be remarkable If the Repub-
lican party should be beaten and destroyed,
its great industrial and financial measures
overthrown, its members smarting under a
sense of betrayal, should rush to the embrace
of those who had betrayed it, and seek to be
admitted to a party that organized for its
ruin. Said Mr.. Blaine, ''These very men
imported and paid agents who are now par
aiding Maine, asking that :the Republican
party be destroyed for the sake of
temperance do not in the South ask
that the Democratic party be destroyed for
but praise and graduation over the temper
ance efforts of the South outside of the
| party. but in the North they will not accept
non-partisan temperance work, but demand,
as the initial step in the temperance reform,
| that the Republican, party he killed. They
| have Kentucky Democrats to-day in Maine,
| direct from the land of Bourbon whiskey,
| to teach temperance to our people, and Sen
| ator Colquitt of Georgia, a rank partisan
| Democrat, has been .tumping in New York
| to show how valuable it would be for the
cause of temperance, if the Republican party
could be destroyed, and men of Maine,
| hitherto Republicans, and hitherto
| temperance men, are asked to give
| their countenance to the treacherous
| betrayal of every principle for which they
| have contended in the last quarter OF a
century. (Cheers.) To cap the climax of all
| the Inconsistencies of the situation clandes
| tine and illegal rum shops of every town in
the States, whore they evade the law are ap-
| proving the action of Neal Dow and regard
| ing his course as pre-eminently favorable to
| the revival and, continuance of the liquor
| traffic in Maine. Nong continued applause.)
Gen. Gibson followed in a stirring address
| Mr.. Blaine spoke before large audience