The Portland daily press., 1886-07-05

Al.
sons. and at all other times as We'll stem 'o
effects of it in beared eye and unstea tSoss pood
was sometimes at public dinners ~ t .b a sv,a
old times and know what the habits Oh s s1 pp ae
WERE MY education in the matter OIL u e. ,"as
utterly neglected from my childhood, eoo W
always regarded as an outsider on sucn To cit
but there was always some one who Wlsneu " ; n
beside me- because he could have my D0ltle ~
in addition to his own. have seen gehnte nnca
seized with spasm OF patriotism on sggn doom,
make glasses and decanters rattle, ana sno o in
toast to the star-spangled banner. have seen IN
stand with one foot on their chairs and the otner
upon the table, shouting discordantly drink iI
song. That was proper thing to do IN tnose yoalg
old times, now, alas, in Maine passed away pei
hapsforever to the great regret of some very meg
people, who do not like the purtanic STIFFNESS anu
frigidty of our times. We now have great PUBIC
dinners, and other dinners not so great or SO pun
lie, without intoxicating drinks Any lovers OF !le
good old times present are under the humillatlng
necessity of leaving the table occasionally ana ana
friend present, and an honored guest. l express
no opinion as to which is the better way MY
business here is simply to record the facts.
Some time since, l was stopped in the street by
friend, one of our most prominent and respected
citizens. He had been formerly in trade on ~
great scale. He said More than two-thlrds ,ol
our sales were of rum; this went far into the
country, spreading out like the rays OF ian IN
leaving town. and its course was as dlstlnctlly
marked as the path of a fire through a forest;
Now said he, mo rum goes into that region, anu
the condition of the country and people IS wonoer-
July changed 1Or the DoLJeI. Ill bHOoo Oiu bii.Oo
two-thirds of the farms were mortgaged to the
country traders in settlement of their store bllls
a lzrge part of which was for rum Now tnese
mortgages are very few if any, because IN all tnat
country the liquor traffic is practically unknown.
/ express opinion as to which is the better way.
The ear marks of the habits and customs OF the
old times were dilapidated houses and farm build
ings; neglected and shabby farm buildings; shap-
by school houses and meeting houses, and gen,
poverty. Almost every town and village in the
State would Illustrate the truth OF this description
Look at Saccarappa, for an example, as 1t was ID
the old rum time, as well remsmher II TO nave
been, whentw quarts of rum per man was said to
be daily ration, when the wages OF labor were
spent in that way, miserable, shabby, povergy-
stricken town. Look at it now; one OF the
prettiest, most Industrious, most thrifty, ana
most prosperous towns in this or any otner
now, there is no rum shop there 1 merely state
the facts, and do not express any opinion as 10
which is the better condition OF that famous town.
Special work in the temperance cause began 10
Maine about 1925 when many meetings were held
in different parts of the State, the purpose OF
which was to call the attention OF tne peepie
liquors. A society was formed IN Portland, OF
which DR.. Payson was President. Il was called
the Sxty-Nine Society by all jolly fellows, because
slxty-Hine was the number of its members. twas
in no way aggressive or offensive in its work, Dug
it aroused strong hostility among the deyotees OF
personal liberty" An attempt was made 10 Durn
Dr. Payson's church, and subsequently the lecture
room of the church, detached building, was
burned At that time the liquor traffic had not
been attacked by temperance advocates, whose
work was confined solely to the attempt 10
emancipate the people from the drink habit and TO
overthrow the drinking customs of society. ABOUT
that time the Rev. DR.. Edwards, one OF New Eng
lands great dvines, became Secretary OF the
American Temperance Union, and devoted nm
self exclusively to temperance work among the
churches of New England.
In course of his labors he came to Portland,
and to great audience IN the stone Cnuron o oe nv
"Immorality of the Liquor Traffic" At that time
liquors were sold freely, wholesale and retail, IN
Maine, as in other States in the Union, and many
of the best and most respectable members OF the
community were engaged in that lucrative trade.
l was present at that meeting and well remember
the deep impression DR.. Edwards's lecture made
upon his hearers. A curious anecdote connected
with that meeting heard several years afterwards
from member Of great trading heuse TN IN toI5
ing of liquor large scale wholesale and retail
There were three members OF the firm all OF them
church members. My friend, with his wife, was
among the hearers of DR.. Edwards. On returning
home he said to his wife:
what do you think about our giving up the sale
of liquors?"
II wish you would do so. I have long desired
it."
ssBut to do so will ruin our entire business
"Never mind that. would rather go. out al
sell liquor"
On the Monday morning he called his partners
into the counting room and told them this story,
and what his resolve was. His partners said they
were also at DR.. Edwards's lecture, and had the
same talk with their wives on their way home from
the meeting, and had come to the same conclusion
to sell no more liquor. My friend continued:
'sWe fully expected that our entire business
would be ruined because our business was with
country traders, all of whom sold liquors, and we
expected to be abandoned by our customers. But
we were disappointed in this, and we never could
see that we had lost dollar by abandoning the
liquor trade. We found our losses were greatly
reduced, because we found out that they had orig
mated almost entirely in the liquor part OF our
trade"
At that time conscientious men began to aban-
Il h soil of tvhi xHv1c m
llzed by others.
In 1851, after long agitation of the
Of 70 6e the asner ga ado Fl M hs 9 Rsw
was enacted by a Democratic Legislature
signed by a Democratic Speaker of the House and
a Democratic President Of the Senate, and Dem
ocratic Governor, upon whose approval it took
effect, being the I'd of June of that year. The
effect of the law was wonderful: do not say mere,
whether for good evil, but only state the facts
Immediately the open sale of liquors ceased
throughout the State; and to-day more than three
fourths of our territory, containing more than
threefourths of our population, is practically free
from it, while it fingers on a comparatively small
SCALE in our larger towns and cities, as the result,
and only the result, of some defects in the law
which we hope to persuade the political bosses
to consent to have corrected if we can make it for
their personal interest to do so. think it safe to
say that not one-twentieth as much liquor is now
sold in Maine as would be sold without prohibition
The consequence is that the wages of labor are
now saved and devoted to other purposes than thar
the purchase of drink, and are laid by in our Saw
ings Banks and invested in better houses, bet
ter farm buildings, better fences, in better school
houses better church buildings, better public
buildings, better ways of living, in multiplied and
enlarged industries, and in prosperous, thrifty,
happy homes.
to the policy of prohibition. whether it is wiser
and better than the policy of the old rum time. l
am only to state the facts, among which Is this,
that some of our intelligent people think the old
system with its results better than the new, and
would like to go back to it, with rum-shopS in
every street. and on every corner, in every village
little town and at road in
the State, as the fact was in the old time. This
question of Prohibition is by no means settled yet.
who have not made UP their minds whether grog-
shops are better for a community than the absence
of them. So that this great. question is now the
leading one, the most important in the politics
of the nation, and every State in the Union. This
question is disturbing the calculations of profess
sional politicians, as the antSavery question did
thirty years ago. and now, them many intelligent
people cannot make up their minds what is wissst
and best to do about it. So they do nothing, but
point out the way, which will surely happen some
day, and then the hopes and ambitions OF many
patriots will certainly be be-, disappointed app
never be settled finally, except IN accordance
with the right and with the will of God. express
no opinion here as to the side on which God and
right will be found, though have most decided
convictions on that subject am content to wait
Gods time for the conclusive, 1rreyocable deter
minatiOn of this question, one way or the other,
in the meantime evading no responsibility, and
Sinking no duty in relation to it, and working
with all my 1earC LOT Sucn result as In my JuQS
ment will be in accordance with the Divine will,
the prosperity of the country, and the happiness
of the people.
General BOWS remarks were frequently
interrupted by laughter and applause. At
their conclusion the chorus sang Hear the
Temperance Call, which follows:
Hear the Temperance Call.
Hear the Temperance call,
Freemen one and all!
Hear your country's earnest cry;
See your native land,
Lift its becknng hand,
Sons of Freedom come We nigh.
CHORUS.
Chase the monster from our shore,
Let his cruel reign be DER;
Chase the monster from our shore,
Let his cruel reign be Ger.
Leave the shop and farm,
Leave your bright hearthS warm;
To the polls! the land to save;
Let your leaders be
True and noble, free,
Fearless, temperate, good and brave CLIO
Hail, our Fatherland!
Here thy children stand,
All resolved, united, true
In the temperance cause,
Meier to faint or pause!
This our purpose is, and vow;
Rev. Asa Dalton, d. D.. was the next
speaker. He spoke as follows and was
warmly applauded.
Rev. Dr. Daiton's Address.
In outlining the history of the Temperance
cause in Portland, General Dow could truly say,
DnH fofjS h1f hnu M nn