Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-05-31
THE NORTHWEST
1t Doesn't Prohibit.
A WEST VIRGINIA EDITORS EX-
PERIENCE IN MAINE.

PERlENCE IN MAINE.
He Goes to Investigate the Working OF
the Law and Discovers Thing;
Which Make His Eyes Bulge.
New YORK, May 21.-A Portland
(Me.) special says:
The agitation in West Virginia ovel
proposed prohibitory amendment in
that State has led several persons to
write to prominent temperance men in
Maine asking for an exact statement
as to the practical working of the liquor
law here. A great many replies have
been sent, detailing the excellent effect
of the constitutional amendment, tell
ing in glowing terms how rum has al
last been banishcd from the pioneer
Prohibition State, and saying that not
a glass of liquor is now to be had for
love or money. The letters were read
in public at several temperance meet
ings in West Virginia and had a marked
effect until New York paper reached
there some weeks ago with an accurate
and circumstantial account of the dis
coveries of a correspondent who was
sent through Maine to find out exactly
how the liquor law works. This aston
ishing revelation of open bars, free
rum and unrestricted liquor traffic in
duced Charles Burdette Hart, editor of
the Wheeling IntelligenceT, to come to
Maine OH tour of investigation for
himself.
Mr. Hart arrived here with the be-
lief that the paper must be mistaken,
but before he had been in town twenty
four hours he concluded that the cor
respondent had made truthful and
unbiased report. Mrs. Hart, who ac-
companied her husband, was enthusi-
astic in her support of the prohibitory
law, basing her belief on the letters she
had read. Mr.. and Mrs. Hart reached
here one Saturday night, and remained
over Sunday at first class hotel. At
dinner, to their profound astonishment,
aguest seated opposite them ordered q
bottle of wine, and the waiter, i'm q
matter-0f-fact way, drew the cork and
filled the glass. Still thinking that an
exception to the law had been wit
messed, Editor Hart started out next
morning for stroll about town. In
two hours he returned and told his
wife that he had visited over forty
saloons where liquor was sold openly
by the glass. Thoroughly surprised at
what had been discovered the Virginia
editor determined to probe the matter
to the bottom and took his departure
with his wife for Augusta.
The first thing Mr.. Hart did on ar
irving in Augusta was to go to the
State Library in the Capitol, with the
expectation that it was we'll stocked
with prohibition literature. To his
further astonishment, search from
floor to ceiling failed to unearth sin
gle volume treating of prohibition or
dealing with the forbidden traffic in
any way. In tour about town he
found, without much difficulty, some
practical illustrations of the workings
of the prohibition law. He had been in
formed that there were several places in
Augusta where it was possible for the
weary traveller to slake his thirst, and
large number of saloons was visited
and liquor purchased in nearly every
one of them. At one part of Water
street, in length of about four
hundred yards, he found nine saloons
where liquor was sold, and purchased
liquor himself or saw it bought at every
one of them. He visited twenty shops
where liquor was sold openly during
the two days he was in Augusta, and
ascertained that upward of thirty spec
ial licenses had been taken out by Aug
usta dealers. But this is not all He call
ed upon one of the leading citizen, a
pronounced temperance man, and ask
ed him if he was aware of the extent of
the liquor traffic in the city, and that
rum was being sold openly on the
street. The Augusta gentleman pro-
fessed amazement and said the author
tiles would not allow it. The West
Viginian, in his turn, was surprised,
and informed the citizens of what he
had seen with his own eyes.
Editor Hart continued his travels to
Bangor, where the condition of affairs
was even worse than in Portland
and Agusta. The hotel he stopped at
was equipped with first class barroom
and guests had only to press an electric
button and the bell boy promptly serv-
ed the best brand of liquors and wines
which money could buy. Here again a
formidable array of open rum shops
was discovered and liquor flowed freely
on every hand. Mr.. Hart also visited
other cities in the state, and in nearly
all found the same condition of affairs.
He leaves the State with no very fiat
tering opinion of the efficacy of prohib-
itory amendments, and is at loss to
account for such condition of affairs
in the banner Prohibition State.