Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-10-27
MAINE PROHIBITION
Continued from First Page.

the door and asked Tor You and you have
bsen kird enough 10 give me this very in
siructive talk. SUPPOSE instead Of that ]
had walked into the bar-room, stepped up
10 the bar and asked for what ! wanted 10
drink" "You would have get it." "But
suppose had bsen o spy and had gone
straight from here and informed on your"
Thirty dollars" replied Mr.. Twig,
c. luly, and" continued, is fair
businsss transaction to run the riak Ct tie
fine in view Of the amount Of tie business
and q reasonable percentage Of profit in
ii?' eyes, sir, that is it " thanked
Mr.. Twig for his gracious kindness, and
toll him / knew Gen. Dow would be glad
to hsar in general way the result Of the
interview which he had so gladly procured
for me. He laughed, and said be did not
doubt it, and iovited me to call again If
there were sny more questions l would
like to ask him.
CHAT WITH ES GOVERNOR RofIE.
/ had q very interesting conversation
with Ex-Governor Robbie, covering pretty
well the whole pround Of the p!ohibitory
law. First OF all ] said to the Governor
that was surprised to find low unwilling,
as rule, were gentlemen Of 20 i'io1 to be
qutt,d on this question. "well," said
the Governor, 'perhsp, / can help you to
uuderstind that. 1t is really very did,
cult to get at the real facts of the case, and
this baing tIus, almost every man forms
his own Judgment, and it is likely to differ
from that of almost every other man.
He who permits you to quote an opinion
from him knows that he opens him
self to attack or criticism by honest, well
meaning persons, who may or may not
have had that mans opportunities to
know, and may not have taken the same
p,ins to asceIt tain. Take your own case;
while tbs rest of rs are about other mat
tiers, each attending to his own affairs, you
are making a special study of the opsra-
ton Of the Maine liquor Jaw. You talk
with men, and ss l understand, you're
trying 10 look the thing through to the
bottom to ascertain Just what IS the truth.
I think 1t very probable that In the short
time You have been in Portland you can
give q much more accurate and far more
valuable description of the condition Of
the rum traffic than most of the best c!ti-
z:ns of the city. Certainly you know
the sit nation better than do, though my
home is very rear Portlar d, and my busi-
ness interests bring me here almcss every
day. Now the lack Of real information Is
QUE re ason why gentlemen do net like 10
bs uuoted. Another is that they may be
in public life, and do not wish to furnish
posSible ammunition that may be used
against them fairly or unfsi'ly. Then,
too, there is some false prstense about tie
meter, some profe sing that 'the actual
condition il bettsr than it is; Others cbarg-
ing that ii is verse. tavir g reasons of Their
own for so doing. Yes, thiuk you are
right when yousxprtss an opinion that
cowardics also enters somewhat IN TIE
problem" This last remark was
brought out by my sugge stion that II
seemed TO be the fash ON, based upon
kind of common Con3ent, to give with re-
gard to the operation Of tie law assur-
ances far beyond the real facts Of the case;
from which inferred that much legis'a-
ton on the question and its real substan-
tial triumph, so far as legislation Is cen
ctrned, has put men uuder kind OF
dursss, so that for tie most part they are
uuwiljiog to spsak the whole truth, pr
hans even to believe it. The Governor said
that he thought thers was probably good
deal of trath in all this.
RUMsELLING IN HOTELS.
"Governor. I said, you may not know
il of YOUR own personal krO Wedge as one
who has bought the liqu"r or sean 1t sid,
but Yet you do know, IS You have kno"l-
edge of many other facts, that liquor IS
freely sold in the hotels Of Portland. The
public in general know il, yet tie sole
ross on. How do you account for lt''
THAT is true" replied the Governor,
land it presents very difficult problem.
Whether it can be stopped is cne thing
certainly it is not stopped. There seems
10 Re kind of feeling that the
sale of liquor by hotels in large places
il necessary for the convenience OF
travellers Who are accustomed to it
and want it. TIE d flicult7 OF meet
irg this phase of,he case is so great sn1 80
gent rally recognized, that l believe there
is a very considerable element of people
who would con- eat to license the hotels in
the large cities for this purpose. Waat do
you think of that?n asked the Governor,
turnipy to Mr. Brown and Mr.. Little, two
Other Directors of the FIRST Nat Onsl Bank
of Po,t'snd then sitting in the Directors
rom 10 which we were talking. II would
not corssnt to that" said Mr.. Brown, who
ia a very earnest end uncompromis,ng
mohibjtiorist; ''yOu could not give license
IN the hott Is and refuse it to oster persc ms,
and I am against any form of licerss for
any purpos e." Mr. Little, who is a's) q
n.ohibitiori.t bat, as inferred; not quite
20 extreme as Mr. Brown, said that he toe
was sgainst license, aud that he thought
that prohibition. with all it's faults, was
better for Maine than any other mode oi
d,alirg with the quor traffic; yet that he
would not say in regard to West Virgin a,
for example. that it would he better there
of this Tina than our own local option law
Tbtss things lie regarded as matters to b
.sttlsd by the States for themselves. H'
though, hrwevtr, thst it was probable, III
ex-Goys rncr Robbie said, that considers
HE element of the PEOPLE would be willing
to let the hotels sell under proper r,ssric
tiop. Ex-Governor ROBBIE added that {
course when he referred to those who TAKE
this view of the hotel trOtlic he had mean
rot those persons who oppose al proDloi
ton. but thoss who are in favor of the Law
but take o more practical view OF the ques
ton than do General Dow snd his frlends
MUCH BETTER IN THE RURAL REGIONS
Farther pursuing the subject, Gov
Robbie said, "You must not infer from whs
YOU sic in Portland, unsa'iis Glory as
all ia from a prohibition point of view
that Pc aud and other large cities ar
towns Of Maine are far examples CT IT,
re,t Of the State. In the rural dutric S
is we enforced, does prsat good, the pei
ME believe in it, and 'hs wfo'e it is sue
cess 1.-THE fact" l remsrked, tia
TIE law is fairly enforced in tie rural dis
tricts, where tie people believe in It, an'
not in the large towns and cIues
sprsests what l take to G
the reasonable inference; that th
enforcement of the law : t er sll is matte
of public cpinior." Yes" IepEe1 tn
GoTeTno-, that is it," Then in VIII 1t re
tpect, Goyerncr, does the Maine lr thlol
usn law in its practical operation ditft
f,o,, .hs lrcll option law?" In some re