The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-10-25
NotabIe Interview with General
Neal Dow, the ProhibitionistY
SOME INTERESTING HISTORY.
r,. Father of the Law Charges the
rcp,blican Party with Rcsponsi.
biliry for Non-EnCorccment.
significant Admissions.
40. II.

most TpSlleHEts ;" N'Ni ''NSI ~
hi. ease. General Neal Dow, father of
tbe Maine liquor law, the first Of all the
n,obibi,ionists of the time, and now an
a,,cst Third Party Prohibitionist. 1
J,.ind to meet this remarkable man, to
}ook a. him, to talk with him, and a
friend kindly obliged me. We rang the
h.n and while was commenting on the
sosminsly belated remnant OF a snow
JTit thlt' lay in his front yard, the door
U'r.' %o. onrnci, and there stood gentle
,nsn With A full head OF white hair,
~Sto whit sjdp.whiskers, the upper lip clean
Iy .hayrn, about five feet eightinches in
tsgbt A little rOtund but not out Of
nmgoriop, beamiDg and bowiDg cor
SiSI welcome. was introduced Mt once
osa West Virginian, and the Editor OF
the WHEELING lNTELLIdENcER, erd it
urkIed my vanity Just little for the
General to suy that he knew OF the IN
trtriGyycEg very well, and it pleased
him 10 meet a West Virginian. Being
seated in his cosy study, General Dow
continued the conversation begun at the
door saving, "Yes, know your State,
and remarkably rich in natural re-
sources il is. When the people of our
country begin to know of your natural
wealth. you ought to have no trouble TO
build up your State"
GETTING D0wN TO BUSINESS.
Islid to General Dow that we were
rery much interested at this time in
West Virginia on the Prohibition ques-
tion since we are to vote on it ut the
next election, aud that some OF us, l
among them, had been good deal sur
priscd at bis recent defeat for Mayor OF
Ms city, rememberingthat in the earlier
days OF his heroic struggle he had been
trumphantlv elected to that office. |
tod him that the folks at home would
be glad to hear his own explanation OF
his defeat at is simple story and
soon told,' replied General Dow, his
kindly face showing no trace OF resent
mcnt, though the lines became u little
sterner as he warmed to the subject.
"The Republican party and the rum ele-
nent combined against me, and that did
It. The Democrats made no nomina-
ton, the understanding being that they
were to support ME, and il had had the
support OF the temperance element OF
the Republican party, don't you see, it
would haye been impossible to defeat
me. In iict, the strength of the Repub-
lean vote was thrown against me, and
Of course the liquor element voted with
the Republican party, as it always does
in Maine in these days" interrupted
General Dow to ask him whether he
meant to say that all OF the liquor sellers
in Portland act with the Republican
party. "Well, that statement needs only
one qualification. There is one liquor
seller in Portland who refuses to sell his
principles in order to secure protection
in the sale OF liquor. That mans name
is TIN Twig; and" said the veteran
ProhibtiOnist with smile, II can't
help having certain respect for man
who stands out rs boldly us Tim Twig
does for his party principles. under
stand that the Republican bosses have
done everything they can to bring
Twig into the alliance, but thus
lar they have failed, aud as
far as can hear OF the man, think
they will continue to be as unsucCess.
iul." told General Dow that he had
excited my curiosity with regard to
Tim Twig, and / would like to meet
him. General Dow replied that l ought
by all means, because he must be re-
markable man who had the courage to
stand alOOf from so powerful combina-
ton as politics and rum. General" l
said, do you think Mr.. Twig would re-
gard an informal introduction from you
Is good?' General Dow said: eyes,
think he would. Go and see him. l
will get his address for you;" and with
much more alacrity than l think l
should have displayed, he slipped out Of
the room, got directory, hastened back
with It, and at the age OF 81, without his
Spectacles, found for me the address Of
this remarkable publican. "There it is,
81 York street. am sure he will re-
Ceve you well, and perhaps be some.
what amused when you tell him that
you come ut my suggestion, and with
an introduction from Inc"
MORE LEGISLATION NEEDED.
Having disposed, for the time, of Mr..
Twig and his case, the main thread OF
the conversation was resumed. de-
sired to know Of Gen. Dow whether
after all the legislation on the liquor
question since the first prohibitory law,
in all iorty.two statutes, IN average OF
more than one year. and now having
capped the climax with the Constitu.
tional Amendment, whether he and his
friends were content, and had nothing
more To ask for in the way Of legislation,
Bless you, nOw replied the General, in
atone OF great surprise. by no means.
We must have more legislation to drive
out the run traffic. The mere matter Of
putting prohibition into the constitution
does not alter the case, except that 1t is
the solemn declaration OF the people
that prohibition is the fixed policy OF the
State. Constitutional prohibition has
OF course, this advantage over mere
statutory prohibitions; and it shows that
alter all these years the people approve
OF the prohibitory policy, and by ar
overwhelming majority declare in favol
OF embodying it in their prohibitory
law. But we cannot stop here. WI
must have men determined to enforce
the law, and the penalties must be SC
severe and so sure as to make the run
traffic dangerous and improbable; 81
dangerous and SO improbable that tht
most abandoned and most reckless viii
not be willing to risk themselves in 1t.
% You expect, General, to secure thi
additional legislation at the next session
'oi tue Legislature?" "Not at all, 70
the reason that We have not already SC
cured it; that is to say, We shal
not get it II the Republican part,
remains in control, us it probabl!
Will ior time. Perhaps you d
not understand that the Republica
bosses OF Maine have the absolute mas
tieFy over the party IN this State, an
That their working arrangement wit
the rum power is OF so complete an
perfect character as to make 1t eve
unreasonable to expect that they VT
DO anything to secure the enforcement
oil the liquor law. More than this, yo
must understand that the Republica
bosses Of Maine and the bosses OF III
National Republican party are in con
Plete accord on this question. The
luVn -. All. GNak. A.. t.n ,.N,