Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-05-22
PLENTY or LIQUOR IN MAINE.
A West Virginia Editors Experience fn
Looking up Prohibition In the State
No Trouble to get Drinks.

Looking up Prohibition In the State
No Trouble to get Drinks.
PORTLAND, Me-, May 22-The agitation
In West Virginia over proposed prohibit
tory amendment in that State has led ssv-
eral persons to write to prominent temper
ance men in Maine. asking for an exact
/ statement as to the practical working of the
liquor law here. great many replies have
been sent detailing the excellent effect of
the constitutional amendment, telling in
glowing terms how rum has at last been
banished fromlthe pioneer prohibition State,
and knowing that nOts glass of liquor is
now to be had for love or money. The let
tiers were read in public at several temper
anee meetings in West Virginia, and had .
marked effect, until = New York paper
reached there some weeks ago with an &C.
curate and circumstantial account of the
discoveries of a correspondent who was sent
through Maine to find out exactly how the
liquor law. works. This astonishing revela-
ton of open bars free rum and unrestricted
liquor traffic induced Charles Burdette
Hart editor of the Wheeling Intelligencer,
to come to Name on tour of investigation
for himself
Mr. Hart arrived here with the belief
that the paper must be mistaken, but be-
fore he had been in town twenty-four hours
he concluded that the correspondent had
made truthful and unbiased report. Mrs.
Hart who accompanied her husband, was
enthusiastic in her support of the prohibi-
tory 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 din
ner. to their profound astonishment, 9
guest seated opposite them ordered a bot
tie of wine, and the waiter, in a matter-of-
fact way drew tine cork and filled the glass
Still thinking that an exception to the law
had been witnessed. Editor Hart the next
morning started for a 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 Aug
usta.
The first thing Mr.. Hart did on arriving
in Augusta was to go to the State library,
in the capitol, with the expectation that it
was we'll stocked with prohibition litera-
ture. To his further astonishment, q search
from floor to ceiling failed to unearth a
single volume treating of prohibition or
dealing with the forbidden traffic in any
way. In a tour about town he found, with
out much difficulty, some practical illus
tidtlOus Vi lut WOI kIlikS vi tIc
law. He had been informed that there
were several places in Augusta where it
was possible for the weary traveller to slack
his thirst and large number Of saloons
were visited and liquor purchased in nearly
every one.
At one part of Water street. in length
Of about four hundred yards, he found nine
bars where liquor were 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 ascertain
ed that upward of thirty special licenses
had been taken out by Augusta dealers.
But this is not all. He called upon one of
the leading citizens, pronounced temper
ance man, and asked 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
professed amaIement, and said the au-
thorities would not allow it. The West
Virginia, in his turn, was surprised, and in
formed the citizen 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 Augusta.
The hotel he stopped at was equipped with
8 first-class bar room, and guests had only
to press an electric button and the bell boy
promptly served the best brands of liquors
and wines which money could buy. Here
again 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 as in the
Others. He leaves the State with no very
hattering opinion of the efficacy of prohibit
tory amendments, and is ata loss to account
for such q condition of affairs in the banner
prohibition state.