Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1888-09-13
H~r-. Ne a.l a4s. r-l. suite n.
Condensed History Of Proh'b.;ory Lee.
,A:aoa II this STATE.

Inquiries ar- ireqactt'y made unler
Nha' circumstances aui hy ~h5m TIE
dr~, PrrmhIoY liquor law in Mann
WAS enacted; Il j. vel. hat the facts
-noail hr rrpea,c,i rAe first Prohi-
ttury ,1w ~a, passed Ia 1851, ia
Response tn nlmrrou, petitions from
the f.eud- % temperance III Az -er-
lions Of the State. l. MAS not d.
ca.-.i Tor aiag;ri A. partisan meas
urr. l-c Democrats were in majority
81 uu,h branchc, Of the Legislature
ih4t wear. bat the Pruhibttory bill wa.
voted for by q minority Of tie Demo
cratic members, iirce tourths Of the
Wing, aud By the four OF FIVE Free
Sellers. then IN the legislature his
Democratic minority, the tArcc-fouriA,
u he Wings. and the icw Free >,olers
constituted the Legislative majority
which passed. the first ProAibitory bill
Governor John Hubbard. a Democrat.
belonging 10 the wing of his party
which had most favored the till. signed
ii, though be- frankly said he doubted
the vision and success Of the measure
Did the Democratic party quietly
aCqUlc.cc in the enactment OF the luA
Not at all. \ powerful opposition 20
il VIZ -neclily organized among the
Democrats. new Democratic caudi-
aale was brought into the iield. and
Governor Hubbard Was punished for
hi, conduct by defeat. though the
temperance Democrats. temperance
hlgs, aud temperance Free Noittrs
came earnestly to his support In
1883 Auson r. Morrill,. a strong sup
porter Of Prohibition. as boiling can
dldate. Luw his party had come entirely
under the control OF anl-prohibitory
influences. lead ii, 900 voters from the
Democratic ranks. IL 1884 nearly all
OF those men who had favored the pas
sa-e Of the prohibitory Law in 1881,
uniteI in supporting Arson +. Morrill,
tor Governor. forming the Republican
party, electiug him by the Legislature,
January 1879, fully completing the
organization Of the party in February
following. pultlng into Is pafforrn a
strong proh,J'.ory plank Some amend
ments % the law were made in 1853
and IN 1850, those of the latter year
being quite stringent.
( In 800 the Democratic party pushed
I a vigorous aud bitter campaign against
/ the Republicans, chiefly on the liquor
issue, aided by the Straight Wings,
/ tina; remnant Of the Wing party which
had opposed the passage of the Prohi-
/ bitory bill in 1851 and was adverse to
the formation of the Republican in
1854 and 1855. The Democrats and
/ the Straight Wing allies carried the
State in the September election of 1885
I aud in the winter of 1856 repealed the
| Prohibitorv law of 1851 as amended in
1853 aud 1850, and in its place enacted
a license law. This law approved by
! the Democratic Governor, Samuel
| Wells, remained on the statute book
two years. In 1858 the Republicans
having regaincd political control of the
State, re-enacted the Prohibitory law,
which, with its various amendments
made from time to time by Republican
Legislatures, has remained on the
statute books to the present time. In
1888, the Legislature, strongly Repub-
llcan. passed and submitted to the
people Prohibitory amendment to the
Constitution. which was adopted by
large majority September 1884. One
Of the strong reasons for the adoption
OF the constitutional amendment was
that the question of temperance might
be removed as much as possible from
the area of partisan politics, where it
had been forced by the hostile course