The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-10-24
PROHIBITION IN maine
4, Lately Seen by the Editor o.
the InteIIigencer.
opEN BARS IN PORTLAND.
r,,,illlngncss of Prominent Men to
n,ouotcd-A situation of Great
Interest Describcd-Drink
for the Thirsty


ro,,upe having driited me into Maine,
ris,rrmined that the time was oppor-
,.ns in view Of the pendency Of the
"ra.tiop at home, to look little into
y. " ooarution of the Maine liquor law.
po,tand % being a city Of about the popu-
i,,;op OF Wheeling, though with less
ao,plous surroundings, l was particu-
i,,jy ri interested to know how the law
~orket here. Consequently determine
n nrosecute my inquiry on these
soos, @ ~ 4 the law fairly well enforced in
H." ,IS state at large? Is the law fairly well
enforced I in the city OF Portland? Has
,Ssre % beeu any improvement in the en-
%,,oment us OF the law since prohibition
%,s written in the Constitution of the
S,Seq From q moral point OF view,
Joss prohibitIon, statutory or constitu-
.ionol offer any advantage over local
so,ion uV the condition OF public senti-
T"nt being the same? Does prohibition
IL Maine meet the expectation OF prohi-
bi,ionists. or sit in effect only u measure
Oilocal option?
intcndin this one and first arti-
cIatowrIte to try to answerait theseques'
,ions | shall therefore make this the
overture to series, and let it be some.
glat miscellaneous in its character, here
,Irle and there q little, rs have gath
ered it on the wing. AS | went
,ionc made my inquiries Of all kinds
atPnnt.rnF nnn.
Joetors, bell boys, hotel porters, bar
bers, lawyers, judges, ex.judges, trades.
men. editors and the father OF prohibi-
ton himself General Dow, with whom
Ibaye very interesting interview to re-
port later on.
NOT INCLINED TO TALK.
The first gentleman | met, and he was
AVIAN Of pFomineuce in the city and the
State to whom | had n letter OF intro
duction, said in reply to my first ques.
ton, "WyIl, you may as well understand
in the beginning that rs far rs intorma-
lion at second hand is concerned, you
have no easy task before you. You will
fnd that hardly anybody whose word
would carry weight, and whose testi,
mony may be against prohibition, will
ln to have his views quoted. You
will find among the people born and
bred here reticence and difference OF
opinion on this important question
which has agitated the state fora genera
,jOn. Ii IL man makes statement which
YOU afterwards find to be untrue, you
nus. not conclude that he has desired
to deceive you; it would be more just to
infer that he has been deceived himself.
could refer you to many OF our best
citizens who seem anxious to
deIrdo themselves into the be-
lief that there is much more
potency in prohibition then there
really Is. You will find it hard to get at
secondhand valuable information, for
the iurther reason that many OF us, like
myself, regard prohibition as the settled
policy OF the State, not open to further
discussion, aud therefore We are averse
to being quoted as assailing, even by n
statement OF facts, the established order
Oithings. Since you intend to look for
yourself aud take things at first hand,
am quite sure that before you leave
Portland YOU will understand the situa-
ton here, and before you leave the
State you will understand very well
how the law works in Maine. II you
will excuse me / shall express no opin-
ion to you, but wait to hear yours alter
you shall have spent twenty.four hours
in the city"
a SIMPLE SAILING CHART.
| asked a barber who was shaving me
what man did in Maine when he want
ed a glass Of stimulant. "Goes and gets
it," 9"Goes where?" "Well, il he is
Stopping at hotel he goes into the hotel
blFroOm." "But il he is q stranger and
they don't know him-are they not
afraid Of being informed on?" The bar
Der smiled and said, "Well, go and try,
adiiyou have any trouble to get what
you want let me know about II; it will
sort OF break the record" "Where is
the bar.room in this hotelH l asked.
"Well," replied the barber, "just stand
in the hotel office and see which way
the crowd 90; then you fall in line and
you will get where they are going" l
followed these very simple sailing direc-
tons, and without trouble landed IN a
well appointed bar.room. Bar tenders
clad in the insignia OF their office, stand
ing behind the bar, smiling and ready
for business. The ban was fitted up Us
trading posts Of that kind usually are.
There were men in the bar room, some
drinking beer, some drinking whisky.
While stood there two men entered,
advanced to the bar, and bottle OF
Thiskey and two glasses were set out
before them. They did not, after the
fashion OF the Southern colonel, say, ~
little more Of the sane," but the bar
tender knew their peculiar weakness,
and was not slow in setting it before
them. There was no trouble in finding
That bar room, no mystery or secrecy
about it. | asked the bartender II that
was the way business went on generally.
heaw at once that l was stranger,
and smilingly said, "Yes; this whole
hing is fraud and everybody knows
u But / put in, 81 suppose that
I1G hotels have some special immunity" !"
Vel, said the bartender, 'you won't
hIhk so after you Lave been here a day
OFso,, especially il you have been round
. little. You certainly don't suppose
Saat the hotels OF this city would be al.
lowed to mORopolize SO big q business rs
Tue rum traffic OF Portland"
on THEIR WAY To THE DARKROOM.
Twas in conversation later in the day
with one OF the best citizens OF Portland.
Having said TO him that it WINS urged
outside Of the State that only the lowest
eI2sS Of people in Maine would descend
iiobuying intoxicants in the face OF the
aW' and that the liquor business having
al'en almost entirely into the hands OF
us'epntable men only the lowest class
would be found patronizing the rum
SHOPS, he indicated one OF the leading
hotels and suggested where l should go
soon after supper, take my stand and
watch the inhowing human tide.
Note, said he, $50 far rs you can iron
outside appearances the kind OF men
Aat 80 in there; the number OF them
within reasonable time, and form your
oWh conclusions on this pOint. More,
yySeT, i you happen TO be thirsty, and
goh goh know where the bar is, just follow
S Se crowd, and you will soon find the
did as this gentleman suggested. II
Sg9ut eight minutes | saw thirty.nin'
Su men and youths travel what l alter