The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1890-07-31
Prohibition In M air e.
BY ALBERT y. PAiSE

Prohibition In halre.
BY ALBEIT y. PAGSE.
AZ Maine is often cited By the enemies
o. Prohibition proof OF the failure Or
want Of success " the cause, the follow
Ing facts gathered from the recent Pre-
limiDsry Report Of the Internal Revenue
Commissioner for the year ending vi. b
jane last, In connection with the full re
port for the year previous, are worthy u
especial notice, al bearing on the actual
truth, or rather showing what the tfutA
il. That the United States Revenue
law has been vigisntly enforced i not
disputed, and, hence, the Department Re-
ports may be Implicitly relied upon 1eo
or three years ago, however, the revenue
collected in Maine and Vermont, because
OF the Problbitory law, was 50 small The
Government abolished the collectcrsbip
In those States and made them subsidiary
y the more profitable Office 10 New
Hampshire Owing 70 this cause the re-
ports, a. published, give no separate sta
tistics from those States, but their names
even disappear from the lists altogether
BY the kindness Of the Collector 10 New
HarDps hire, however, the writer has beeu
furnished with the additional PARTICULAR
now detailed respecting the State Of
Maine.
| From the sources now indicated. Il ap-
pears that the whole amount Of intern al
revenue collected for the last fiscal year
was $40 s95.4.2, of which some sos
575 ,073 was derived from the manufact-
ure and sale Of distilled and malt
Liquors, being almost TO dollar
three-four.hs Of the whole, the balance
being chiefly derived from tobacco. The
Preliminary Report, however does not
give the particulars with reference 10 the |
several States, but only the aggregate If
each, the full Report Of the previous
year Is minute in its details and confirms
the general correctness Of the particulars
now given.
Taking the average Of three-fourth- Of
the whole IS the portion TO be credit d 70
the liquor account, We have the following
result. in the several Northern States, !
which may be justly regarded as e fair
representation Of the whole, the figures
Of the last census being necessarily used
a. the bhsis Of our calculation.
The revenue derived from the liquor
trade in the whole United States Is 81 e5
per inhabitant; in New York. 50 go; in
Pennsylvania, 81 +s; In New Jersey,
s2,95; 10 Massachusetts 81 %. In Con
necticut and Rhode Island, 50 cents in
New Hampshire, 60 cents. In Maine the
whole amount received was s23 ,s45, or
three and two-thirds cents per inhabtant,
which Is about the same IS in Vermont,
the exact figures Of which are no, at
hand.
Another view presents like important
result. By the reports, the whole number
of vendors OF liquor, wholesale and re-
tail, in New York was 80 1G4, or one to
every l54 inhabitants; in Pennsylvania,
10 $40, or one to every l43; 10 Massachu
settle, 1000. or one 10 every 232: in Con-
necticut and Rhode Island. IA. or one
to ever 200. while in Maine the whole
number is 93g or one to every sci. In
Vermont the result IS about the same or
some less than in Maine.
/ can readily imagine the reader to ask
If ths is not bad show for prohibitory
State: | very resdily answer, Yes Is
the figures are thus briefly stated But
are not the relative ratios Of Maine. com
usred with the other Ststes, proof con
elusive Of most remarkable success IN
der the circumsta No prohibitory |
law of any kind was ever perfectly ef- /
fectual to prevent the prohibited crime
Even murder, robbery and other felonies
are among the most common events OF
human life, the universally prohibited uu-
der the severest penslities aud uuder laws
having the universal favor of all people
Considering the enormity of the crimes
now mentioned, compared with the Of
Tense under discussion. and the great
prejudice everywhere existing against the
reform in question, even amopg our best
citizens and throughout the different
States of the Cniou, it may with great
deal of truth. be asserted that the Prohi-
bition law is, according to the foregoing
figures. as successful in its operation a.
are the other laws of the criminal code
here or elsewhere.
And besides there sre many mitigating
circumstances to he taken into considera-
ton in adiudgiug the question of sue
cess. The Prohibition law necessarily
recognizes the necessity of using liquor
for mechanical aud medicinal purposes.
and Tor these purposes no Prohibition is
enacted, while no such exception is con
tanned In the Internal Revenue Act, but
the tax is assessed on all who sell. OF
the class of apothecaries there are some
$50 in Maine, all or most of whom pay
the tax but are not within the Prohibitory
Act. This accounts for about one-third
VI the whole.
Then, again, the hotels, the not excus-
ed by law, are, a. it were, compelled by
commodate their guests. and consequent
spirit of comfy prevails in their favor,
more especially with those located at
places OF public resort in summer. Along
the whole coast Of Maine from Kittery to
Eastport, it is well known that such
hotels exist in great numbers. about fifty
being found st Bar Harbor and other
parts of Mt. Desert alone, and about thu
same number at Old Orchard and York
while all through the woods of Maine snd
around her many lakes a like pro-
fusion of tax paying places of resort are
met with, the guests or patrons of which
are largely from prohibitory States,
and must have their wants supplied or
withdraw their patronage
In these ways probably at least two
thirds of all the tax paying classes of
vendors are accounted for, leaving only
some 500 or 400 to be charged to the
Saloon accout, being about one 10 every
| 500 or 1000 inhabitants, and these all
located in very few Of the more than
500 cities, towns and plantations of the
State, mainly In the few cities.
| Nor is this all. when we are considering
the quantity of liquor drank in Maine
saloon here, when comnsred with those
OF other States where no restriction is i'm
posed. represents s far less amount OF
| liquor sold than is sold in other places.
owing to our comparative sparse populs-
lion and to the very large msjor,ty of the
people who are strictly t mperate and OPP
posed to the use. While the S25 tax In
Inc represents a gallon sold the same
amount in New York and Boston would
probably represent barrel.
Taking all these matters into consider
alton, does 1t not conclusiyely follow
that In Maine And Vermont. Prohibition
does prohibit to 8 very great aud en-
couraging extent?
The August number of The Forum will
contain remarkable ESSAY. nv Prince p
kropotkin. on THE Possibilities of Az
| -icIal.iara - L.