Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-03
TEST VOTE WANTED.
Maine Democrats Adopt Resolution
FaV0ring a New Ballot
ON THE PROHIBITION QUESTION.
The Far-Famed Law of the Pine Tree
State Voted Failure
THE PROHIBITION QUESTION.
AFTER A TRIAL OF FORTY YEARS,
,sPEc1AI TELEGRAM TO THE DrspArcH,

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DrsPArcHi
AUGUSTA, Me, July 2.-The same
Democrats who, less than a month ago, nom
mated Hon. Francis W. Hill as their can
dldate for Governor, met again to-day, and,
after passing resolutions Of regret at Hills
sudden death, nominated Hon. William P.
Thompson. OF Belfast. But that was ap-
parently the least important duty of the
convention. for the delegates Immediately
went into red-not wrangle over the prohi-
ton issue, almost before the impressive
words of the resolution on the death of their
leader had been uttered.
Most of the night had been spent by the
advance guard of the leading representatives
of the two wings Of the party, who were at
loggerheads on the license question, il trv-
ing to settle their differences, but this morn
ing found them still unable to agree. and
when the convention met it was generally
understood that factional fight on the floor
was inevitable.
PROHIBITION CALLED A FAILURE.
The fun began as soon as the convention
was regularly organized. bon. William
II. Mcclellan, of Belfast, offered resolution
submitting the prohibition amendment to the
people. In the preamble it was recited that
within the year four Democratic and eight
Republican States have declared against
prohibition, four of these States-Vermont,
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Con-
neetlcut-represent the New England senti-
ment. Attention was called to the State of
Rhode Island, which, about three years ago,
decided on prohibition by about /, 900 ma
Iority, and since decided against it by
nearly 5000.
Mr.. Mcclellan, in view of these facts, and
because of the fact that after six wears of
constitutional prohibition and 40 years of
statute prohibition in Maine, prohibition
had been failure. asked that the resolution
be adopted. A point was raised that under
the rule debate was not in order. and that
the resolution should go to the Committee
on Resolutions, whereupon Mr.. Mcclellan
proposed to move the adoption of the reso-
luton independent of any platform.
LICENSE MEN ELATED.
The convention voted to suspend the rules
to allow Mr.. Mcclellan to present his reso-
luton. This was the first test vote, and the
license men were elated at the result Mr..
Mcclellan made a rattling speech in favor
of the resolution, exposing what he called
the hypocrisy Of the Republican party on
the liquor question. He cited a rumseller
in his own city who had been selling rum
for 80 years. He was delegate to the Re-
publican State Convention, and voted for
the temperance resolution.
Tristram Goldthwaite, of Biddeford, op-
posed the resolution, and declared that it
would be suicidal to the party. This led
Ben Bunker, of Waterville, to interject the
remark that "suicide would be better than
to have the party funk out" Mr.. Bunker's
rraro poarIv droxunad in the of
Kisses and derisive yells that greeted Mr..
Goldthwaite's suggestion.
Hon. Henry Hudson, of Guilford, de-
clared that the resolution offered by Mr..
Mcclellan was for tree rum, and that that
gentleman had sneeringly spoken of the
women, but he wanted him to understand
that the women OF Maine were a power in
politics.
REsUBMIsSIoN FAVORED.
Hon. William II. Clifford, of Portland,
said that there was some difference between
suicide and 40 years of lingering death.
The question under consideration did not
involve suicide or free rum. It referred
the whole matter of constitutional prohibi-
ton to the people again and ne favored it.
He said that the Democrats had been
towards.
Hon. Elliott King, of Portland, did not
believe in furnishing the Republican party
a cudgel to beat out the brains of the Dem
ocratic party. He had no doubt that the
entire Democratic party would vote to-day
for the annthilation of the manufacture Of
alcoholic liquors. F. T. Roberts, of Presque
Isle, said he came from the rural districts,
and he could say from knowledge that nine
tenths of the Democrats of Maine were
against prohibition. They had got enough
of it, and that was argument enough.
''The prohibitory law in Maine," said
Mr.. SWEET, of Portland, ''has made scound-
rels and bribe-takers of our sherifs, per-
jurers and accessories to crime Of our coun-
ty attorneys, and the supreme bench is
looked on with suspicion"
1t was with the greatest difficulty that the
vote was taken on account of the noise, and
when it was finally announced that the
license men had won by score of 145 to
80 the cheers that went up were deafening.