The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-04-16
PUT TEETH IN the LAW.
Good TenpIar Brackett Compliments
the LEGISLATORS.

LEWISTON, April 15.-The Grand Lodge
OF Maine, Good Templars, assembled this
morning, and the forenoon session was occu-
pied in comforting the grand degree upon
great number Of candidates and the reading
of the reports of the Grand Officers.
In opening his annual report Grand Chief
Templar Bangs says that in his estimation
the general state of the order is not as salts
factory as thought to be. perhaps L expect
more of Good Templary than ought reasona-
Dly be demanded OF an organization based
upon voluntary and philanthrOpic motives"
he adds. But 1t seems to me that twenty
years OF active, aggressive work Should
have educated the Grand Lodge into thor
ough and systematic method of attacking
the drink evil through our subordinate lodges
In such manner as to warrant the presump-
tion at least OF definite results and well cal
culated progress from year to year"
foEss%erf 09ncerfinT the Peoples ProhibitSry En-
standing what have said about the lack OF
methods in the grand and subordinate lodges.
the principles underlying them have assisted
materially In educating the people of the
state in IN , tne great idea Of prohibition. With
Years, we have graduated at least 60 900 good
templars, who while not of us are still for
US. rms means so much public opinion,
twenty years ago movement like this
IL
forcement League would have been scoffed
at. Today 1t is an assured success, calling
into Its ranks the very best material in the
state. j.! heartily congratulate the Grand
Lodge OF Maine for having given to the
cause OF humanity this stalwart child of
promise, with Stewart, Mitchell, Emery.
Fuller and Wentworth as tits sponsors. The
prestige of victory is already perched upon
Its banner, for In the first fight for life as 1t
struggled into existence. 1t put hors de COM
hOf thQ ninH nf
those willy politicians who sought to strangle
1t at its birth.'
Grand Secretary Brackett, In his report.
says concerning temperance legislation:
:. me legislature recently adjourned honored
itself by adding more teeth to the prohibit
tory liquor law than Its predecessors for
several years. Among the most important
are the original package bill, the imprison-
ment clauses. the amended nuisance act,
making rumsellers and rum drinkers inelligi-
Die TO the jury box, making transportation
companies liable for bringing liquors into
the State, ETC., etc all of which will prove
great aids to those officers who desire to per
form their duties In enforcing the law. In
bringing about these desirable amendments
our order has done its part. Brother ]. G.
Stewart, our Deputy r. w. G. T., as Senator
was the chairman of the committee on tenn
perance and ably champi0ned these meas
ures Other Good Templar members were
Brothers Mayo, Orcutt, Maxim and Webb"
This report shows:
Total number OF lodges es....................,. 80
IoCal membership. 1887
The largest lodge in the state is Mystic
No. of Portland, with 237 members. The
next largest are: Whipple of Kittery. I82
members; Puritan of Thomastou, 1O5; Salus
of Kennebunk, 159; Oak Hill of Charleston.
1873. Twenty-three lodges have one hundred
or more members each and five lodges have
100 or more members each,
There Is District Lodge in the state for
each county In good working order, and the
District system Is proving the strongest link
In the Good Femplars' system.
The finance committee flnd the total
receipts for the year, including the balance
from last years account of Sl77 Al, to be
81, ,542. AZ. The balance In favor OF the
organization at this time is S27747.
This afternoon the amendment to the con-
stitution limiting the age of applicants for
membership to II years was adopted Chief
organizer Hamilton reported that he had or
ganized 29 new lodges, reorganized two and
performed a large amount Of service These
officers were elected:
gusta. ="
Councilor-Frank Dexter, Springyale.
vice Templar-Lizzie b. Wheeldon, Bangor,
Secrel elary-George E. Bracket, Belfast,
IreaSurer-Erank l.. Gibson, Stetson,
marshal-A. ID. Cali, East Livermore
superintendent of Juvenile Tempes-Emily T..
Cain, Waterville.