Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-09-07
FOR TEMPERANCE.
Audraceesin County Opens
With Z Ionster Meeting.
Congressman Dinssy Prasldss aud Ssn-
itoP Y. P. Frye
Askss Q Rousing epssch-aurdrsds
Rusnsd f,om the Dooss.

LEWISTON, Sept. 6.-The largest crowd
ever gathered al semperarcs meeting in
Androscoggin county, heard Senator Frye
at the Pine street Congregational church,
thi. afternoon. Hundreds Of people were
turned away. The meeting took measures
to org g.nizs . county temperance league for
the eufo,cemsns Of the prohibisory Law.
Congressman Dipgley presided, and in .
brief Introductory address, outlined the
sui iec. of the mass meeting ard the need
of he pubic reavakening in regard TO
temperance.
Senator Frye spoke sn hour and ten
minutes. In opening, be pleaded ignorance
Of the fact that he Vas expected to speAk
and said that he had told the committee that
waited upon him, that it you'd be imposs-
ib!e for him to address the mass meeting,
September 4, because Of his absence al
RsDgeley Lakes AI that time. He hsd,
however, seen the announcement in the
newspapers. and had come without 3 set
address. He objected to threshing over
old straw, but was willing. ia obedience to
the tire mendous public interest In the co.
forcement of prohibition, to make the
journey to Lewiston, and add what he could
10 the impetus OF the movement.
After an introductory discussion of the
general evil Of intenperance, aud a denial
Of the oft quoted creed Of many that it is
the duty of each man to look alter himself,
and that we are not our neighbJrs' keeper,
the senator said:
No one in this audience will differ with
me relative to the evils Of III Moloch
- skav int unlaae naYhAUR he
the rumseller, aud l ask, rs he entitled to
an opinion worth anything My deliberate
iuds nent is, and I measure my words,
there is no worse man to be fonnd than the
rumseller, and so far from his opinion
being worth anything, in this question as
to whether liquor shall be sold freely over
the bar to whosoever wishes to purchase, l
say that il every rumseller in the country
were in je'l today, the country won'd be
.ens Of thousands Of times better off than
now."
To plead the cause Of the devotees Of
temperance, Senator Frye commended
fans,ics as a class and said Of Neal Dow i:
There is no man in America who has tor
mented me, politically, more than he. He
is always making thrusts at the Republican
party, morning, noon and night, bul | say,
il be will keep on sticking tle knife into
the rumseller at the same time, he may
keep on torme nting any poli..csl party he
chooses. say, thank God for faustics.
Neal Now started this law; it is the bes.
law in the world; 'he only enemy Of run
sellers, and the Law has made Maine pre-
eminent in the suppression Of liquor selling,
not only in America, but throughout the
wide world"
Senator Frye claimed that the law was
the only remedy for the evil Of intemper-
ance; denied that tie hab.ss Of Europe
rendered to temperance, because Of the
prevalence of light wines and beers, and
asse rted that France was dsteriora ing by
absnthe drinking, Italy by cheap and
strong liquors, Germany by brandy, and
held that lhe Germsn emperor was alarmed
by the Increase Of intemperance. and was
issu Is edicts tending to yards q reduction
IN the growing consumption of spirits.
"License is no remedy" he sid, Liquors
sold under license, intoA cate IS quickly as
when sold illegally, r1der prohibition.
Glasgow in Scotland, licenses, but when be
WAS IN Scotland he was prevented from
seeing the great iron ship building plants in
operation because Of fair held but me
uAy III tuds Cht. ToI tni5 "oi huS a.
saved so much and drank so hard, that the
great ship bu lding plsnts, employing 5oto
men had to shut down eight days
until the men got sober. II you license
rum drinking to make men sober, why not
license thieving to make them honest, and
prostitution to m Ike them virtuouss He
related q conversation he hsd with the late
Hon. Alexander II. Stephens of Georgia,
in which the distinguishes d vice president Of
the Southern ConfederScy told Of the
county Of Liberty, Ga which had the fret
IRON clad temperance law ever passed in
America, over 70 years ago.
"TLis county, said Mr.. Stevens, was
the hsppiest, richest, beet educated and
most orderly county of Georgia. and the
year lived there was the only year Of my
life ihst l Iremember in which was per
fectly well"
In clo.ing, Senator Frye called on the
mayor and county executive officers to en-
force the Law. and ended with . powerful
e1hortstion to the people to stand by the
laws,