The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-09-05
City of westbrook and Cumberland Mills

To the Editor of the Press:
The former was Saccarappa in the OLD
rum time, and the latter was Congen-
What miserable rum-cursed places they
were in the old time of licensed grog-
shops. What beautiful, prosperous,
thrifty villages they are now that the
rumshops have been entirely driven OUT
| knew them well in the old time, when
the first cotton mill was built at Saccar-
Kappa being interested then and now IN
that enterprise.
The Canal was finished; the walls
were completed, ready for the root, when
everything came 10 dead halt; nobody
would lend hand to move timber I'M
less they could have rum. Very well, =
we said, elf the roof cannot go on with
out rum the mill will have no roof
The country people all about learned
what the situation was and came to the
rescue in crowds. 1t was the first fight
in Saccarappa between rum and no rum;
the latter won triumphantly. Two
quarts of rum was the regular days ra-
ton in those days for the men of Sacca-
Kappa; and the habit at Congen was the
same What miserable places those two
villages were in the old rum time; what
charming villages they are now that the
wages OF labor and the profits OF legiti-
mate industries no longer go into the tills
OF the grog shops, but instead go into the
families Tor all needed supplies to wives
and children and the surplus into the
| Savings Bank. Isn't this better than the
old time? No; reply many nice people
who are earnestly striving to bring back
| the old policy OF establishing grog shops
| by law; or, as the famous kew. Albert
| barnes called it: Establishing the
throne of inquiry by law" These nice
people who wish to go back to the old
| rum times have reason for their pur-
pose that is not far to seek or hard to
lind; but to speak of it now does not
come within tie intent OF this article.
| l think it safe to say that in the (then)
small, dirty village OF Saccarapa there
was more liquor sold annually IN those
| DAYS than is now sold in the southern
and western countries OF the State, in
Guiding Cumberland. One shop there
sold a puncheon of West India rum
every week, besides the brandy and New
England rum, There were many other
shops in the village and one tavern, all OF
them selling liquors as their chief article
OF trade, but not one OF them with so
| large business as the shop allude to,
which l knew well and remember dis
tinctly. The same shop remains there, a
fine establishment but in it not one drop
! OF rum.
| A few days ago drove out to CumDer,
| Mills and to the City of Westbrook, and
| Iol.r fa1 IN w
lagos they are; nice houses in excellent
style of architecture perfectly well kept;
schoolhouses and churches of the best;
shops with large plate glass windows,
displaying large stocks OF goods, every
thing In perfect condition. Down by the
river the hum of machinery fills the air,
coming from cotton mills, iron mills, the
silk mill and from many other industries.
There is not shabby building of any
| kind to be seen anywhere; in the old
rum time everything there was shabby.
There is no suspicion now OF the sale OF
rum; in the old time every shop was a
rum hole. You nice people who want to
! go back to the old time, is not this time
| far bettera When was building block
of stores some time ago, man came to
me and said:
81 will give you $4,000 a year for one
| OSSA
there;''a strong temptation to nice people
who have shops and cellars to let, which
would equal Aladdin's s. lamp in money
/ if they could only LET them for rum
shops!
/ | have aninteresting story to tell about
these two villages and the late MI. Locke
the able and witty editor of the Toledo
Blade; it will interest the nice people es-
pecially who are so enxious to let their
Easements and cellars for liquor dens at
$1,000 year.
When in Ohio few years ago stump
ing the state for the prohibitory Constl-
tutional Amendment, I called at the
office of the Toledo Blade thinking the
editor to be strong temperance man
Judging by his witty and vivid descrip-
ton of Deacon Bascom's rum shop at
Confederate Four Corners (which is IN
the State of Kentucky" Great was my
establishment to find him an out and out
anti-prohibitionist.
ssYou needn't tell me, he said. II know
all about it; the Maine Law is a failure,
dead failure. / don't believe in it. )"
He was rapid, and continuous and vehe-
ment in his talk; it was all on his side;
could not interpose word. ! went out
of the Office and leaving the door open a
moment said: s'Mr. Locke you are mis-
taken, you are misinformed'' shutting the
door at the moment, not waiting reply.
had been home but a day or two when
l rec eived note from Mr.. Locke saying
he would come to Portland to see for
himself whether the Maine law was a
failure or not. In two days he came
stopping at hotel, looking about and
inquiring everywhere for a week. Then
he called at my house and said he had
seen enough Of Portland and wanted to
see the country.
| took him to Saccarappa and Cumber-
land Mills describing to him on the way
the wretched condition of those places in
the old rum time. I took him to the
office of the Westbrook Manufacturing
Company and presented him to Mr.
Haskell senior, telling him what Mr.
Locke's mission was. s'Well,n said Mr.
Haskell in his moderate and impressive
way, II do not think there's any liquor
sold here now; hear nothing and see
nothing of it as | should be sure to do il
liquors were sold here. How many grog
shops would you have in Ohio in towr
of this size?"
s'Forty licensed saloons and half as
|