The Portland daily press., 1892-08-26
"Grog Shops Everywhere"

"Grog Shops Everywhere"
To the Editor of the Press:
A few days ago a stranger from West
ern New York called upon me; he wanted
to know about prohibition.
How long have you been in town? l
asked.
A week. I'm stopping at Blank hotel.
Then you've been here long enough to
have formed an opinion as to prohibition
What do you think of it?
think it's a failure; that is clear to
me.
Do they sell liquor at Blank hotel9
Have you inquired?
Yes, 1 did inquire and was answered
that they did not sell liquor of any kind;
they were afraid to do SO.
Have you tried elsewhere to obtain
liquors?
Yes at the Noir House, and they an
swered as at the Blank hotel.
Did you try elsewhere to obtain
liquor?
Yes at the apothecary shop, they told
the same story as they did at the hotels,
they were afraid to sell. They were all
down on prohibition because it shut them
off from the largest and most profitable
part of their business; it's an abominable
law they said.
Did you try elsewhere to get any
liquors?
I went into barber's shop and asked
if they could tell me where could get
drink. They said no they did not know
of any place where any one could obtain
any intoxicating drink.
Then you have been in Portland week
and have tried industriously to obtain
some LIQUOR, and have inquired of
barber where drink could be had and
have failed. Why then do you think pro-
hibition a failure?
l was down in the Park few mornings
ago and saw drunken man there; that
proved to me that prohibition is fail
ure.
If you saw in the morning papers that
man had been convicted of larceny
would you conclude that our laws against
stealing and robbery were failures and
should be repealed, and a license law sub
stituted for them?
o no, that's different, entirely differ
emit
lido not see the difference. Liquor
selling is forbidden because it is a great
public mischief inconsistent with the
public good; stealing is forbidden for
the same reason and only for the same
reason. You have seen one drunken man
during your weeks stay in Portland;
during the week to obtain a drink and
yet you conclude the Maine law to be
failure because you have seen one man
drunk here. Do you know whether or
not that man arrived here in the morning
steamer from Boston with bottle in his
pocket?
No do not know that but took it for
granted that he obtained the liquor
here.
Consumption is said to be fatal, no re-
covery from it except perhaps one case
in twenty. Now suppose some one
should announce cure for that terrible
disease, would you consider it failure
though in fact it cured nineteen cases out
of every twenty? Wouldn't you accept
it as great success? Precisely that is
and has been the result of prohibition in
Maine; the volume of the liquor traffic is
not one-twentieth as large now as it was
before the law. In more than three
lOufUuS u OuT SUdLc COuGdlhtuSo iuoAO tudu
three-fourths of our population an entire
generation has grown up never having
seen grog shop nor the effects
of one, the liquor traffic is prac-
tically unknown there. We had many
distilleries, several of which and two
breweries were in Portland; now there
is not a distillery or brewery in the state.
At the same time great quantities of
Vast India rum were imported, it came
to us by the cargo, many cargoes every
year; now not even puncheOn is i'm
ported and there has not been one i'm
ported for many years. Our people di-
rectly or indirectly save at least twenty
million dollars annually which but for
prohibition would be spent and wasted
in drink. l ask you frankly if you do
not consider such results OF prohibition
to indicate great success?
No, think it's a failure; I'm opposed
to prohibition and in favor Of license as
the best way of regulating and control
ing the liquor traffic.
But my friend, license does not and
never did regulate or control the liquor
traffic anywhere and never can do So
Under any form of license the volume of
the liquor traffic is not and never has
been diminished; the demand for liquor
is and always has been fully supplied
under license of any kind; and that's
free rum.