The Portland daily press., 1892-08-30


decrease of $780, OF the total number,
4519, 1876, or So per cent of them were in
the building trades. Evidently the calam-
ity that was to follow the Mckinley bill
has not yet put in an appearance in the
Empire state. ~
Mondays Argus published the follow
ing statement from Sheriff Cram: as9
PORTLAND, Aug. ~
To the Editor of the Argus:
IN your issue OF august 70, statemients are az.
West Baldwin, August "a, in which, among
other things, he accuses me of relaxing in the
enforcement of the liquor law for the purpose OF
securing votes, and asserts that beer is sold
openly in Portland.
wish to declare these and all other similar
statements, which have recently from time to
time appeared i'll your columns, unqualifedly
false.
not only deny the truth of all such state
ments, but l challenge any person to prove
them, and furthermore, ] will pay one hundred
dollars to you or Col; Bradbury for. SUFFICIENT
evidence to convict any person of keeping g
place in Portland where beer, or any other kind
OF intoxicating drink is SOll openly in violation
of the laws of Maine
LEANDER E. DRAM.
In its head line the Argus calls this a
pCCulldi otdlolAolit aAu Soi1AinOAlS on
it as follows:
Here is a chance to earn more or less hon
est, though undeniably dirty, penny. There are
many men in Portland cogniZant OF the facts in
the case. But the Argus peremptorily declines
TO take upon itself any part of the duties which
the sheriff Of Cumberland. county is to
perform. Mr. Grants challenge is one very
easy to make. He knows that few men whose
evidence would have weight in a court OF Jus
tice. care to become informers, or willingly give
%aaf ftryan no
sity--men perjure themselves every term of
court rather than give evidence to convict in
liquor cases. Those less scrupulous in regard
of securing the promised reward. 1t is not easy
to convict man where politics enter into the
case.
Now there are more than forty men
in this town who can interest themselves
in furnishing proof of the open or secret
violation of the liquor law without maxi
ing themselves ''informers'' in the Often
sive sense of the word. These people
are the Hon. Darius H. Ingraham, Mayor
of Portland, whose duty it is under the
statutes of the State, ito make complaint
and prosecute all vlolators of this chap
ter [chap. 81, relating to the liquor lawl
and promptly enforce the law against
drinking houses Mr.. George L. SWEET.
the city marshal, whose duties are pre-
scribed by the ordinances of the city to
be ito notice all offences against the law.
to be vigilant and active in detecting any
violation or breach of any law or city ordi-
nance, taking the names of the offenders,
to the end that they may be prosecuted;"
Mr.. Chase and Mr. McC allum, the deputy
marshals, whose duty it is ito endeayor
to prevent all disturbances and violations
of law, and to arrest and detain for fur
Their proceedings every person found by
them violating any of the laws of the
States" and some forty policemen, who
have all the powers of constables in Grim
inal matters-constables being officers
| one Of whose special duties it is to at
tend to violations of the liquor law.
Now Sheriff Cram invites all these peo-
ple-more than forty in number,-to
prove the assertion of Col. A. w. Brad
bury that beer is sold openly in Portland.
If the Argus and Col. Bradbury can
dodge Mr.. Grams demand for proof by
saying that to furnish it would make
them offensive reformers, these 40 people
cannot. Sheriff Grams challenge is adj
dressed as much to them as to the Argus
and Col. Bradbury. His language is II
challenge any person to prove this"
Now, Mr.. Ingraham, you have deliber-
ately made, in a public speech, substan-
TALLY the same charge that Col. Brad
bury made at Baldwin. You have al
| legged that there was no enforcement of
the liquor law in Portland, and that beer
was sold openly. Sheriff Cram asks you
to produce the proof. VIII you, like the
| Argus, reply that you cannot do it be-
cause it would make you an Offensive
| informer?" Will you undertake to say
that as Mayor of Portland, an office
which you voluntarily accepted and all
| whose duties you swore to perform-will
you undertake to say that you will not
| attempt to furnish evidence to convict
violators of the liquor law because it
would make you offensive to the rum
element? And if you do not undertake
to say that, what defence have you to
offer, if you refuse to furnish the proof
| which Sheriff Cram calls for and which
presumably you have, inasmuch as you
charged that liquor was sold openly in
| this town.
Sheriff Grams challenge is addressed
to you, too, Mr.. George L. SWEET.
Whether you have declared that liquor
| is openly sold in this town, and that the
Sheriff was not enforcing the liquor law,
we do not know. But you have suffered
those statements to be made in behalf of
| your candidacy for sheriff of Cumberland
county. Are you going to evade this
challenge by alleging that it would make
| you an offensive informer to furnish the
proof Sheriff Cram asks for? You are
the executive head of the police depart
ment of this city. You have sworn ito
notice all offences against the laws, to be
vigilant and active in detecting any vio-
| lation or breach of any law" When