The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-11-02
The Press and Banner.
BY HUGH WILSON.
Wednesday, Nov. 2, 1892
Prohibition in Maine.

careful peruSal or tnOSe Oh our, ieaoeA"
who may be fearful as to the results OF
a good law to prohibit the liquor traf-
fic. 1t is from the pen of General Nea!
Dow, gentleman of unquestlonable
integrity, and who is not only wholly
reliable but has the good fortune of be-
ing able to speak as an eye witness OF
long years standing, and who has the
real good of the masses of the people at
heart. His letter tells a very different
tale from the false representations
made by the liquor men as TO Inc
wholesome effects of the Maine law on
the State at large, and especially on
the rising generation.
The veteran champion Of the Maine
Law addresses the following letter to
the editor of the Edinburgh Ercni"g
Dispatch:
"SIR Il have just received a clip
ping from your issue of August II last,
treat ng on what purports to be the re-
suits of Prohibition in the State OF
Maine. 1t came t. me by the way OF
Los Angeles, California, quite on the
opposite side of the Globe, from the
famous old city of Edinburgh. VIII
YOU pardon me for saying that The
statements of the Nation of New York
as to affairs in Maine, from which you
quote, are as far from the facts as are
points on opposite sides Of the earth ?
/ have not the time to follow your AZ
ticle in detail from first to fast, nor is
it at all necessary to do so, because the
only point is this:
as the Matne law in Maine q failure
as the friends of the liquor traffic al
firm, or is it grand success, as its
friends declare it to be?
"At the time of the enactment of the
law Qs5l) there were probably no peo-
pie in this country WHO consumed
more strong drink than those of Maine
in proportion to their numbers now,
it is safe to say, there are no people in
the civilized world who consume so
little.
81. We had many distilleries in the
State making rum from molasses ;
some of them making whisky from
potatoes some of them making brandy
from apples, which are abundant in
Maine. Seven of these distilleries anu
two breweries we're in this city (Port-
land). Now there is not a distillery
or brewery in the State. nor has there
been one for many years.
80. At the same time great quantl-
ties of rum came to us from the West
India Islands. 1t came to us by the
cargo, many cargoes every year There
was large and regular trade with
these islands Il great many ships Gu
gagged in it, carrying lumber, fish, and
hogshead slaves out, and bringing
back molasses to be made into rum,
and many cargoes of rum from Jamal-
ca. Santa Croix, and Cuba. Now there
Is not even one puncheon of rum ini-
ported, nor has there been one for
many years. All this rum, domestic
and imported, all this whiskey and
apple brandy was for home consump'
ton.
II. 1.-The result of all this upon our peo-
pie was that Maine was the poorest
State in the Union, consuming in
strong drink almost all the products Of
their two great industries the timber
trade and the fisheries. These were
upon a very large scale, far more so
than in any other of our States, and
almost all the returns for them were
poured down the throats ofour people
in the shape of Intoxicating liquor.
"3. Maine now is one CT the most
prosperous states in the Union. not en-
cepting the new States in the West,
which are increasing marvelously III
wealth. The whole face of our State
has been changed for the better, as the
result of the savings Of more than n
million dollars annually, which but
for Prohibition would be spent and
wasted in drink, as in the old time.
John Bright said-"If England could
put away the drink, it could no longer
be recognized as the same country"
Precisely that has happened to Maine.
"Liquors on the sly and in small
quantities are yet sold in our cities.
not in small towns and villages but
one million dollars annually will far
more than pay for all the liquor SNUG
gled into the State and sold in viola
tion of law.
1.-THE Liquor League in this country
have enormous funds with which to
subsidiZe the press, and to employ
writers to mislead public opinion as to
the actual results Of Prohibition. The
general press for some reason will ad-
init into it's columns little or nothing
to spread the truth before the people.
The liquor trade in this country is by
far larger than any other, and by far
more profitable. and it is unscrupuious
as to the means it employs to prolong
its existence. II has many able, active
agents in its employment to defend it