The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-02-15
The Druggists.

To the Editor of the Press:
Every day feel more and more the
gravity of the situation, or rather as to
the situation as it would be on the pass
age of the Druggists bill. 1t strikes me
more seriously perhaps, from the fact
that two attempts have already been
made upon the legislature by the drng-
gists to obtain legal permission to sell
intoxicants. On the first occasion they
obtained | think twenty-four votes, on
the second attempt twenty one votes.
1 do not remember the character of
the bills they proposed. The refusal of
the legislature to entertain their project
did not turn at all upon the particulars
of their bill, but the fact that permission
to them to sell intoxicants would open
wide the door for universal sales of alco-
holics. On those occasions great efforts
were made by the druggists to carry their
point. They went to a prominent Demo-
GRAFT, member of the House, with an
earnest request that he would advocate
their project. His reply was very short
and emphatic. sYou go to -F' a
place not laid down on the map.
The druggist bill now before the legis-
lature is fraud. 1t proposes to restrict
the druggists to the sale of intoxicants
for medicinal purposes only, but it is
drawn with such skill as to throw open
the door to the free universal sale of al
coholics for any and every purpose.
Under that bill any one can apply Tor
liquor of any kind saying 1T is for medi-
cine and the druggist may freely sell 1t
whatever the character Of the applicant.
The bill forbids the sale of more than
a quart at any one time, but any man
NAV 60 with wheelbarrow to every
druggist shop ia any town and obtain the
quart, making in Portland twelve or
thirteen gallons and he can repeat that
process the next day and every day. the
bill iustifying the druggists in such sales
There is no way by which the druggists
NAV be made to answer for any violation
of the law however gross it may seem to
be. The sale of liquors on prescription
only would be of no value to them, the
amount is SO small.
The druggists bill is a direct blow at
prohibition. The temperance men aud
women of the state so regard it. Ihey
consider it as deliberate attempt of its
managers to break down the Maine Law.
The liquor leagues of the west have for
more than year been proclaiming their
purpose to do this. as necessary to the
safety of their trade and they have I'M
limited means in the way of money to
accomplish their purpose.
If the druggists bill becomes law-one
of two things will happen: either the
temperance men and women of the State
will become cowed and discouraged and
will give up their fight against the liquor
traffic, or they will be aroused to a strug-
gle with the authors of this great wrong,
and will speedily bring back the time
when no man could be elected IN Maine
unless he was an open and pronounced
enemy of the grog shops and TREND OF
prohibition.
There are many persons yet living VINO
remember when most prominent men In
this county were defeated because the
temperance men would not accept them.
remember the time when the political
managers would never make nominal
ton without first finding out whether
their proposed candidates would be ac-
ceptable to temperance men. | remem-
Der when three Democratic candidates
were defeated in this county, which had
Democratic majority of 1900 and three,
Wings were put in their place. The
Democrat who was reelected voted in
favor of the Maine law. / ask the men
who are pushing the druggists bill
whether they want over again those old
times? Three-fourths of the Republican
party are temperance men; don't wake
them up. NEAL Dow.