The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-17
Fully Agrees with Bishop Nelly.
Portland, Nov. IA. 1894.

PORTLAND, Nov. IA, 1894.
To the Editor of the Portland PRESS:
Dear Sir: Will you kindly allow me
space Tor few remarks upon the COM
munlcation from Neal Dow, in relation
to Bishop Neely's letter to MIR.
Blagden of Boston, published this
morning? Bishop Nicely wrote
the truth. as every fair minded
man in the State of Maine knows. There
is plenty of liquor and always has been
for those that want it-poor liquor, it's
true, caused by the gigantic farce called
prohibition law-and / have been in a
great number of our towns, and never
yet got into one where I could not pro-
cure it if I was SO disposed. Why, if
there are no ways for our people to get
intoxicants, and they do not use them,
is it that SO much money is paid into our
courts by both buyers and sellers of
liquor? Why is it that our little State
requires SO many sKeeley Curesn and
such like institutions? Mr.Dow claims
great deal because prohibition has
abolished distilIeries and breweries from
our State, and stopped the importation
of West India rum. Tt has not interfered
with the distilleries in Kentucky and
other States, and Maine imports as much
as is needed, and that is good deal.
Mr.. Dow's statements, while
not made with the intention to be un-
truthful, are in fact very much the re-
verse of the actual facts. $500. 900
would pay for all the liquor drank in the
State of Maine in a year" The city of
Portland's legitimate rumshop sells
about SIS. 600 worth in a year for medi-
cine.n MIR. Dow's figures for the State of
Maine WON'T pay Portland's drink bill,
and he ought to know it, His advice
to the Rev Bishop to go to some one
who knows for information before again
writing upon the bject of prohibition
he may well take to himself. III his
letter of today's issue actually tells
what he knows about prohibition and
It's effects upon our State he has been
but adult student of the times in which
we live. l am not drinking man, and
would like to see intoxlcation and it's
effects from all sources-done away
with. The so-called prohibition law has
made more drunkards in our State in
the last twenty years than anything else.
You can see more drunken men upon the
streets of Portland in days time than
upon the streets of Boston. Why? Be
cause In Boston the traffic In intoxicants
is legalized and protected, and a very
much better quality of drink is sold.
and people are more intelligent in their
manner of using liquor than the majority
OF our people. Intelligence and edrca-
tion will do more than all the prohibi-
tory laws in the world. Bishop Neely's
letter was the utterance of an honest,
God-fearing man and he spoke the truth,
and the actual facts in the. case are his
proof. Mr.. Dow is not competent to criti-
cize his remarks, for he is too "one-sidedn
to be just. His prohibition law, of which
he is so proud, has done more to injure
our State morally, intellectually and
financially than all other causes COM.
.biped. We're it put to vote tomorrow
Upon its own merits, not edged and
protected BY any party measures, it
would be swept from our statute book
at once. VERITAS