The Portland daily press., 1894-07-30
What Shall We Do About 1tq
, the Editor OF the Press:


appointed to that special duty, sworn to
it and paid for it, are not true to their
trust; that some of them are supposed to
have private relations with the vlolators
of the law whereby they receive large
sums of money on condition OF permission
to carry on the trade without Interrupt
tion. They say that this amounts to
license and the money SO paid ought to
go into the public treasury, and not into
individual pockets. They say that this
fight with the grog shops has been
very long one of which they can see no
end; that the rumsellers are too strong
for us; that it is better for the communi-
ty to surrender to them, hauling down
the Maine law flag and accepting license
as wise compromise with the evil.
Some respectable men are of this opinion
which they have recently adopted; hav-
ing been hitherto supposed to be friends
of prohibition. Let US for moment
consider it.
Why did the people Of Maine forty
three years ago, outlaw the liquor traffic
and put it into the list OF forbidden
trades? Because it was inconsistent with
the public welfare. Its direct and lnevl-
table tendency is to impoyerish and pau
perize the people. More than three
fourths of the paupers and more than
three fourths Of the crimes came directly
from the rum shops. 1t is OF the high
est Importance to the pubic. GOOD that
our people should be sober, industrious,
fY,1
homes: with families we'll cared for
with children carefully educated SO as TO
be good citizens; useful, honored MEM
bers of society, bearing their full share
of public burdens, contributing their
full share to the public welfare. The
drink shops antagonlzed all this; all
their influence was inevitably in the d.
rection of everything bad. Men under it
were soon disinclined to steady, honest
industry and by and by became untitled
for it, They became untitled for self
support and with their families became
a burden upon the sober, Industrious
part OF. the community; and their child
rem grew up with no proper educatlon,
being fitted only to be paupers IN their
gerous classes of society. No good OF
whatever kind even in homeopathic
proportions ever did or ever can come
from the rum shops: their lnnuence is
always bad; nothing else i'll the world
can be worse; a large proportion or
everything that's bad OF what
ever name has it's origin there. They
are the loungiug places of the idle. dis
solute, profigate, degraded victims OF
the drink shop; and the rendezvous of
thieves, tramps, robbers, burglars, in
cendiaries, murderers. There is nothing
about them that is not hostile to every
public. social and private interest, they
antagonize everything that's good and
are the prolific hot-bed of everything
that's bad. If l have overstated or ex-
aggerated in my views of the place
which the drink shops occupy in society,
will some one kindly point it out.
It was in view of all this and great
deal more that | have not mentioned,
that the people Of Maine. forty three years
ago, by a very large majority put prohi-
bition of drinking houses and tipping
shopsn into their statute books, and in
1884 put it into the constitution by
majority of three to one. When the
Maine Law was first enacted our State
was the poorest in the Union. now. it is
one of the most prosperous. Mr.. Blaine
at great public meeting in our City
Hall in the Garfield Campaign, declared
tito be the most prosperous ofsall our
States Our people do not spend their
wages for drink as they did in the old
rum times, wasting in that way the
value of all our property IN every period
of twenty years as the nation is now do
ing in every period of thirty-five years.
The law is not we'll enforced-people
say. After fight with the grog shops
of forty three years, there. should be
not one remaining now, and that seems
to show clearly, they think, that they
cannot be extinguished by law. 1t does
not show that the policy OF prohibition
is unwise. On the contrary, even the i'm
perfect enforcement of it clearly proves
beyond possibility of doubt that it is in
the highest interest of the State and
people. Many persons suppose there is
special difficulty in the suppression of
the liquor traffic. That is a mistake;
there is no crime that can be so easily
suppressed as this, by law properly
drawn to meet the case. A few amend
ments to the law as it now stands would
shut up every rum shop with no resort
to the courts.
BY what rule is it that law makers
license some trades and forbid others?
1t is this.only. Gam bling houses? Does
more good than evil come from them?
Far more evil than good; then forbid
them. Gun powder? Many evils and
dangers come from it; but it is a neces-
sity. Then by law reduce the evils and
dangers as much as possible, then license
it. Drink shops? No good whatever
comes from them, but more evils of
of mischief; they infiict more mischief
upon the State and more misery,
wretchedness and ruin upon the people
than do all other causes com bined of
whatever name. If this be true where
is the intelligent man and good citizen.
who wishes them to be permitted to
carry on their work of destruction in So
ciety?
So great is the evil coming from the
drink shops that the policy of their sup
preston has become burning question
in all English speaking countries of the
world. The British Government has
now committed itself ssto the policy of
conceding to the.people the right of d.
rect vote, yes or no, on the issue of IL
sense in their several localities.
In Canada West there has been a
plebiscite on the question of prohibition
which was approved by a majority of
$4,000 votes. Several Bishops of the
Catholic Church have recently issued
decree to the effect that those of their
disciples who persist in the liquor traffic
shall be cut off from the church, and
this decision has been approved by the
Legate of the Pope to whom an appeal
was made. 1t seems to me that no right
thinking man can consent for any con-
sideration to any compromise whatever,
with sin, shame and crime