Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-06-04
Held Crowds Of Temperance
Workers on Sunday
Who Gave Gen. Neal Dow Most
Enthusiastic Greeting.
He ssys Liquor Traffic Exists by Permission
Of Church Members.

was greeted by 900 enthusiastic admirers
at the International Temperance Congress,
which opens here today. He occupied an
armchair at the right of the presiding officer
during the morning, afternoon and evening
sessions, and showed by his quick appre-
citation of points and of speakers that his
mind is undimmed by the 80 years that
have passed over him.
Prominent speakers and prohibition work
ers from many states and from abroad were
present. Gov. Tillman of South Carolina
arrived during the afternoon session and
was given a seat on the platform. At the
morning session VIM. T. Wardwell of New
York presided. Rev. d. S. Gregory, d.
D., led the devotional service. Col.
Alex S. Bacon, president of the
Sunday Observance Society, Brook
lyn, delivered an address of welcome.
Addresses cong-atulating Gen. Dow on
happily passing the ooh milestone were
made by Aaron NJ. Powell, editor of the
National Temperance Advocate: Prof.
Samuel Dickie, chairman of the national
Prohibition party; Susan E. Fessenden and
Mrs. Ellen j. Phinney of the w. C. T. L.;
Hon. Samuel ID. Hastings of Wisconsin,
and C. A. Everett of St. John, N. B.
Gen. Dow made brief response, telling
how thoroughly he appreciated the kind
words of his friends, and the encourage.
ment they gave him in the work of his life.
Gen. Wager Swayne presided at the after
noon session.
Rev. Father Niles of Poughkeepsie was
the first speaker. He was followed by Jo-
seph Cook of Boston. DR.. Cook said {:
THE House of Lords, Mr.. Gladstone says,
must be amended or ended. The liquor
sffic, this convention says, must be
ended, because it cannot be mended. My
conviction is that this will be the keynote
of the 20th century. The work of Neal
Dow has led to this. He has fought good
fight, and even at 80 has not run his course.
The truth that Maine has been transformed
through the efforts of Neal Dow travels
slowly, but the lie that the Maine liquor law
is failure travels with seven league boots"
He told of what Neal Dow had done in his
own state and reviewed the progress made
by prohibition in the past 60 years. AT the
present time, he said, woman's vote is
everywhere dreaded by the saloon element
as an ally of prohibition. He was loudly
applauded when he alluded to equal suf.
frage, but qualified his utterance by saying
if women would favor the reading test for
suffrage, and fine for neglect to vote, he
would be with them.
He described the position of prohibition
in politics by telling the story of the dog
that was told to roll over and was promised
a cracker if he did the trick well. He
rolled over and over and then was not given
the cracker. DR.. Cook said the time had
at last come when Prohibitionists will turn
over no longer at the beck of politicians.
Col. Alexander Bacon said the object of
the present congress was to unite the lead
ing workers of all nations and creeds in one
grand movement for the suppression of the
liquor traffic. Rev. DR.. b. B. Tyler of
New York read formal congratulatory ad-
dress to Gen. Neal Dow, signed by the
heads of the prohibition and temperance
movement in this country and Canada.
Gen. Dow was given the Chautauqua sa-
lutte when he rose to reply. During the
first two or three sentences his voice trem-
bled with emotion, then grew steadier and
was clear and emphatic when he dwelt on
what had been accomplished since he took
up the temperance work. He said in sub.
stance 81 don't feel that 1 have accom-
plished anything that entities me to the
honor done me today. No words can ex-
press the gratitude l feel for what has been
done here. Perhaps it is best l
should tell of some of the work
done and the importance of work yet to be
done. No question before the people of
this country or any country is so great as
the liquor question. Strange as it may
seem, there are many prominent men, many
men of enlightenment, education and un-
derstanding who know nothing about the
work of prohibition. | was once handed a
slip from a newspaper which announced
that Goodwin Smith had said prohibition
was failure in Maine. My reply to that
was that 1 hoped Goodwin Smith did not
make such statement, for the reason that
it was not true. So far from
being failure in Maine prohibi-
ton has been very great success.
At one time we had great many brewer
les and distilleries in Maine. There is not
one now, and there has not been one in
many years. In Portland alone there were
seven distilleries. None now At one time
cargoes of Jamaica rum were imported into
the State. None now. It's true liquor, in
small quantities, is smuggled over the
boundary. Liquor is not openly sold, and
hui q uuHuEcutu pait dS HluCu IS COHsuHleu
in the State as before the law was passed.
The remedy for consumption that will cure
80 cases in 100 cannot be called a failure.
Applause. An entire generation has
grown up among three-quarters of our
people that has not seen grog shop nor a
drunken man. Speaking of other states,
he said great progress had been made in
many places where no liquor was sold owing
to local option laws. Continuing he said
1.-THE liquor traffic has existed so years by
permission of Christian churches. Their
members are master of the situation
When they say go and vote, .go,' the
saloon will CO." Applause
At the evening session, Gen. Thomas l..
James Of New York presided. There were
addresses by Alexander Russell Webb of
the Mahommedan church and Father
Murphy of the Roman Catholic church of
Canada.
An address to Neal Dow was read by
Rev. DR.. Tyler. The speaker said the ad-
dress was in the name of more than 700
leaders and of numerous tenn:
perance societies represented in the call for