The Portland daily press., 1895-06-24

having grown up there never having
seen saloon or the effects of one. The
traffic yet fingers on small sale and
more or less on the sly IN some of our
cities and larger, towns, favored by Ger.
tain defects in the law and by neglect of
duty of some of our officials charged with
its enforcement, for whom no penalties
are yet provided. All this will be corrected
some day by patience and perseverance,
by having our liquor law so amended as
to conform to the plain, imperative re-
quirement of the Constitution. An un-
successful attempt to accomplish that
was made at the legislature of 1895, when
the conditions were thought to be partic-
ularly favorable for it.
In preparation for the September
election of 1894 our friends, the Demo-
Gratis, wishing to recover their former
position as paramount in Maine. resolved
to declare themselves boldly to be the
conscientious enemies of prohibition and
the warm friends of license. They were
led to believe that a majority of our peo-
pie We're weary of seeing our streets with
out any adornment of the fiashy. attrac-
tive signs of saloons, and were fully pre-
pared to go back to the good old rum
times with busy grog shops in all our
avenues and wholesale liquor establish
ments at our prominent street corners.
Their campaign was active and earnest;
their most eloquent speakers were put
forward to show that licensed grog shops
were blessing to the community, and
would add greatly to the prosperity OF
the State When the election was over
they found that their patriotic and self
sacrificing endea vors were rewarded by
no member of the Senate and only five
representatives in House of Isl men,
bers Never before in any community
was there more crushing condemnation
of the. policy of legalized rumshops, a
more hearty approval Of the legal sup
preston of the saloon
We thought this particularly favorable
time to appeal to the legislature thus
elected, thus purified from any suspicion
of sympathy with grog shops, to give us
such amendments to our law as were alb
solutely necessary to the complete, final
extinction of the liquor traffic in Maine. |
The Constitution in the most emphatic |
and peremptory terms commands the leg
islature to do this It says:
The legislature shall enect laws with |
suitable penalties for the suppression. OF
the manufacture, sale and keeping for |
sale OF Intoxicating liquors.
The liquor law as it now stands is far |
from responding to that requirement..
With many petitions from all parts OF |
the State, we respectfully and earnestly |
prayed that such legislation be adopted as |
would respond to the spirit and letter of |
the organic law, but our petitions were |
coldly received and with no more favor |
than II they were praying for large sum |
from the State treasury to meet the ex-
pense of new flying machine intended |
for voyage to the moon.
But notwithstanding that'rebuff the i'm
perative command of the constitution will |
be respectfully responded to some day. |
The men and women now enlisted in |
the war against the grog shops have |
profound faith in the Importance of this |
undertaking and an unfiinching courage |
which will lead them to a triumphant |
victory over this 'giagntic crime of |
crimes. - NEAL DOW. |