The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-03-02

workings of prohibition which he does
not believe are successful and amused
the House with some personal reminis-
cences. He said
remember an experience of mine In
perlenee because it occurred at Repu D.
lican convention. A party of us, all
good Repu blicans, concluded. alas! That
we wanted drink. SO we kstepped IN at
hotel and asked the way to the bar;
arrived there we asked the gentleman
behind the bar il he had any good whls-
key. l remember the incident partlcu-
larly because of his reply. He said, well,
we've got some pretty good cooking
whiskey." And that's what 1t was.
Now as to Bath, know something my
self. If we take the authority of the po-
lice there are seventy-two saloons IN
town. They say that before the depu-
ties were appointed there were only htty.
But this may be jealousy. Solet US sup
pose there are now only fifty places
where you can obtain drink. rms Is
certainly bad enough in city OF less
than nine thousand inhabitants. Is tn
condition of things in Bath ex ceptional?
Now it is sometimes claimed that the
law is fully enforced in the country dis
tricts. l submit that there is some proof
here that such is not the case. l shall
not, however, say anything Of the muir
ders which are committed in the country
and which if youswill notice are usually
caused by bad whiskey or hard cider.
1t is the cities that | am after. Over
nine hundred licenses! OF course that
does not include all. because an uncer-
tain nun Der of dealers sell without a
United States license But that is one
to every seven hundred of the population
of Maine. Now / believe that the num-
Der of saloons allowed in Boston is one
to every two thousand, or it may be to
every one thousand of the population,
! will not undertake to say which from
memory. But under the terms of the
Norwegian law now before the Massachu-
setts legislature there would be- but one
license allowed for every two thousand
people.
General Thomas W. Hyde, who has
served as president of the Senate, is, as
you know, an able man and good Re-
publican. He served two consecutive
terms as Mayor of Bath at one time. The
first term he trIed to shut up everything.
He told me himself that the condition
Of things was worse during that term
than during his second year, when he
recognized the existence of the dealers,
and imposed on them certain regulations
to which they agreed. Now in the face
of this condition of things do you mean
to tell me that / am an enemy of temper
ance, and an agent of rum selling because
call for something better? All, my
friends, the enemy. 1t is under your law
that all this drunkenness and democrat
iZatiOn occurs.
"Do I propose to take prohibition
away from those who really want it? No.
Do propose general license law? mo.
And right here want to say that | am
opposed to license in the usual accepta-
tion of the term In a nut shell, SO fal
as it can be compressed in a nut shell,
my plants ombination of local option,
with the principle of the Norwegian
law. Why, because it is the only way
in my judgment in which two ends can
be reached, that must be reached before
an approximately satisfactory solution
of the problem is arrived at. These two
endslare, first the elimination of private
gain from the liquor traffic. Second,
the removal of the rum power from poll
tics. / assert that prohibition has ut
terly failed to ACCOMPLISH these aims.
Would the Norwegian law accomplish
it? What is it? 1t is impossible for me
on this floor to go into an extended ex-
position of the system, but in substance
the law provides that a company shall
be granted a monopoly of the right Of
selling liquor, and that after fxed
rate of interest on the capital invested is
deducted, the balance of the profit shall
be applied to objects of general public
benefit and utility.
III would permit communities to choose
either the Norwegian law, or prohibi
tion. WHAT is there revolutionary in that!
II town will not vote for prohibi
in local election, how can it possibly
be enforced in that town. Are you afraid
that they won't vote that way? But il
the community syoted against prohibit
ton would have the sale compulsory
under the Norwegian law. Needless Etc
say I would have every sort of alcoholic
liquor included in the monopoly. ~
would have the supervision the strictes'
that could be devised. / would have the
number of places at which temperance
drinks could he obtained large. The
number of places where liquor could be
obtained small Certainly not one il
every one hundred and fifty or five hun
dred, as now. If that be treason, make
the most of it. MY friends from thu
country districts, keep prohibition ifssyor
want TO, and can enforce it. but let us
of the cities, drag this serpent out of the
darkness of hell into the light of God'l
day, where we can gag it if not strange
it. But. my friends why are you afrai(
to submit this question to the people,
If they should reaffirm their confidence
i'll the law by an increased vote, it would
bury such sceptios as |, and you prohibit
tionists and your dearest foes, the liquor
sellers, would hold high carniva
throughout the State. They would &C
on selling the vilest stuff to be had, an6
you continuing your sporadic outbursts
of Indignation at your mass meetings
which never amounted to a row of DiuS