The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-10-24
Prohibition State Strong in
Prohibition Sentiment.
The Law Is Enforced and Violations
Are an Exception.
what a Rhode Islander Who Had HIS
Eyes and Ears Open Tsstifes.
From an occa.ie nal Correspondent

fOld Pine State" i have been the
schiel amang them takin' notes. MY
inquiries and observations connrm me ~
Maine want q prohibitory law; not only
the best people OF the state, but the vast
majority Of them want II. The fact ana
the figures of the passage OF the prohlpi-
tory amendment to the State constitution
settle this matter. Not only the two
thirds of all the votes cast were for tne
amendment, but IL had an excess OF 40,
600 ballots. Yes, Maine people want ana
are determined to have, prohibition.
party Affiliations. And yet the Democrat
ic party in this State 10 out and out for
license regime. 1t flies that flag ana IS
working for 1t. The Republican party is
pronounced in favor and support OF the
law as 1t is. Its enforcemnt-in the
places have been through and others |
brought to my notice, In by the kepupi-
can Office holders.
And.(2) am confirm ed in the fact that
the prohibitory law In Maine does pro-
hibit: Think Not one brewery or oistn i.;n.
lery in the entire State. In the cities
the law Is not 30 we'll enforced; but, even
in them that law is "a well enforced a.
others on the code. The people say they
do not propose to erase this law from the
statute book because OF difficulty In en-
forcing IL, any more than to erase others
for exactly the same reason. But IL 10
not "easy to get liquors in the cities OF
Name" The traffic Is SO outlawed, the
rumseller such a pronounced criminal;
traffic, and the criminal standing OF the
olandestine yender of spirits Is so saiu-
tary to the morals OF the people-the ris-
ing race, especially, that only prohioition
will meet the demand OF the population
In villages, even large ones like houl-
ton, with 6OOO population, the law IL
well enforced. Here as throughout
Aroostook county, the violators OF the
law have little peace and are always con
scious of being "sbadowed." WITHIN
year past, in Houlton, 10 TO ~ places
nave been raided; the liquor confiscated
and the sellers heavily fined.
During the same period other places IN
the county have been raided and fines
imposed and received to the amount OF
tsOoO. The difficulty OF selling and the
heavy fines are such that invariably the
sellers do not go back to selling. Further,
Others do not succeed them. Hence, the
traffic is under such espionage in this vii
lage as in most others, that prohibition ~
q pronounced comparative success. 90
not give this data as something picked
up on the street or from partisans OF pro-
hibition. The town clerk (who Is also
treasurer) of Houlton, Mr.. NJ. NJ. Clark,
gave me this information:
"No one claiming respectabiiity 10 IN
the traffic anywhere in Maine. In the
jail-within a few blocks OF the NJ. II.
parsoraye in which this Is written-in
That js,.'is a vender of spirits. under SEN
tence 90 her crime-a woman oy me name
kfDsx kbis-Frenchn. The town clerk says
she tg a specimen OF the kind OF people
sho are SO low-down as to sell liquor, or
Try to. and while her face Is hard and re-
voting. her garb is utterly disgusting.
the clerk ordered better clothing Tor her.
What the matron found on her was
greasy (male style) jacket, grimy skirt,
a ragged, reekingly dirty skirt. Under
this skirt shes had on mans pair OF
pants On her feet she had a mans socks
and rubbers full OF vents and holes
When tho prohibitory law so largely
banishes drink from the State. drives II
to the very slums, and so blackens the
traffic as criminal that only bestial men
and women dare to violate the law, then
1t may be settled as beyond controversy
that "Prohibit1on In Maine does pro
hibIt.o
To further demonstrste the above, and
to give your readers spicy episode,
will relate my trip to the boundary iin'
between the United States and Canada
After completing the ride to the line,
fsw miles out from Houlton, We alighted
While examining the post Tan iron one
running 10 feet into the ground) tha
marks the boundary, q young man CANT
out from the store. He was pleassn
enough until he lost sight OF my friend
Rev. Fred White, when he demanded t'
know: "Where is that other man?', ant
grew stormy and threatening. 81 an
not going to have any prowling aroun'
my buildngs.n We assured him he hat
no reason for his alarm and excitement
But as he continued, we told him tha
sshis suspicion of US made us Suspicion
OF him" that she had let the cat out o
the bag; had contraband material, etc.
When he finally asked us IN to get
drink we said: "No, but you as good a
told us you had rum here by the way yo
acted AS we drove away an older maj
came out, who poured billingsgate upol
u.s. and doubtless threats which we coul
not hear. / was told that often, by con
certed action of United states and Cana
da officers, the place is raided and cleane
out. Being on the very border the rur
can be rolled from one country TO tn
other in 8 hort order. This also show
how hot the law makes it for rumsellers
II is certainly a .'terror to evil doers.
NThe magistrate holdeth not the swor
(of prohibitiou) in vain."
And when all the men in Office dare
do their sworn duty throughout thi
State Il will be well-nigh impossible fo
any man or woman to violate the Law
More, when the people get so free froi
blind devotion to party that they VIII eles
only men who can be relied on, and II
lied on because they are known as III
compromisingly In favor OF the law an
it's vigorous impartial enforcement, the
even a grander era will come for 'prohib
tion that prohibits. And certainly Go
did not break the pattern when he mac
Neal Dow, and there must be abundant
of such men to put into Office for the q,
ecution of SO grand a law as Maine no
| has. GEO. W. ANDERSON.
Houlton, Me-. Oct. 10, 1895.