The Portland daily press., 1896-01-13
PALMER SHOE CO. PALMER SHOE CO. PALMER SHOE co.,

to make money. Money making is their
one great object, and they can be sup
pressed only by an aroused moral senti-
nent on the part of the people. Who
will say that this dangerous class of
men, so hard hearted, SO reckless of re-
suits shall be considered? You took up
your daily paper and read of the horrible
death of an entire family in Lynn, too
drunk to escape. You read of the shoot
ing of father by his son, and you only
read what you had been reading for
years, and as you did you wonder that
such things do not excite general indig-
nation and a general determination that
the saloons must shut down? I argue
that the saloon is the create st enemy we
haye to encounter in this country.
But what of Maine? More than 40
years ago the first Maine law was enact
ed, and at nearly it not quite every
election since then, an attempt has been
made to change the law, but it still
stands, because
THE PEOPLE ARE FOR IT
when it comes to vote. The farmers
know that it is necessary for their pros
perity. Every man who remembers the
Maine law of 40 years ago knows how
great is the change that has taken place.
Then there was every indication OF pow
erty. There were the old and run down
harness tied up with strings, the rickety
old wagon in the yard, the old hats in
the windows; but this was when people
spent all thay could earn, except Just
enough to keep them from starvation, for
rum. And now look at this the first of
all the Now England states. Ride
through Maine and see the comfortable,
even elegant farm houses, mark the we'll
kept farms, on every hand the evidence
of thrift and comfort. listen to the sound
OF the piano within the farm houses and
notice the well dressed school children.
The failure of the prohibitory law even
in Portland Is very much less than has
been represented. The farmers of the
state are determined to keep the law, and
they will keep it no matter what the peo-
pie in the cities may think, and they will
keep 1t by electing members of the leQis-
lature who will make sure that it is not
disturbed. The saloons must be swept
from Maine, just as gambling houses
must be swept away, or other forms of
vice. Now this being the situation, and
prohibition being the settled policy of
The state Of Maine, with no possibility of
change in our generation, it seems to
me to be the duty of every good citizen
to help IN the execution Of the law.
Not by
TRADUCING THE OFFICERS OF
THE LAW;
not by fault-tinding, mostly baseless
not by alleging bride taking, when we
have not particle of evidence of any
thing Of the sort, but by giving them
our individual support, and this it
seems to me- is especially the duty of the
ministers who know to what degree
the saloons retard the progress Of re-
ligion.
The saloons are evil and those who
conduct them are bound closely together
Ii they believed that this prohibitory
law is half executed, and better for them
than high license law they would he
the strongest, because the most deeply
interested advocates for it's retention.
But the fact that they are to man in
favor Of the license system, is proof
that that system works we'll for them,
and badly for us. The saloon is the great
corrupting influence in American poll
tics, and to take it out of politics it
must be suppressed, and the voice OF the
people should be for its instant suppress
sion. You can not name social vice
th at is not dependent upon this central
vi ce.
After speaking of some of the local eff
fests Of intomperance, DR.. Dalton said in
conclusion: II believe that every right
minded man and woman will say that
the saloon is curse, and that the Ameri-
can people will not rest until this great
evil is eradicated.n