The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-10-14

glad to relate my experience to any
sufferer '-MRs DELLA WATSON, 524
West 5th St, Cincinnati, Ohio.
bought. Soon he was elected captain of
that company, and afterwards became
chief of the fire department. In this po-
sition he was efficient, but gradually his
temperance work engrossed his attention
and he dropped the work of fireman.
Before speaking of the incidents of the
long and stormy war in the cause of pro-
hibition it is interesting to glance for a
moment at his peaceful domestic life. He
was married January 30, 1890. to Maria
Cornelia Durant Maynard of Boston. She
was grand niece of Cornelius Durant of
Scarboro. On the day of his marriage
they moved into the house on Congress
street, which he had built, in which they
lived during the days OF their married
life, and in which Mr.. Dow has died Mrs
Dow died January ID, 1888.
The Civil War for a time interferred
with General BOWS temperance work
and his participation in that struggle may
be noticed outside of its chronological or
der. He recruited the 18th Maine regi-
ment in the Gulf department under Gen
eral Butter. He was commissioned brig
adler general and commanded at Fort ST
Philip and Pensacola, Florida, and the
detences OF New Orleans. He was also at
the siege of Port Hudson. He was cap
tured IN this department, and was in a
rebel prison for nearly a year, most of
the time in Libby prison. He was at that
time man nearly SO years OF age. and
was looked upon as a sage by the young
men who made up the body of the officers
there confined. He was very outspoken
in contempt OF the rebels while in prison.
He also was very active, using every
means to preserve his health He would
often take long runs about the confined
quarters and would admonsh the younger
men to do the same in order to keep up
their strength He was finally exchanged
for General Fitz Hugh Lee, now our CON
sui general to Cuba.
OF course it is as the Father of Prohibi-
ton that General Dow will be known to
fame. His life was devoted to that one
idea. He was as active and earnest in
these later years, and to this generation,
as he was in the second decade of the cen
tuary to a generation that have long since
been gathered to their graves. His first
temperance speech Of any importance
seems to have been in a meeting of the
old Deluge engine company in 1927, when
he successfully cOmbatted a proposition
to have the usual liquors on an annver-
sary occasion. He became secretary of
the Portland Temperance Society, and in
1888 was secretary of the Cumberland
county temperance society. He was also
a prominent member of the Maine State
Union. Before this in 1929 he had made
strong temperance speech before the
Maine Charitable Mechanics Association,
and had also advocated the abolition
of the custom then in vogue among
employers of giving their employees
rum, and the other custom, which now
seems SO curious, of ringing the town bell
at / a. m. and p. m, to notify laborers
that the time for drinking had come. In
these early years, with WilliamW. Thomas
and others he organized the Young Mem S
Total Abstinence Society of Portland.
In 1889 he appeared before the board OF
aldermen to oppose the granting of
licenses, and succeeded in having the
question submitted to the people. AT
first license was victorious, but in two OF
three years no license people carried the
city.
Before this time Mr.. Dow had become
firmly impressed with the idea that the
liquor traffic could be stamped out by
Legislative enactment. He began to make
tours over the State, often going in the
dead of winter to advocate the cause. Mr.
George Shirley, one of his companions on
these trips, has written an interesting &C
count of them. 1t was before the days of
railroads, and Mr. Dow travelled in his
sleigh. ITO protect us from the cold, -
Mr.. Shirley says, 'we had each of us a
pair of buffalo boots with the hair all on,
having very long leggings. This with
two OF three buffalo robes constituted our
winter equipment, and when John T.
Walton was with us we had an extra seat.
In this way we visited almost every town
in the western part of the State; some
times suffering bitterly from the severe
cold, bat always cheered by the good that
was accomplished On Thursday, the
Walton and the writer in Mr.. Dow S
II. c. Barnes, in a single sleigh, started
for tour in Oxford county. We held
two meetings in Standish, one in Stan
dish schoolhouse at Quaker Brook settle
ment. | was sent to the schoolhouse
Great enthusiasm prevailed and II signed
the pledge. Missiles were thrown against
the building and as we adjourned the
door was tied on the outside. On Friday
afternoon and evening we held meetings
in Rev. Noah Emerson meeting house at
Baldwin. We had a large attendance.
The people came from the surrounding
towns with four horse teams and hayracks
with seats in them, and with cold water
banners floating at the masthead. x i
At all these meetings, if there were any
rumsellers in the town, we obtained theil
names, boldly called them out publicly
and warned the people against them and
their pernicious traffic. Some of our ex-
cursions in mid winter, with the Their
mometer ten or twenty degrees below
zero, were very trying. When stopping
over night, in private families, we had
the best rooms, but no fire in them.
remember we'll after going home from g
meeting in Canton, we suffered great