The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-12-01
PROHIBITION POINTS
ENFORCEMENT OF TIE LAW IN
MAINE.
Drinking Dininished-V~ry Strong Tssfi-
noony TO This Eh-ct Cited by scum
Carolina Prohtoitton3st.

DT1NklnR SN-S-S
nony to This Ef~cv cited by South
Carolina Prohtbittonise.
To the Editor OF The Register:
Nv attention has been called 10 your
editorial OF October 29 criticislng the
enforcement CT the prohibiiory lsw OF
Maine, bssing your comments on the
case of the snail town OF Calais, on
the S.. Croix river, which IS the ooun
dsrv line between Maine aad New
Brunswick. and would naturally seem
TO be q very suitable place Tor the
whiskey dealers 20 select from whica
TO conduct their lawless assaults upon
the laws Of Maine 1t is alleged that
there s,e places CT Illicit tr2ffic IN his
small town, which the efforts of the
ieaeuers (prohibitioniSts] are being put
forth to suppress, and this is your
text from which to proclaim that
Prohibition doesn't prohibit.
Admitting, for the time, the truth OF
the statement respecting this Town Of
Calais, let US see how it affects the
real question at issue, which is: Does
the prohibition OF the liquor traffic IL
Maine diminish drinking, aoa in
crease the prosperity and happiness o.
the people who live under It's opera
tion2
No intelligent advacste of prohi5i
ton would contend thatit ever did or
ever can an0ihilAte the traffic and Tue
results flowing from it, fer as long as
there are men bent on the Indulgence
of their appstites. there will De tounc
men who will assume the risk o.
violatins any law waicl prohlolLS
these indulgeDces All that should ce
reasonably claimed for such laws IS
that they diminish crime and wrong,
improve the morals aud promote the
prosperity and happiness Of the GEO
pie to a degree which proves tha; they
are desirable as q part Of the system
of laws of every community which
seeks to make progress II civilization
Thst prohibition reslly eHeclS this
result is beyond question il tbs tes;i
monY of those VINO are IN the best
position to know, is to &c received
and it is to sons poipte5 testimony OF
this character that I wish ;" refer you
and your readers. Tae difficulty eX
perience is il cor6ensing trom the
vast volume Of testimony on this SUB
ject, without transcendi1g the limits
of an article like this
SOME STRONG TESTIMONY.
First, the governors Of Maine, for
more thsn quarter OF q century
have. without exception, 5orne wit
ness to the decrease IN the coasump
ton of LIQUOR and the elimination CT
crime and other evils flowing from
drink, as well as to the material i'm
proyenent Of the people OF that state
under prohibition.
Governor Chamberlain (lS72) says:
''The (prohibition) laN is IS well
executed in the state as any other
criminal law"
Governor Perham C1S72) says: 81
think il safe to say that the volume Of
the liquor trade is very much less
than before the enactment OF the law,
probably not more than one tenth as
large"
Governor Dipgley QS71 says: "In
more than three fourtns OF the state,
particularly in the rural sections,
open dram shops are almost unknown
and secret sales are comparatively
rare"
Governor Conner QS76) says:
''Maine has fixed conclusion on this
subject.
Governor Robie (1Ss5) says: 'Crimi-
nal statistics show that the law has
been beneficial in restraining crime. )"
Governor BodwelI (1SS7) says: In
from three forHths to four 6fths Of the
towns of the state the law is well en-
forced and has practically abolished
the sale of spirituous and malt liquors
as beverages.
Governor Marble QSSS) says: "Pro.
hibition has closed every distillery aad
brewery in Maine. The law has great
" diminished the sale and use OF in
toxicating liquors"
Hon. Jas. G.. Blaine, whose testi
mony as that Of an astute politician,
should have great weight. said IN
QSS2: "Intemperance has steadily de-
creased in Maine since the first enact.
ment of the prohibitory law, until
now it can be said with truth, that
there is no equal number OF people IN
the anglo saxon world, among whom
80 small an amount of intoxicating
liquor is consumed as among the IN.
haoitants of Maine"
Senator VIM. P. Fry 1S90) says:
s'To6ay the country portions Of the
state are absolutely free from the sales
of liquor. Poverty is comparatively
unknown, and in some Of the counties
the isils have been without occupants
for years at time. The law is not
failure, it has been on the other hand
wonderful success"
Senator Hale IS90) says: 1.-The
Maine people believe in prohibition De
cause they are every day witnesses to
its good effects :"
President William W; hyde OF
Bowdoin college says: 1--WE believe
in it (prohibitioD). for ourselves, and
we wish that wherever conditions
similar to those incur own stste exists,
those states may experience its bene
fits"
Hannibal Hamlin ex-vice president
of the United States, says: In the
great good produced by the prohibi
tory liquor law of Maine, no man can
doubt who has seen the results. Il
has been OF immense value
And the late Gen. Neal Dow, father
Of the prohibition movement and au
thor of the Maine law, IN report
made to the royal commission on the
liquor traffic in Montreal, bore this
testimony to the conditions past and
e1is,ilg in Maine:
II suppose there vas no state IN the
Union where more liquor was com
suned in proportion TO he population
than in Maine. That arose very largely
from the fact of two great industries
being carried on there-one beng the
lumb ber trade, and the other the fsh
cries. The lumbermen we're employ ed
in the woods during winter cutting