The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-10
NEAL DOW AND HIS LAW.
THE LAST INTERVIEW WITH THB
ADVOCATE OF PROHIBITION.

ne Looked BACK with Satisfaction Upon His
Fight or Forty-soven Y~esrs-The Law =
Success, re said. Though Dorective-His
View OF Prohibition's Benenta in Maine.
BosToN, Oct. 9.-what was probably the
last interview between Neal Dow and n news
paper man occurred last summer. Until now
nothing has been printed about II. Gen. Dow
was confined TO the house, and, indeed, almost
TO his bed from then until tho day OF his death.
Tho prohibition Of tho sale and smanufacturo
of intoxicating liquors had been advocated by
him for forty.seven years, and he looked back
on what he and his coadjutors had done with
feelings Of satisfaction, limited only by the re-
Election that tho sale of liquor has not been en-
tircly stopped in the State of Maine. Gen.
Dow said that there would not DO n drop OF
liquor made or sold in this country II the
church members did their duty and voted
against the traffic as strongly as they talked
against it. A year or two ago he created a sem
sation at a Methodist camp meeting In Massar
chusctts by declaring that 1t was the church peo-
pie of this country who were responsible Tor q
continuance OF tho liquor traffic rather than
the men engaged in it. IF all the church
mcmbcrs.'' he said, ''would vote and work for
prohibition, the liquor business would be driven
out of existence; but this they will not do,sand
they continue to vote with either the Republic
can or the Democratic party, and as the managers
of both these parties 'are irretrievably pledged
to encourage the liquor interests as a matter OF
political necessity, there is nothing to be hoped
for in either Of these directions"
For the reason that tho church people will
not cut loose from the old parties and vote 40
their convictions indicated. he said. he did not
hold membership in any church organization
and would not. SO long as the church members
professed to be against the liquor traffic and at
the same time voted to continue 1t.
When Gen. Dow was asked IL he knew that
liquor, was being sold openly right in his owl.
city OF fPT fno% it, he b saif I t fSSEiIfst the evil has been
reduced to the minimum, and, it is not the fault
e q 4 ne ps e1,ffTs Of IN the s 1aT or st t hl l tSSt if Sss b bsss
I$ %Ssn i; = a , success ST but sa r i + not S6T Po5Ei s ai,t ,..
ZANE ia Is5 ipte %Sss he in w ths &Rssde df po %GEs%ep e.
crnmcnt IN a lucrative office. The man had a
large family, and, in the main, was q good pro-
Continued s spree during Which he would neg
lcct both his business and his family. Finally
Wife came to Gen. Dow and told him that she
had been to the saloon keepers to ask them not
the principal offender lad refused to stop sell
ing to him; Gen. Dow agreed to see the saloon
This man" said Gen. Dow, treated me with
money to. the city for the ply ilc$e Of selling
liquor and that he would continue to sell i t9
| INC IMAM uItltT CONCENTRATION ND OHk III IC lhu
him. he said VIVA, became Of the mans family;
him that If it were possible ! would stop the
sale ale of liquor in the State s,s of M laaianGi not ,nrf only by by
right there and then to do it.
81 began making temperance e, , speeches &C h1s,,a and
but l drove all through the State. addressing
the people on the subject and getting recruits
year. ISL, we had aroused such "a public feel:
ing on the matter in the, state that two days
SSisTs ahe witt hfs's a prGhiS Sh2SSFhSSial % Hnd Te get Il L
passed by both branches. The bin passed the
S Ts,s g, By % e 10 v GS, Of II Iid to n i9 9 9eiat the mI He etTort Sy ia a
the matter; and although many, attempts were
m ha to hay haze !; the ssa law yt,o repealed pes neon 1ne Fad were TaS
nearly thirty,three years Of prchibitory law,
hihitory amendment TO the state Constitution,
1893 SOME people here thought that the law had
become 20 mnsay3Ty that tt the "a G'n end asn b to the
Gratis adopted n liquor policy in the State cleo.
Choosing ms's thi elstilSH Senator'S Sns aer a ahs Isl RsSrPRRs spr OF
sentatiyes to the State Legislature. The DEM
ce edo in M eicctins but live REPRESENTATIVE " u
,s "Bc fore. the pr ,hi i 1;S,,, Mas enacted pa N;sin in
and of these two were located in Portland. Now
there is not q distillory or a brewery in the en-.
has to be smuggled in. 1t is not too much to
say, that not onc.hundredth as much liquor is
the prohibitqry law Went into effect; and mis-.
law is still defective in many ways. for when u
man is convicted of selling liquor the Judges
have considerable. latitude in imposing sem
tence. and no doubt there are some Judges on
the bench who have been elected by the liquor
influence for the very purpose OF i%nticting light
fines or suspcnding sentences. AS | drew the
original law, the Judges had no discretion in
the matter, but were Obliged TO sentence a con-
victed rumseller to both fine and imprison-
ment. Before the .prohibitory law went into
effect the State of Maine was the poorest State
IN the Union. We now have over 100000
population, and although as regards population
Ohio and Illinois are over five times as large us
we are, we have twice US many savings banks
as these two States, and IL the money in tho
savings banks in all three OF the States was TO
be divided pro rata, each person in Ohio would
receive So. in Illinois 90, while in Maine he
would, receive about $40. Prohibition is win
ming ali the time and the outlook in this state
is most hopeful"