The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-24
THE FATHER OF THE MAINE Law.
Absolute Prohibition Urged b. Gen. Appleton
Long nrcrore Ncni DOv's Day.

Gen. Neal Dow OF Maine was so persistent
ana vigorous IA fighter for prohibition That OF
Inte years his reputation has ovcrshad"Scd
that of many other earnest workers In the cause,
ana people have especially overlooked the work
OF the real fGthcr of the Maine Liquor law and
perhaps the earliest public advocate In this
country OF tho principle OF prohipitloh' "rn.
James Appleton, who was born nj Ipswich,
Mass, in 1856, and died there in 1862. This
mas been the case to such an extent that in tho
official report of the Centennial Temper IcG
Convention held in Philadelphia in 1880 Ia
volume of about $50 pages entitled "one Hun
drcd Years of Temperance" and meant 10 be II
complete history of the temperance movement
IN TINS country no mention was made OF Gen.
Appleton. The omission stirred Gen. Apple
tons son to action, and he hunted up tho records
in the matter.
Zen. Appleton won his military title by lead
ing a regiment Of Federal soldiers against Eng
land in thu war of 1912. Later he settled near
Marblchcad, Mass, and soon became absorbed
in the anti-slavcry movement and the suppress.
sion of the liquor traffic. His convictions upon
the liquor question came upon him rs II sudden
TeNClatiUn-so he declared to his f~amily-whilO
no was listening to an earnest debate in tho
Massachusetts, Legislature in 1881. Doubtful
whether the public mind was ready for the most
radical measure, he prepared a petition to The
Massachusetts Legislature praying that the sale
of liquor in any quantity less than thirty gal.
Ions should be forbidden by law. There was no
effort to conceal the hope of the petitioner that
the proposed limitation would take from most
people all chance to get drunk. The petition
awuko at once the opposition of the temperance
people. and it was denounced in print by the
Rev. Mr.. Hildrcth, agent for the Massachusetts
Temperance Society, and others. Mr.. Hildrcth
declared in the salem .lfcrcdrV of Feb. IL,
1857, that he could not determine whether The
Dttltlun MAS thg work OF friends ar enemies nf
the temperance cause. Gen. Appleton an
swcrcd his critics III letters, in one OF which.
printed i'll the Salem gazette. Feb. -. 1882. he
first proposed an absolutely prohibitiyc law.
1t Is upon these letters and the petition which
and family. base their assertion that he was tho
first man, in this country to publicly advocate
ture Of ardent spirits. The petition failed for
want OF signatures, and no action was taken
pnH@ q ID to p that f3H otSSa e. Iya SdiiF iisn; F ARTIIs,S%n
Me-. where he lived for twenty years. In
1896 he was elected Il member OF the Maine
came to him of putting into official form his
ideas upon the liquor traffic, when a petition
joint committee of the two houses, Of which he
vas made Chairman, The report made by
Appleton, and in it ali the that he
had urged five years before were repeated. The
report was in favor Of a prohibitive law with.
gcsted in 1887 the law which was enacted in
lS3l through the efforts of Neal Dow and his
In ",Applcton's Cyclopedia of American BioG.
rapny" Gen. Appleton is called a Temperance
set forth thus: BY his speeches and publica.
tions he exercised great influence upon public
opinion inavor of abolition and total ubsti-
nrncc. In his report to the Maine Legislature
in 1897 he was the first to cXpound the princi.
pie embodied in the Maine law" In the sketch
Of the life of ten. Neal Dow in the same work
this passage occurs:
'iIc lGen. bowl became the champion of the
project for the prohibition of the liquor traffic,
which was first advocated by James Appleton
in his report to the Maine Legislature in 1887.
and in various speeches while a member of that
body. Through Mr.. bows efforts while he was
Mayor lOf Portland the Maine Liquor law pro-
hibiting under severe penalties the sale OF in
toxiclting beverages was passed in 1851"