The Portland daily press., 1897-12-13

The debate on the pension bill was
made memorable by the efforts of Private
John Allen of Mississippi to make a seri
GUS speech. Private Allen, as he once
humorousiy styled himself has been in
Congress several terms, and is one of the
oldest members But he has been prac-
tically without influence in the House,
first because he rarely attended the ses-
sions of the House, and secondly, because
when he did appear it was generally to
make funny speech that would con-
vulse everyone with laughter and con
vince nobody. But this Congress Mr..
Allen determined to turn over new leaf
and join the number of the working
members of the House. He sought and
obtained place on the appropriations
committee, to which his years of service
seemed fairly to entitle him. When the
pension bill came up in his committee,
Private Allen sesmed to. be studiousay en-
deavoring to put himself into a serious
and practical mood. When it came the
turn of the Democratic members Of the
N~AAA4hietOO " 6ECtsA NO dEOS6, anu III "a
most sedate manner bsgan to speak He
did very well for about half an hour.
Then his old habits began to come back
on him, and he began to produce stories
from his inexhaustible stock. He said
that when he came up through Georgia
ne heard Of a prayer made by little
miss down there in the land where cotton
sells for less than COST. After praying
for her mother, father, little brother, the
heathen and others, she concluded as fol-
lows: "And now, dear Lord, please take
good care of yourself. For You and Me-
hiniey are the only ones we have to rely
on, and Mckinley does not seem to be do
ing much for u.s." In concluding, Pri-
vate Allen described himself as ardently
patriotic, and defied any "battle-scarred
sutler to arise and challenge the state
ment." The House laughed good hui
on both sides, without regard to
politics. Meanwhile Private Allen had
signslled failed to make serious speech,
and had relapsed into his previous con-
dition as a funny man.
Sheriff S. d. Plummer of Cumberland
county, is in Washington, stopping with
his family at the Normandie. The Wash
ington Post interviewed him, giving him
the title of Captain, and quoting him
as follows: "The people of Maine are
content to let their prohibition law stand.
and there isn't the slightest reason to
expect that they will ever vote for its re-
peal.
ITO claim, as has been often done. that
the Maine liquor law is failure, Is en-
tirely too sweeping an assertion, and ia
not borne out by the facts. The general
consensus of the people is that prohibits
ion has been OF immense benefit. There
is no such thing as perfect enforcement
of law anywhere, not matter what tbe
penalty for its violation may be. In the
smaller towns and more sparsely settled
districts of Maine, The prohibition statute
is more thoroughly enforced than in the
cities. In centres of population human
experience proves that absolute prohj-
ition of the sale of intoxicants is i'm
practicable. This has been the history of
our prohibitory law, and on the whole
the record is very satisfactory. Some
years ago the Democrats put rum plank
in their state platform, but it didn't
create any enthusiasm, and large per
cent Of leading Democrats openly ayowed
their opposition.
"There used to be tremendous amount
Of hard cider consumed down our way,