Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1897-11-19
w. c. T. u. COLUMN.
EDITED BY MRS. MARY K. oLMsTEAD.
Life Work of General Neal Dow, the
Great Prohibition Leader.


The late Gen. Neal Dow was born at
Portlane, Me-, on March 20, 1904, and
came OF Quaker parentage. During
his life he was an ardent advocate of
total abstinence and prohibition. lie
twice held the Office of mayor of his
native city and during the term of 1851
he drafted IA bill to prohibit the liquor
traffic, which is now known the world
oyer as the Maine law, and on his per-
sonal application to the legislature of
that year it was passed through all it's
stages in one day by majority of Is
to 10 in the senate and SO 70 40 in the
house, without change even of a word,
and took effect upon its approval by
the governor. Under TIN. law liq-
uors intended for unlawful sale are
coniiscated and destroyed, and those
who sell them fined and imprisoned,
and the places where they re kept or
sold are to be declared nuisances In
1854 prohibition was put into the con-
Stitution of the state by a maj rity of
1903, an affirmative vote beng three
times greater than the negative,
Gen. Dow visited England twice by
invitation of the United Kingdom Al
lance in aid of prohibition. No man
accomplished so much or gave mo,e
gratuitous service to the cause of total
abstinence. He was twice a member
of the legislature. He served through
out the war with distinction as a ma
jor general, commanding the Depart
meat of the Gulf, and was twice wound
ed and once taken prisoner lie raised
Tor the public service gainst the rebel
lion regiment of infantry of one
thousand men, and a battery Of artil-
lery of eight gun. and named the Off
GERS foI the whole regiment. On oc-
casiou of deccascd'> 9Oih birthday the
disciples Of prohibition all over the
American Union made grand demon
stration in his honor. The father Of
prohibition Is deceased was called,
was present on this occasion, at the
Portland demonstration.
John G. Wooley, the great temper
ance advocate, has this to say of the
dead statesman:
Meal Dow, Salute him, about to
live forever. When he saw the RICH,
he haled it without looking over his
shoulder, and while the whole world If
politics has been on It's knees to cxpe
diency, he has stood for righteousness:
without stop of any kind, and well
nigh without a sign of cneer, for sixty
years or more, answering and I'M
5 wervable. Like Washington, he served
his generation without pay, But I'll
not make that boast for him, for | Le-
lieve there is not Il man or woman %
Us all but would do the same thing. il
we could. He has been as gentle as
Lincoln; as persistent as Grant; a, clean
as Robert +, Lee, and as suborn as
Andrew jackson; praying laborer;
Quaker with pistol, and every inch a
man Upon the threshold of his polit-
zeal career he met truth, and espouscG
her then and there, and what he said
AZ their betrothal he stood TO-, Before
the ballot box he held her hand, and IN
the presence OF ali the people said,
with this ballot | thee wed. and with
all the rights, and powers, and digni-
lies Of my citizenship, the eu-Dow
This Is the foundation of his fame, he
welded truth, and from that moment
was never even suspected of political
lnohastity.'