The Portland daily press., 1899-09-27


whose influence IL constantly against law
and order ara, the liqnar sellers, the nm
fHithtul officers, tina hypocrites. and the
indifferent, those who are so engrossed
In caring for self they have no time on
inclinstion 90 be IN any dssres thsiI
problem Is we are fsa from being dis-
Outraged. Our faith is strong In the ui-
innate triumph of our cause. Prohibitions
Is the settled policy of Maine.
The opponents OF prohibition sometimes
quGts statistics TO prove theirs Is more
rrdfne In prohibition tnan in license
states. I reslizC the liapiiity of nnfair-
ness In statistical proof, get l am ten, pted
20 make statement which will In some
degree offset Declarations made against
prohibition.
November 90. 1898, there were bshind
prison bars In Maine 64i people; the same
date In Massachusetts thsre were 7.451;
licensed Massachusetts,, SO prisoners for
every 10000 population prohibition
1fsine 10 prisoner 10 every 10000 pepu-
1ation; and we should here take into
confederation the fact when counting the
prisoners In Maine ut the close OF the year
We oount over and over those who II they
lived in Massacb nsetts would have been
hanged instead Of imprisoned for life.
Let us renewedly thank God that In our
State we do not license the sale of that
which makes murderers nd then hang
the fnurderers. l rejoice always that we
long ago abolished capital puuishm ent.
One form OF license which Is receiving
the approval Of some really well inten-
toned people is the dispensary system
such as 10 now in operation In South
Carolina. A few years ago the same
people-thongh some of them IN ay be
honestly searching for something better
than neutrality-suspicious. tina Norwe-
gtan plan, but that seems to have given
place I'm their minds 10 tho dispensary
SUSTAIN. Under this systsm the liquor
business Is carried on by the state through
what Is called q State Board of Control.
Counties that do not want a dIspansary
have the privilege of voting II out. Some
Idea OF its value as Temperance meas
ure may be gathered from the FAST that
there were
Five DRY COUNTIES
under the old local option law whers now
there are but two under the dispsnsary
law. The tendency of the dipsensary
keepers is to push the sale of tine goods
the same as any other legitimate business
might be pushed, for 1t 10 by this law
made Legitimate. and is digniaed by be-
ing carried on by the State. The man
who sells the liquor has the right TO
claim that he As law abiding oitizen q,
while the liqnor seller In the prohibition
states Is a criminal under the law OF the
state. and Is SO regarded by most people.
Statistics go to show that under the
dispensary law in South Carolina the
sale of distilled liquors has almost
ldoubled, while there has been q slight
decrease in the sale of fermented liquors
Moreover there Is difficulty in enforcing
the dtpsenEary law and there are large
numbers who sell liquors without any
dispsnsary licsnse. Let ms repeat the
NJ fant 81 III l..
whether under the name of Norwegian.
dispensary, high license. or mulct law
are harder to enforce than arc the pro-
visions of a
CLEAR CUT PRoHIBITORY Law.
Let us continue to believe and to pro-
claim that prohibition is right, that 1t
has blessed our State, and that we will
use our utmost endeavors to secure It's
strict and impartial enforcement.
1 am glad That we have decided to ask
the first Maine legislature OF the new
century for the
FULL BALLOT FOR WOMEN.
We have reasonable right TO think
that If the proper Influences are brought
to lear the question may be submitted to
the people. for it would require consti-
tu-tional amendment to give women in
Maine the fun ballot Once submitted
there would come great agitation, full
discussion and wide education upon the
subject. All of this we invite for we are
sure that the statement made In report
on the Judiciary Committee of the Forty
eighth in Congress of which Thomas b.
Heed was chairman, bearing upon WON
ans suffrage Ia sound logic.
Eve conclude then, every reason which
| in this country bestows the ballot upon
man Is equally applicable to tns proposi-
tion to hestow the ballot upon woman,
that in our Judgment there is no founda-
tion for the fear that woman will thereby
leeome untitled for all the duties she has
hitherto performed"
This has bssn u most sventful year.
The shallow of war still rests upon US.
hut we are eomfortsd by tne proceedings
and the spirit of the remarkable
PEACE CONFERENCE AT TIKI
HAGUE
and while we can but deeply deplore that
the story of-war will blot the last page OF
lthis cantury's history we should gratefully
remember that this has besn the most
peaceful OF all centuries, and the prophe-
cy is already made that tho twentieth
century Will DO markedly one or peace
and good win and that .Christ's better
for all the world" Is has
tsning on.
As is well known the Womans Chris
tian Temperance Union Is established In
nearly fifty nations of the world. We are
well organized in Hawaii and in dine
time We hope to have our banner set up
in Cuba and the Philippines. sinosrely
wish that
CUBA AND THE PHILIPPINES
were today regarded and traA led alike by
our governments. ] am pleased TO believ G
that they are right who declare that the
Filipinos ARE as capable of self-govern
nent as the Guiana, and ! wish they
might hs given the opportunity of trying
| to prove this to be trua.
| j thank you for the promptness with
(which you have responded to the request
TO send petitions for the rejection or ex-
pulsion of Brigham H Roberts from the
Fifty -sixths Congress. One of our basic
principles Is purity. we therefore cannot
too loudly protest against the action of
Utah in chatting as a United States Con-
| gresham one who Is