The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-06-27
Opens The Prohibition Campaign at
- Cumberland Centre.
Says the Sheriff Does
Not Enforce Law.
But He viii Enforce Itif He is
Elected to the Office.

Rev. s. +. Pearson opened the Prohi-
billion campaign last night at Cumber-
land Centre. Mr.. Pearson Is the Prohi.
bition candidate for sheriff of Cumber-
land county and he found waiting him In
Union hall, at Cumberland Centre, fully
200 people. MIR. Pearson was warmly
greeted and spoke for an hour and half,
co nfiding him self mostly to the prohibit
tory enforcement In the city of Portland.
lie began by saying that he proposed to
tell the facts of the present situation hon
lestly, fearlessly and without fear OF be-
ing disputed in regard to them. He made
no claim of being a politician. For 70
years he has devoted his life to the SER
vice of God and to temperance work
among the poor and needy Of Portland.
lie said that ne was speaking In conser-
yative manner when he said that fully
SO per cent of the suffering and misery
in Portland can be.traced to use Of intoxi-
eating liquor. He said that his political
platform was the enforcement of the pro-
hibitory law. In Portland the law Is not
| enforced, but it can be enforced God
helping men and the voters permitting,
land county after December 3ist next, "
said Mr.. Pearson.
He said that we are on the eve OF a ma
tional election. In this, one of the great
issues was to be the financial policy of
the government. Should IL be geld or
silver CURRENCY "rhere is an issue great
er than this, however, said Mr.. Pearson.
ut is an issue greater than this coun-
try has faced since the days OF slavery,
and that is the suppression Of the liquor
traffic. Consider the enorinity OF the
money wasted and worse than wasted
in the drinking of liquor. The country s
drink bill last year YVES one billion and
seventy million of dollars. The gold
coinage for this same period would not
pay the nations drink bill Tor six weeks
All the silver produced in Shis country
for like period would not pay this
drink bill six months. In 10 months the
nations drink bill would pay the In
debtedness of two wars, all OF the out
standing obligations of the government
and leave u surplus OF nearly three and
a half million of dollars. "Ihis is the
issue then and not the contest between
silver and gold" said Mr.. Pearson.
The speaker then went on to review
the history of the prohibitory move
ment in Maine and showed that the sher-
III OF Cumberland county by the existing
law has all the law necessary TO totally
suppress the liquor business in this
county lis it necessary for candidate
for sheriff of Cumberland county to
spend between six and twelve thousand
dollars TO be nominated and elecsedg'
said MIR. Pearson. ''Is it necessary for an
honest man to spend mt least 5000 to
get an office, the Legitimate salary OF
which is less than $500. The State of
Maine pays for the pri nting of the votes,
why should the sheriff put out more
money than the county attorney or the
state senators to be elected? But he does,
and have this statement from excellent
authority. The present sheriff of Cumber-
land county openly violates his oath OF
ofiics every day. You will hear IL said
that the law cannot be enforced but
will tell you of two shsriffs at least who
did enforce the law. One of these was
Eben n. Perry, and the other was Lean
der L. Cram. Mr.. Cram executed the
duties of his office SO faithfully that it
was known all over New England. j
didn't vote for him on the first election
but after his first term in Office | saw
Mr. Cram and asked him II he intended
to enforce the law in his second term IL
he was elected HI told me that he did
intend to do so and 1 voted for him and
worked for him. He was endorsed by
the Prohibition party by vote Of VI out
of 60, and he was elected by a very
small majority which the Prohibitionists
gave him. We never regretted that we
helped elect him, for he honestly admin
istered the law.
Is Oren Il. Despeaux doing thisY / am
not speaking of Mr.. Despeaux as man,
but as the sheriff OF this county whose
public acts l have right to criticize.
When he was chosen for sheriff he was
no stranger to the people OF this county.
For 10 years he had been a deputy
sheriff in Brunswick and during his adj
ADMINISTRATION there the rum shops were
quadrupled in number.
We are told that prohibition does not
prohibit. The law prohibits murder,
but we have murders in this county.
1t prohibits stealing, but people steal.
Prohibition will, il properly enforced
prohibit to a like degree the sale OF
liquor. Let me give you some facts to
prove this assertion. Leander Cram was
inaugurated as sheriff January /, 1891.
The year previous TO this there had been
946 arrests for drunkenness in Port
land, but the first year of his administra-
tion the number OF arrests fer drunken
ness fell oil to 843. The second year,
2l9 persons were arrested for drunken
ness out of a population of more than
4 40 600 1han Samuel u Rlnmmar Was