Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-12-26
Z correspondence.


GRovELAND. MASS, Dec. II. 1900
To the Editor of The american:
The wide spread and flesh discussion OF
the merits of license and probibi' ion moves
me to volunteer my opinions OF the Maine
law. My seven or more years of residence
| in Ellsworth and in Maine is my excuse
for expressing, perhaps unsought, some
practical thoughts.
| The existing liquor law OF Massachusetts
authorizes six or seven classes OF license
the inn keepers, the grocer's, the spothe
cary's, and SO Oh. But the open bar room
or saloon, with all kinds OF attractions. is
the curse and bane OF the present Massa-
| chusetts statutes.
| Now, ii seems to me that prohibition so
stringent as TO permit the grocer's license
only, and to rigidly confine the traffic in
| alcoholic drinks to sea ed packages OF
es-ayed purity, is a fair compromise. 1t is
utterly beyond the range OF the Maine law
or any other legislation to attempt to pre-
scribe personal habits, or to prescribe for
the individual. The sphere of moral
| suasion-the church, the school. the press
and the piatform-must be wholly de-
pc ded upon to nvert he individual to
| the practice OF the virtue of total absti-
hence. 1t is not within the power or the
province of legislation to regenerate the
human soul.
Is 1t not possible that the existing Maine
law is doomed, in some of the larger towns.
to record OF perpetual failure throug h
the very constitution Of human natnre7
Practically, in some of its requirements
it is little better than out and out paternsl-
ism. The legal device of the town liquor
agent is not pract caliy wise and good
scheme, as experience has amply proven.
The druggist is almost absolutely sure to
be better middle man for family pur-
chases OF liquors as medicines.
Can there not be better legislation? May
ii not be wise ana reasonable plan to
render new Maine law to provide for the
crea ion of non partizan board of county
license com M issioners, elected specifically
by the people. whose duty it shall be to
entertain and to act ON petitions signed by
not less than twenty five responsible citi-
zen voters, thus naming for their own
locality the grocer most fit to receive he
grocer's license for the sale of alcoholic
beverages? The grocers thus to receive
their licenses at the hand OF said county
commissioners are not to exceed one for
every thousand inha oitants OF a given
town or city. Each grocer may be re-
quired to give heavy bonds binding him to
sell alcoholic drinks in sealed packages
only or to deliver the same.
! The license fee need be nominal only; or.
on the principle of los license, under some
reasonable competition, in order to reduce
the motive to make larger or more profit
able sales than is sought in other lines OF
goods so kept in stock.
The chances are that the people every
where W no elect this method OF fighting
the open bar and the saloon, be it tippling
shop, or hotel bar, might form a solid
column of upright and downright leg al
prohibitionistsI The people acting mo e
unitedIy by this kind Of restriction on all
open drinking on the spot, will s. steadily
abdte, expel and destroy the greatest pres
ent Gu Sc OF the streets aud highways.
All this is directly within the sphere and
province Of legislation, Statute law can
remedy the excess or vice of the individual
in that which concerns his own body or
! person only. The eniighte ned state now
a days is agreed that the personal behavior
only is punis ha bic " hich curses, or wrongs,
or defiles, or disfigures, or destroys an
other, or the property of another.
Moderate drinking is not a punisha BILE
| vice by statute law. and 1t never can be
The saloon. on the other hand. Is steadily
growing to be a public nuisance The
time is coming when the people at large
will class the saioon-keeper with those
who minister socially to vice; and thus the
nuisance act " ill drive it off OF our high
ways and streets.
The attempt OF the prohibition sheriff
elect OF Cumberland county to enforce
the present NJ aine law up to the letter, is
not likely to succeed.
| And are there not some indications that
| the leaders Of the great political parties
wish to see Ito them) fanatical effort to
strictly enforce the Maine law here in the
| larger centers of our population?
So great is the gain everyw here OF the
sentiment favora bic TO local option, and so
much greater under local option is the
| chance OF non partizan expression OF the
people, that it is easy to see how the time
| may be near for revolutionary agitation
| throughout the state OF Maine of the value
of constitutional prohibition.
Is not the Maine law practically less use
Iui tnan the Dest possible legislation! Is
| it we'll to continue a judicial procedure
| W hich almost amounts to legal treason?
| Strict enforcement up to the letter means
wide-s spread controversy and division
| W hich it is fair to say, ought to prepare a
wiser and more practical fight for social
purity and civic virtue. We must arm
| ourselves anew " 18th the declaration that
vice and impurity and intemperance are
| involved in the indulgence Of the appetite
The moderate drinker transgresses the
4 law of moral purity whether he admits or
denies his moral fault. The vows of in
creasing numbers within the Roman
Catholic church touching the appetites, are
| most yirtuous An influential part of the
| Roman Catholic church in America to day
| is doing most exemplary work for the
puritan virtue of total abstinence.
Let all our Protestant churches note
well how the sincere Roman Catholic or
ganizes temperance effort and cultivates