Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1900-06-15
The Local Option Question.
Ministers Of the Gospel Report Upon the
Operations Of the Prohibition Lao
in Maine.

| 4HF. AuttO u0 0tubC VI uAoiuO 10 tuC
mother Of prohibition legislation. Before
replying to several recent communications
it would be we'll for the people OF this
county to know from the highest authority
just what success law similar to our own
has met with after trial OF over forty years
in that State. The New York EVening Post
of May 91st publishes the following:
STATE BROUGHT INTO CONTEMPT.
The whole country is so much interested
in the never ending discussion Of the liquor
problem that the success or failure OF any
system in one State deserves attention in all
the rest. The confessed breakdown Of the
prohibitory law in Maine is therefore mat
ter OF national concern.
For years past it has been growing more
and more plain that public sentiment In
Maine does not sustain the policy Of forbid
ding the sale of liquor in every place, large
or small, but never before has there been so
frank and authoritative demonstration OF
the fact as has now been made at Lewiston.
This is one of the chief cities In Maine, while
Auburn, which is Just across the Ahdroscog.
gin River, has halt as large population.
Together they contained In 1890 nearly
5000 people, and the number must have
increased materially during the decade.
There are manufacturing Industries OF vari.
Gus sorts in each, which attract foreigners,
particularly French Canadians; but there
are also an excellent school system, col.
lege and theological seminary bates Col
lege and Cobb Divinity School in Lewston),
and good press. In short, the two places
combined should furnish a fair test OF any
experiment with the liquor problem.
Some time ago committee OF prominent
citizens, with the Rev. G. A. Knickerbocker
as chairman, was appointed to investigate
the enforcement of the prohibition law In
the county, and particularly In lts CHIEF
city. This committee submitted its report
at a recent public meeting, and most ex'
traordinarY statement 1t was Prof. Purln-
ton, of Cobb Divinity School, had made a
personal investigation Of the liquor business
and other kinds Of lawlessness in Lewiston,
and he had reduced the results TO figures.
There are 261 stores OF various sorts on the
streets of Lewiston, and 1903, or more than
one-third OF these, are either liquor saloons
or restaurants where "hard drinks" are sold,
In addition to which are the hotels. In
other words, to quote Prof Purinton, "the
city supports 100 liquor dives when we are
able to maintain only 16l other stores, which
furnish all the various commodities of lite."
This, it must be understood, is for popula
ton of only about $4,000 people, or 10000
in the two cities il every Auburn man who
"wants drink" should patronize Lewis
ton saloon.
More astonishing than this large number
of places for the sale of liquor, In State
where such sale is prohibited by the Consti-
tuition as well as the statutes, is the open
ness with which the law is violated. When
Prof Purinton went TO the city marshal
with the results oil his Investigation, he found
to his surprise that this official was 10 iull
possession of the facts. Indeed, the marshal
volunteered to show him list OF saloons
prepared by the county attorney which con.
tanned ninety names OF places where hard
liquors are sold on the business streets of
Lewiston. To satisfy himself that neither
the clerical nor the official Investigator had
made any mistake, Prof. Purinton visited
some of the saloons himself one Saturday
evening and purchased several bottles OF
whiskeY. THE shops were open to all, he
reported. MANY young men were loahng
around the bar in each place visited" In
most cases the front room as one enters Is
| devoted TO the sale OF tobacco, and there are
swinging doors TO u back room, in which
beer and ale are on draught under the bar,
| LIQUORS of various kinds on shelves behind II.
There is perfect understanding between
the lawbreakers and the officials whose
business il is to enforce the law. When
Prof Purinton went TO the Mayor, "he en-
| tirely ignored the matter" The city mar
shal told him that he did not interfere with
| the liquor business, but left 1t 10 the county
officers. The twenty four police ofncers
| knew of the places, but did not modest them.
| This seems not strange when we learn that
| one of the force last year LETT saloon when
| he BECAME policeman, that one oil the city
constables was a saloon keeper, and that an
ex captain OF the police force is now tend
| ing bar. The relations which exist were
| clearly shown when one Tumseller, who had
been subjected 10 an unexpected raid, SAID :
"What are you doing this forP The city
marshal said If | would close up Sundays
and at ten o'clock evenings, that would
not be raided"
| A system has grown up by which liquor.
sellers are fined pretty regularly sums which
amount in q tWelvemonth 10 the equivalent
of moderate license fee. The Rev. MIR.
Knickerbocker took the names of fifty, near.
by all of whom had been in the business fol-
years, and found that thirty nine appeared
on the court docket at least once, and many
more than once, Tor the four terms OF court
during 1899. There were 1872 complaints
and indictments, but 1l3 were not pressed,
| or were otherwise brushed aside, leaving an
average Of less than two effective counts 10 a
man. The fines imposed upon the thirty
nine in these sixty nine cases for the year
averaged 1894, and not one was kept out oil
business Tor day by the legal proceedings.
Such u showing would be shocking II It
| were peculiar TO single city. In point Of
fact, ESSENTIALLY the same conditions exist in
every large place in Maine. Speaking OF
| Androscoggin county, Mr.. Knickerbocker
concluded that "Lhe policy OF the court and
| of the officers, is not one OF repression, not
one OF enforcement OF law but simply one
whereby creditable amount oil revenue
may be secured TO the county" Moreover,
this policy ls general throughout the State,
as is proved by the fact that in some coun.
| ties no raids are made, either by the local
officers or the county officers, but every year
the liquor dealers are "Tounded up" and
made 10 pay fine, which in one county
amounts ON the average 10 $3.50 year.
| This method Mr.. KnckerbOcker character
| lied as surely more economical than the one
| which Is pursued in Androscoggin county,
| and as securing tue desired end without
friction. The whole judiciary Of the State
co-operates in this notification OF the law
"Practicaly every one of the Judges" said
the Rev. J. s. Durkee, "interprets the law
in regulatiye sense, and not in a prOhibi-
tive" Imprisonment for liquor-selling being
very rare, even ia the case OF the worst
offenders
The policy thus set forth, upon the evl
dence OF men whose testimony cannot be
questioned, "is bringing our grand Old State
into contempt abroad, and into civic paTaiy'
sis at home" TO quote the words OF the Rev.
Mr. Knickerbocker. Speaking with iuIl
knowledge of the disgraceiul conditions
which now prevail throughout Maine, he
declared that "rescue is possible only as a
ouickened public conscience and enllghten
, ed zeal cleanse this law in its entorcement,oi
in the name Of outraged order and decencY
and forgotten God, wipe II of the statute
books" Long experience has shown ina
! the former OF these alternatives cannot bt
reached but there ought 10 be enough com
mon sense 10 abate crying scandal BY
substituting for an unavoidable prohlbitioI
policy a system OF regulation which can De
enforced.
, The conditions which are shown BY the
foregoing 10 obtain 10 the State oil Maine arr
similar 70 those existing 10 other prohibition