The Portland daily press., 1900-09-29
A Large Prohibition
Meeting Held.
Grant Rogers Pays Respects to
Manley.


lOuS to see and hear Rev Samuel +.
Pearson the sheriff -eleot of Cumberland
county. The meeting had been advertised
by large posters, which concluded with
these words:
"All should avail themselves OF this
opportunity to hear the Rev. Samuel
Fearless Pearson, the Fighting Parson.
People drove in five or six miles from
the country about to attend the meeting.
1t was evident from the audience that
there was abundant interest in the per-
sonality and the cause of the Fighting
Parson. The opera house was filled with
an eager audience, who greeted Mr.. Pear
son with applause when he appeared.
Mr.. Benjamin f. Curtis" Honest Benz
they call him in Richmond-presided /:
and first of all introduced Rev Mr..
Hooper OF the Methodist church, who
offered prayer, especially asking help to
combat the enemy which threatened the
peace OF the homes of the land, and a
blessing on the sheriff-elect OF Cumber-
land county.
3 MIR Grant Rogers, prohibition candi-
date for Governor at the recent election
was next introduced. He was loudly
applauded as he began-as he described
Ito say something about the free coin
age OF drunkards. There were over one
million of drum kards in the country, and
yet this vast army of inebriates had not
been sufficient to awaken the masses Of
the nation to the evils Of the saloon
business.
Thanks to an awakened c Conscience the
prohiDi5iOnis6s had won a magnificent
victory in Cumberland county, and in
other places had aroused significant signs
OF disapproyal. So manifest had these
signs been that joe ManIey had rushed
into print to say that the law ought to
he enforced. Why had ne not said this
ten or twenty years agOf His was death
bed repentance with the repentance left
out. For 20 years the grand old prohibit
tory law had been prostituted, and Mr..
Manley had been silent. Now, to save
party control, he came forward with re-
pentan5 words. 1t was too thin, only
fit to catch gulls. Mr.. Manley had also
been converted to tax reform-a CONVEX
sion that must have brought a grim
smile to the features of Col Orrin Nc
tadden, and others whose Efforts in the
legislature last winter had been frOwned
down. This Saul-lfke conversion was
because there was unrest in the state, oe-
cause in Cumberland county the people
arose in the majesty and grandeur of
their manhood and elected Samuel +
Pearson, 1.-THE lighting pars0n. - sheriff
or Cumberland county cloud ap-
plause.)
Mr.. Pearson was next introduced. He
was received with loud applause, while
from mouth TO mouth in the audience
ran words like this; tIhat's the boy, -
Hes the man, etc.
He began very quietly, but soon de-
clared that he favored is to 1. Sixteen
votes for enforcing prohibition, to one
for re-submission. cloud applause
An issue much larger than the silver
question was the drink bill OF this ma
tion. For a single recent year the Statis-
tical Abstract showed 1t to be 81, 1872 -
649, oo2 Ten men, each working a hun
dred years. could not count that huge
sum If the dollars were piled up before
them. The whole gold and silver product
OF the country tor year wouldn't pay
the national liquor bill for fifteen
weeks
Here was involved great issue. This
issue had come to the front down in
Cumberland county.
Mr.. Pearson. speaking of the original
Maine law, said it was passed by a Wing
legislature, not by a Dempcratic Iegisla-
ture, as Mr.. Manley stated. Gov. Hub
bard, who signed it was Democrat.
In the, old rum days there was one
town In Cumberland county that drank
up It's valuation every eleven years
Ihis meant that the old farmers Of that
town every eleven years put down their
Threats all their lands, all their build
lngS. all their wagons, oil their Guilt
vators, all their horses, calves, sheep,
oxen ana COWS, hoots, horns, tails and
all. Cloud laughter
That town today is one of the qu1etest,
pleasantest ana most prosperous IN Cum
berland county. All that has been
brought about by enforced prohibition.
Mr.. Pearson said some ministers were
praying for God to come down and wipe
out the rum traffic. But that was not
Gods business He had put the power to
Go 1t into the hands of men, and they
should use it. The masses of men in both
OLD parties were right on this issue. But
they were held back by bread and butter
politicians But In Cum berland county
the people had broken their bonds, and
had driven the rumsellers into their
holes 1t was said that the new order of
things was going to ruin Portland and
Cumberland county. Now about $50, 600
a week were estimated TO go through the
saloons OF Portland. This came from the
widows and childr9n, and in going to the
saloons 1t was kept from the legitimate
merchants. And now they said: 'rhe
city is going to ruin because Pearson is
going to shut up the rum shops"
Mr. Pearson said he wanted to ruin
every saloon (Applause.)
The evening before he had been called
on by prominent physician who had
said very pOmpously;
Are these rumors truep"
Wha6 rumorsS was the reply.
That you are going to clean out the
drug stores'
What is your interest in the drug
storesP
81 have started two young men, lend
ing them $1,000. Ii they are cleaned out /
shall lose the money!
You mean, Doctor, that you have
started two young men in the rum busi-
ness; and If your are relying on their
rum trade for your money, / think can
promise to arrange that you shall lose
every cent you put in. (Applause)
One man complained to him that grass