The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1901-02-22

has been good, but In the larger cities IL
has and you must all admit 10 been a
failure. IL msttsrs not what this person
or that parson says about his town. We
know what is true OF the Queen City and
other Maine cities We have, since the
firtt OF this year, had a sheriff In Cum
berland who Is said TO be enforcing the
law. What is the RESULT The business
has been driven 10 Commercial street, to
Fore STREET and similar localities.
1t is by education and not by prohibit
ton that we are to accomplish our pur-
pose. We have the demand for intoxicat-
ina liquors here audit DOES no good to
whip the rumseller. Make 1t imnossible
for the son TO take the first drink with
out running the gauntlet OF his father,
his mt Their or his sweetheart. Ii he has
to go In whsre one or the other Of them
is liable to pass and see him taking that
glass OF liquor he Ism . SO liable ID do 1t.
But by driving the traffic into the quar-.
tiers mer TONED he finds what he Is sItsr
and that in ssnlusion, where his family
are net liable to know what he 10 doing.
Mr. Hersev then read names OF promi-
nent men on various petitions and
pointsd oct that while they signed these
petitions for submission It must not be
underftood tnst them we're In sympathy
with the rumseilers. They were opposed
to the workings OF the present law and
desired to work for the goal OF tsmper-
nnce under some ether system.
j. ii. Nor tyomery, Esq, of Camden,
eaio tast he had been asked { . present
the reasons of the eighty-two petitioners
IN that town. This question has been Of
ten nresen ted to me in my experience.
Camden people have been DESTROYS 20 en-
foros the present law, They have organ
Izsd and expended money in the attempt
need net say 1t has been a failure No
one familiar with the conditions there
and in other large towns Will question
that it has been failure. In that village
today are six as open bars as can be found
in Msine-not because bars are not open
In Maine, but because you have to go
around one or two more corners to find
them. Now that is the condition. l see
before me today my old schooiInRte Will
bur +. berry, sincere, honest, devoted to
his aims. And on the otner hand. his
brother living in Camden is petitioner
for submission, and he is an equally
good citizen. What does this Indicate?
1t may be that we need discussion OF this
question. There's seem to be an earnest
desire on the part or business men who
think that our present system causes
hypocrisy and crime, and the seeking Of
seolusion and darkness--but not so much
so that people know that they do it-in
view of these things many OF the busi-
ness men desire resuhmission. 1t viii
lead TO discussion and viii be followed
by a verdict of the people to which we
shall all cheerfulIy bow.
When 1t came to the presentation of the
case OF the remonstrAnts, Rev. Wilbur
r. Berry said that It was the desire OF
the temperance forces that Mrs. Stevens
conduct their side OF the hearing. Mrs.
Stevens said she would not at this time
make remarks, but would first Introduce
u. A. Caine the head of the order OF
Good Templars in the state. Mr.. Game
said he represented ntne thousand men,
bers OF his order. He said he wouldn't
admit the statements OF the first speaker |
that the prohibitory law was failure.
1t was not. The gentleman said tines
were piling up we'll and good, somebody |
was getting fined. He said that there
were rot mountains OF petitions. There
were about 600 names and 1900 OF them |
were rumEellers. lie had charged that |
dealers were selling Sl.2O whisKey foe
"a 90 per gal lon Well, he had seen men
get as drunk on 81 90 as he had on 81 %.
The gentleman had said that 1t was
hard on the drug stores and hotels. Per-
haps 1t was, He didn't believe you could
have made the hotel men OF Augusta be-
lieve that last night. Every hotel was
solid full and he had no doubt that there
were many occupants of the hotels IN
the same condition.
The speaker and Mr.. Kelley of the COM
mittee became entangled in rather a
v arm discussion,
"Why don't you close the rumshops?'
faid MIR. Kelley.
"Why don't your retored MIR. Game.
'Becauss I'm afraid to and SO are
you.
Cheers came from the gallery for
which MIR. Caine thanked the gallery,
but said he preferred Kisses, because the
later made him mad. ~ will tell you,
sir, that 1 have closed rnmshops, " said
Mr. Caine.
AT ahout this point Chairman Stearns
interposed with the remark that he
didn't want any of the speakers to be-
come engaged in controversy with men,
bers of tue committee.
WELL" shouted the chief templar,
you'll have to keep him still then"
A few moments later, while Mr.. Game =
WAS calling attention to che fact that !.
there we're no signs on rumshops in
Maine, no distilleries, no breweries, Mr..
Kelley challenged again,
"No breweries in Mainep" he asked.
mo. sir.''
Don't you know that there are seven !,
brewers hcsnses taken In MaineP'
Yes, sir, but there are 1000 retail
liquor licenses held in Maine, but they