Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-05-19
w. G. T. u. COLUMN.
"DOES PROHIBITION PROHIBIT?"

teal listener must have concluded
that it did-at least in Maine.
The meeting was held under the
auspices of the Minnehaha club, pro-
hibition club of the city, and was pre-
sided over by Oliver W. Stewart,
chairman of the National Prohibition
Central Committee, who delivered
brief address of telling points, then
introduced the Rev. Samuel F. Pear
son, the preacher sheriff. of Cum
berland county, of which Portland is
the county seat.
Mr.. Pearson has held the office of
sh eriff only fourteen months and in
that time has closed four hundred
saloons, sixty -one of these being closed
on the first day of Office. The speaker
declared that for thirty-two years he
had voted for prohibition. For seven
years he made his own ballot, and
voted for Neal Dow as mayor. When
the clerk held up the ballot to scorn,
and amid the jeers of the onlookers,
labeled it scattering" Mr.. Pearson
thank ed him and replied, eyes, that
vote is going to scatter the last saloon
in Portland"-and it has!
When he accepted the nomination,
Mr.. Parsons wife was lying at the
point of death, and only the stirring
voice of conscience kept him from
saying, 81 pray thee, have me ex-
cused." During her husbands candi-
dacy, Mrs. Pearson revived sufficient
ly to leave her bed and become deeply
interested in the campaign, but lived
J only to see him elected. Very
pathetic was the scene he described
as he hurried from the courthouse,
Of office, to the side of his dying wife.
Scarce strength enough was left to
her to take his hand and whisper, "Be
good sheriff; close the rum shops"
prohibition will prohibit with the
right power back of it," asserted Mr..
Pearson. This assertion he fastened
to prove with illustrations. Before
Maine had prohibition, there were
only five savings banks in the state
with deposit of 500, 900; now there
are fifty seven savings banks, twenty
seven trust companies and twenty-five
building and loan associations, with
capital of $113, 100000. Fifty years
ago last July, the Maine law was
passed. eff fifty years of this kind of
prosperity will not satisfy the people
as to the value of prohibition, they
will never be satisfied. Four fifths of
Name is as clear of Intoxicating liquor
as this PLATFORM" said Mr.. Pearson,
"nay, cleaner, for have two sample
bottles here!"
In a recent great Sunday school
rally, he asked an audience of eight
thousand children how many had ever
seen drunken man. Only one child
lifted it's hand What prohibition
parent doesn't envy such condition
for his children?
Despite the cry of "bad times" and
"no tourists" when Mr.. Pearson was
elected sheriff, Gum berland county
now for the first time in it's history
owes nothing, has 1914, 900 in the treas
ury, and the sheriff has turned back
forty per cent. of his revenue into the
pauper fund. The leading hotel Of
Portland is adding sixty rooms for the
summer tourists, and business mer
are testifying to from thirty to eighty
per cent. increase in their sales.
In support of his statement tha
Portland has not to-day an ope1
saloon or bar room, Mr.. Pearson
handed 800 to Chairman Stewart
which he said would be given to any
one in the audience who would Prov
to the contrary, the speaker bein,
willing to take the telegraphic wore
of the present mayor of Portland
"who is not overly friendly to me,
he added.
1t would be difficult to convey al
idea of the intense enthusiasm tina
swayed the audience as the sherl1
produced one after another the col
lection of his ''spoils"-a copper tank
taken from brick wall ten feet thic
J on each side; a row of copper faucet
connected with secret springs tina
drew the drinks to order Away
plain "city water" when the sheri
was In sight; an earthen pitcher at
tached to cord held by scout o
guard at a front window, and sud
denly depositing its alcoholic content
into tank of water underneath, whe
, the cry of "sheriff' was sounded, et'
) The address, which was replete wit
= epigram, wit and wisdom, closed wit
this significant warning: "If you can
, see how prohibition can prohibit
: come to Portland and start salool
: I'll soon show u."-Union Signal.
!. LETTER TO G. G.. ALDRICH,