The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-25
NEN $B[R|FFS
TAKE Up Fight
Battle Against Liquor Traffic
in Maine Resumed.
RAIDS ARE BEING MADE
Unsuccessful Contest Lasted
for Fifty Years.
RAIDS ARE BEING MADE


where it is more or less hampered and
f. a few places it thrives as free
Il as any other business 1t was with
the avowed purpose and. undoubted-
~, the honest expectation Of promot-
ing temperance, that the legislators of
half a century ago passed the original
prohibitory statute while at times and
fl places the law has made it difficult
for some TO procure liquor, it is pointed
out as a fact that cannot be concealed
that the cause of temperance has been
retarded rather than advnced by the op-
Grafton OF this law, however and by
xhomever administered
Theoretically, the law OF prohibition
Is considered an admirable thing. in the
viewt not only of Prohibitionists, but of
many others. They contemplate as the
fruits of the law. rightly enforced,
state entirely free from the liquor traf-
flea people prosperous and happy in
feetotalism, either from principle or be-
cause of inability to get any liquor to
drink. In practice, the law is, it is held,
and always has ben a sad failure, for,
whatever, in times of attempted rigid
enforcement, the liquor dealers have lost
by ii. temperance has gained nothing. it
is declared, bat, on the contrary. has
suffered
The law is maintained through a COM
tination of religious and political in
fuences-an unhappy cooperation of mis-
Greeted moral energy and official rapac-
fly. Many clersymcn and many good
people fondly believe that intemperence
can be cured by statute. and that Names
famous statute. rightly administered,
would be ? panacea for all the evils re-
sulting from drunkenness.
The politicians and lawyers realize the
futility of all this but few Of them viii
advocate the repeal of the law. for with
prohibition wiped off the statute book
the greatest profits of many of them
and the entire occupation of others would
be gone. They do not, in word pro-
pose to kill goose so productive of gold
en- eggs.
The history of prohibitions workings
in Maine if written out in fun would
be rather monotonous narrative of NOR
al spasms and relapses, fruitles sefforts
and mistaken zeal political intrigucs and
official corruption. The warfare on the
saloons has been intermittent and every
Campaign has been followed by truce
q period Of comparatively or entirely free
liquor selling, continuing until the APP
pearance of other crusaders to renew the
battle
The excitements of recent years are
nothing new What Pearson attempted
TO do long before Pearson had been
heard of; what Jerrard attempted n
Bangor in the seventies. Weaver tried
u,
now a ''wide-open" city has had and
nearly forgotten the same excitements |
nnG disgre ceful scenes that have kept
Portland in a .urmod ever since the late |
Sh -riG Pearson. good man out poor 20
litician. reformer that he was. become |
chief of the anti-liquor forces in Cum. |
berland county.
The death Neal Dow gave prohibit |
ton a decided setback in Portland and |
for years the sale of liquor there was |
carried on with little Interference. The I
Portland liquor men were indiscreet. |
though and the traffic was conducted in |
such a brazen and disreputable fashion /
that a strong public sentiment was /
aroused against it and the Prohibitionists |
with the aid and sympathy OF many men |
o. other parties began determined /
movement for the strict enforcement of |
the law.
The Prohibitionists nominated the Rev. |
Samuel T. Pearson. a Baptist clergy
man. for Sheriff. i quarrel among thu
Republicans just at that timme divided !
the party strength and resulted in the
election OF eParson-the first 'parson
Sheriff that Maine has ever known.
af Pc 4 f-fr
ton now quite generally known among
the students of the liquor question. may
he summed up in a few words He en-
tered upon the duties Of the sheriffs
Office with the avewed purpose of driv-
ing the liquor traffic out of Portland
With a numerous squad of deputies he
raided and searched with ceaseless en-
ergy the places where liquor was sold;
he arrested and prosecuted. fined aud
imprisoned the liquor dealers and their
assistants. Liquor was taken from the
trundle beds Of infants, from out-houses.
from refuse heaps from the pockets of
peddlers and even from the persons Of
women.
The hotel bars were closed. and the
open saloon was driven out of business.
Those who persisted in the sale Of liquor
devised ingenious methods for the con-
cealment Of their goods. and their build
ings were literally torn 10 pieces by The
officers who came 20 search For the
most part the business was driven to
cover in al kinds of disreputahle holes
and corners. and so far as the general
public. and especially strangers were
concerned. II became difficult 10 get
drink in Portland Al the same time in
the height Of Pearscns crusade. the pria-
cipal hotel OF the city served liquors on
;ts tables. while no one supposed that
the members Of the fashionable Cunber-
land club. or OF the Lincoln club. went
Cry. The city liquor agency. an institu-
tion 10 be found IN almost every place
o. any size In the state. dii q laad-cfice
business. dispensing in pfnts and quarts
everything from beer TO ehampa ene-for
medical purposes and Tor use in mechan-
ics and the arts" as prescribed hv law
In this condition Pearson left the city
of Portland. when. worn out by his Ia
bors. he sickened and died. The Gov
ernor appointed To 81 out the unexpi-e5
term a deputy sheriff named Dunn. who
continued the WAY with sn the yi-er h
possessed. and then. on Jan /. 1888. VIII
Ham II. Pencil. Of Brunswick tho first
Democratic sheriff elected in Cl;nlber-
land county in twenty years. took the
Office.
As 70 the new sherin-s policy little can
be said with certainty The public IS
somewhat in doubt and the sheriff him