Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-06

in the United States, all except IL are
in New England and the Middle states
431 in New England and 200 In the
Middle states.
| have taken Mr. Undertakes hg-
ures. and from them, / have figured out
the per capita of deposits by popuia-
ton in the six New England states.
Any gentleman may verify my hgures
in ten minutes ciphering, and ma the
per capita of deposits in the several
states, taking them in the order OIL
their amounts to be tas follows:
vermont $71 "a
Maine 81 G2
New Hampshire, ~ "a
Rhode Island 1913 36
! Massachusetts, 100 %
| Connecticut, .t... .a,l III %
Maine is the lowest of all the, states
except Vermont. The average, per
| capita of deposits for the three pro-
hibition states is $93.3l;i the average
for the license states is $164.66 a or
ference of 176 per cent, in favor OF the
| license states. .
/ Mr.. Speaker, l might go on almost
indefinitely along this line to show that
the prohibition has not contributed
to the material prosperity of Maine,
but l fear that l have trespassed on
the patience of the House already. L
stated my belief that prohibition had
been a detriment to the morals of the
State and l desire to call the attention
of the house to that proposition.
THE MORAL RESULTS OF PROHI-
| BITION.
Since l have been a member of this
| House [ have talked with many of its
members who have assured me that
prohibition works we'll in their com
munitieS and | do not doubt that in
many towns and villages it has pro-
duced good results. My experience of
| its working has been mostly limited to
| Portland, and others of the larger cities
| in their vicinitieS and | know that it
| does not produce good results in them.
! | ask no member of this House nor
anybody else to accept my opinion or
assertions unless backed up by demon
| Strable facts, Mr.. Speaker, so far as
| | am personally concerned, l would
| care but little if every drop of alcoholic
| liquor in the world were thrown into
the sea and the method of it's man
| ufacture forever lost. l am not
| member of any club or organization
| that dispenses liquor, believe in tenn
perance, and next to my family and
| friends, l love my native city of Port
| land, in my judgment the most beau
| tiful city over which the American flag
| floats. | have visited every city in the
| United States that had as many as 25,-
| 900 of population up to the census of
1890, except Minneapolis and st. Paul,
| and ! can recall none that for beauty
| of situation and surroundings, health
| fulness and cleanliness approaches
that beautiful town that is seated by
the sea" leaning her back up against
her hills with the tips of her toes in the
| ocean," Ny father and my grandtath-
| er We're born there and died there; my
wife and children We're born there and
| to all who are nearest and dearest to
me it is the dearest spot on earth"
would that my arm should Wither and
my tongue cleave to the roof of my
mouth, ere l should stand upon this
| floor to advocate a measure that L
| thought would inure to its injury. /
| do not want to see saloons scattered
| along it's beautiful streets or on it's
prominent corners, and least of all do
l want to see the scenes that | have
witnessed for the past two years I'M
der the prohibitory liquor law.
| I reside in the heart of the business
| section Of Portland, in the rear of one
| of it's busiest blocks, in an old home
stead that has stood there for Is years,
| whose windows overlook the area
| where, every Sunday since this prohi
bition rage has denominated the city,
| / have seen young men from 1G and II
years of age and upwards drinking
| from pocket TASKS and what Sheriff
| Pearson denorlinated the Sand peeps
which developed, increased and multi
piled under his administration. l have
compiled a statement from the num-
icipal reports of every year since the
ena ctment Of the prohibitory law, show
ing the number of arrests for drunk
enness in Portland for each year. l
will not detain the House with the de-
tails, but will ask for it's insertion in
the record for the information of the
House. 1t shows q marked increase in |
the amount of drunkenness under the |
prohibitory law.
Number of arrests for drunkenness |
in Portland each year from 1853 to
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