The Republican journal., 1907-08-01
the Conditions in Maine.
Address OF Mrs L. M. N. Stevens at the 9th
N. E. Inter State Institute, Hampton
Beach, N H., July 1912.

N. E. Inter State Institute, Hampton
Beach, N. H., July 1o-12.
There is not a brewery or distillery in
| Maine. Someone may refer to the in
| ternal revenue tax list and say there
are reported to be five o., but these are
not breweries according to the accepted
meaning of the word. They are small
places where Notwithstanding drinks
are made. If any other kind is brewed
it is liable to be seized and destroyed.
| These places really ought not to be list
F! ed as they are. There is nowhere with
I in the borders of the State legaliZed
saloon-no place where there is legal
sale of alcoholic liquor for beverage
purposes.
There are sixteen town or city
agencies where liquor is sold for medic
inal and mechanical purposes. These
agencies were established by petition of
| the citizens of these towns, which
privilege is provision of the Maine
prohibitory law. This is a necessary
I! provision, for so long as some doctors
| will prescribe alcoholic remedies there
should be place where such can be
legally bought. We consider the town
| agency system of Maine preferable to
the druggist license system of Kansas.
| luC MdlllC law puVS SiCaG ACo PoIlol-
bility upon the county sheriff in rela-
ton to the violation of the prohibitory
law. Sometimes the sheriffs have
proved very unfaithful and this led to
the establishment of a State enforce
ment commission, authorized to go in
to county and enforce the law if the
county sheritfs fail to do so. This has
led to better enforcement. In the
| majority of the counties the law is we'll
enforced. In some sections of the State
there is violation of the prohibitory law
in about the same degree that there
are violations of some of the other
laws. A gentleman from western
State recently visiting Portland ex-
pressed surprise that there was any
liquor selling or liquor drinking in
Maine l said to him that would like
to have him attend the Sunday service
at the county Jail. There he would see
prisoners who were forgers and thieves
theft. He would also see men there
who had sold liquor contrary to law;
but the liquor law is not SO old as the
other laws and is harder to enforce be-
cause the adjoining States permit
liquor selling and prohibit forgery and
theft.
There is not so much liquor in all OF
the blind tigers, kitchen barrooms, dives
and dens in any county in Maine as
would be found in one of the flourish
ing saloons in license city. No build
ing in Maine displays sign of wine,
beer, ale or liquors. The usual sign Of
the illegal den is a forlorn looking specl-
men of humanity whose duty 1t is to
watch to see if the officer is coming in
order that he may shout in time for the
contents of the can, jug or water sprink-
Ter to be thrown out by the liquor sell
er before the officer can seize it.
The law forbidding advertising of
liquor in Maine is seldom violated.
Only one newspaper in the State under
takes to advertise the liquor business
land that is out-of- State business), and
this paper is always in litigation. The
passage of the Hepburn DOlliver-Little-
field Bill would be great help in
Maine in law enforcement. The liquor
cannot now be seized until it is found
on the premises of the would-be seller
The Littiefield Bill provides that it
could be seized while in transit The
national or interstate law should not
thus override State law. The Maine
law gives no protection whatever to the
liquor seller II dealer in Boston
sends liquor to Maine and his patron re-
fuses to pay the bill he has no legal re-
dress. It is great imposition on pro-
hibitlon States to allow out of-State
liquor advertisements to be sent by
mail into the State, especially since
liquor advertising is prohibited within
the State.
Prohibition has helped Maine to be-
come one of the most prosperous States
in the union. There is comparatively
little poverty. The people, as rule,
are steady, industrious, thrifty, and one
out of every three, including women
and children, has au individual savings
bank account A tourist who has
travelled over the entire country de.
clareS that he sees more evidences OF
thrift and comfort in Maine and more
house paint to the square mile than he
has ever seen anywhere else. Name
has more public school teachers than
any other State in proposition to Its
population, and Maine furnishes for the
country at large a far greater number
; of teachers pro rata than does Massa-
chusetts. which is acknowledged to be O.
great educational center. In no State
are the church interests more carefully
| guarded and promoted than in Maine.
In short Maine has larger pro rata OF
; all that is desirable and smaller pro
rata of insanity, pauperjsm, drunkards
! and crime.
believe that Maine will continue to
be the beacon light of prohibition, will
continue to demonstrate that State pro-
hibition is a wise and benefcent law. l
: salute all here and everywhere who are
aiming TO secure similar State law.
expect very soon that Maine, Kansas
and North Dakota will have the CON-
pany of prohibition Georgia, prohibi.
ton Tennessee, prohibition Kentucky,
! and many other States will speedily
follow. These are stately steppings to
national prohibition, the glorious cap.
stone of the temperance. monumen
which is being builded in our nation to.
day.
What New Jersey Editor Says