The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-12
To the Editor of The Age-Herald:

To the Editor or me Age-Herald:
 We arrived in Portland at clock this morning. At 10 o'clock we visited tho sheriff's office and chief of police While in those offices we were shown the letters written by Dr. F. B. Sutton, chairman of the k Foutrh Ward Prohibition club of Bir- mingham, asking those gentlemen if the article which appeared in your issue of the 9th and signed by Mr. R. C. Milli- ken spoke the truth. We asked each of these gentlemen to kindly furnish us copies of their replies, which they did, and which we lnclose herewith. We found both of these officers most obliging and ready to furnish us the record facts per taning to the actual practice of prohi- bition in this city where 1t has been in force more than 56 years.
 From the chief of police We ascertaned that the arrests by his department during 1907 for drunk and drunk and disturbance. showed an increase of 122 per month over that for 1906 Not knowing the cause therefore we called on these off cers for their opinions, and they said they attributed 1t to the multiplicity of authority empowered to enforce the pro- hibition laws of Maine.
 After lunch we took a stroll for posi- tive evidence whether or not prohibition actually prohibited. On this stroll we were accompanied only by MT. Millken and the street we were on is one which MT. Milliken tells us he was never on before this afternoon. The guide whom Mir MilhlSen engaged for us in this city left the city this morning, hence the reason of our strangling expedition. So you will observe that we were total strangers to all we met and the places we visited, During 10 minutes of our walk on one street, and on three blocks on that street, two of which faced the block on which is situated one of the finest public school buildings in this city, we saw more old whisky soaks and buns than we ever saw in the city of Brming- ham in whole year. The uninformed will regard this statement as exagger- ated. for we could not believe it had we not seen 1t with our own eyes In fact we had been told such things existed in this city, and we ourselves thought they were congregations
 Some flash lights were taken of us at some of the bars where We obtanRy samples of the vllest whisky we e->Vt tasted. which are now In a proees- Is { development and when ready and Hinte we shall mail them to you with qzdlr sls natures, though our signatures wAbl harf ly be necessary for identificatiof2 if the are good photographs. for our dW wn lik, nesses should be recognized by Mall tboe who are acquainted with us.
 Let us add that we believe th Be officer of this county and city are imb lued wit the spirit of law inforcement [ and ar striving to do all they can in ti nat diree ton. The sheriff of this col hntv ha made 600 seizures of liquor this year an Is the cause of many convictions s for sell ing the same, though the numb er of con victions are not so large as the seizure, on account of the difficulty in securin evidence of that fact. The poll, he dena If ment is also most vlgilant, as levldence py the records or that departghent Tn heads of botl~ these departnh hents ar reputable and clean men. Yet I with ol that, we perfect strangers, ca h1 and q obtain liquors over the open bars Q this city and it is reported tshat ther are some 900 places i'm the c, lty wber liquor may be obtained. While we can say mat that statement is fact, still we do not doubt it from wha we sav this afternoon.
 We leave tonight at 80 foi Bangor and will return here later. Y Iery trul, yours
 r. c. McDc pNALD.