Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-14


the figures for 1906 when, if at any time
in our prohibitory history, there has beer
something like enforcement in the State
| The arrests for drunkenness in the fol
lowing Maine cities for the year 1906 is
| valuable for study: Waterville 3H, or .
| per cent. of the population Biddeford
| 49, or per cent. of the population;
Rockland 349, or per cent. of the popu-
lation: Lewiston 719, or per cent. Of
| the population; Calais 81, or per cent.
of the population; Portland 2173, or per
| cent of the population; Old Town $50. OF
\ 4 per cent. of the population; Rumford
| Falls $50, or 5 per cent. Of the population;
| Bangor 1896, or II per cent of the popu-
| lation. Compare a few cities iii license
| and local option states. The arrests FOR
| drunkenness in the city of Portland for
| the past 10 years average So per on"
| thousand people. or 312 per cent. In the
cities of Milwaukee, Louisville and en-
| cinnati the arrests for drunkenness for
| the same period average 10 per one thous-
| and inhabitants, or per cent 1t is said
| that but one city in the country exceeds
| the record of Portland and not one
| equals that OF Bangor. Take a few Mass
| achusetts cities whose inhabitants have
much the same temperament as the peo-
pie of Maine. There is no city in Mass
| achusetts that even apprOXimates the
| record of arrests for drunkenness in
| Bangor. Little Rumford Falls is worsa
| than Boston. In 1905 its arrests for
| drunkenness amounted to per cent. of
| its population, while the records of BoS-
ton with its great foreign population
was only per cent. The manufacturing
city of BrOckton with population OF
nearly $1,000 has a record of arrests for
drunkenness Of only 8 per cent. The, city
of Can: bridge with a population of nearly
100000 has record of only ] per cent.
The great Industrial city of Fall River
with a population mach exceeding 10000
shows only per cent. The city of
Fitchburg with a population of nearly
10000 is the same. Lawrence with a pop
uatiOn of over 10000 the same. The only
city in Massachusetts which equals Bos-
ton in its arrests for drunkenness is that
Of Lynn, given over to manufacturing
purposes, a city Of more than 5000. Mai
den. a city of 10000, has a record of only
three fOurths of / per cent. Medford,
which gives its name to an honest brand
of New England rum, practically as
one-half per cent. New Bedford. the
great cotton centre with a population of
nearly $4,000, shows but 2 per cent. The
city of Newton shows but l per cent The
city of Somervile, with a population OF
rearly 5000, but per cert. Springfield.
a city of nearly $4,000, only . per cent.
Waltham, a manufacturing city larger
than Lewiston, only per cent. The city
re cir -
has Il record for the year of only per
cent. These stubborn facts should teach
us something. Just keep the per cent.
in mind. Milwaukee. far-famed for her
breweres, city of 100000, whose peopis
look upon malt liquors as we do upon
milk and water, with arrests for drunk
enness in 1906 OF only 270O. or less than
per cent. of the inhabitants. On the
other hand Bangor, with a populs ton of
only about POGO. Consider the arrests
for drunkenness in Bangor for the past
70 months, aggregating 1896 or only 800
less than the great city of Milwaukee.
Less than / per cent of arrests for
drunkenness where malt liquors flow like
water. and Bangor II per cent. of the
population. Ten persons to every one
thousand in Milwaukee arrested for
drunkenness, 40 persons in every one
thousand in Bangor. Last summer the
Bangor Sunday Republican reported that
for seven days in the latter part of Au-
gust there were 1874 arrests in Bangor. 133
of which Were for drunkenness. And here
are more figures that argue for them
selves: Increase of arrests for drunken
ness in Massachusetts for 19O5-19O6: Bos-
ton. decrease of 1 per cent; Cambridge,
decrease Of IA per cent; Somerville, de-
crease of T.. per cent; Worcester, in
crease of per cent; Taunton, decrease
of 81 per cent. Compare this with the
cities of Maine.
We should remember that this increase
as given for Maine covers the period
when the enforcement commission was
doing business and when Maine cities
were supposed to be dry.
Increase of arrests for drunkenness in
Maine, 1995-1906: Biddeford, increase So
per cent: Portland increase Sc per cent
Bangor, increase 81 per cent: Bath. in
crease 81 per cent; Calais. increase S.
per cent: SHco, increase 81 per cent;
Brewer, increase 70 per cent Or an
other comparison: Commitments for all
causes in Massachusetts for ten years
ending 1905 increased ten years preceding
less than per cent. Commitments for
drunkenness during the same period in
creased II per cent. Commitments for
all causes in Maine for ten years ending
1901 as compared with previous decade
increased As per cent Commitments in
Maine for drunkenness for same period
increased "a per cent
Arguments are often made in defence
of prohibition on the ground that it is a
measure of great economic value and
that it promotes industry and thrift. Our
savings banks are pointed to. As a cit
izen of Maine I am proud of the fact
that our people have wrung from adverse
conditions savings on deposit in our saw
ings banks sS0,0O0oOO. This splendid sum.
however. is no argument in favor of
prohibition. 1t is true that We have in
our savings banks what amounts to slIf
per capita. But let us not forget that
New York has $50 or that Massachusetts
has s221. Maine has a deposit for every
four persons in the State, but Massachu-
sets has one for every two persons. In
1905 New Hampshire increased her saw
ings bank deposits by nearly 5000 600;