The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-03-25

ontion law in it's place.
Brother Dow was followed as Grand
Templar by Mr.. James H. Hamilton of
Mattawamkeag, who was elected to this
office at the Grand Lodge session in Ban
gor in the spring of 1885, Brother Ham
ilton for several years before his election
to this high Office had been one of our
most able and efficient lecturers and or
ganizers and hence was a most excellent
Grand Chief Templar. Few men ever
occupied this office who had a more
thorough knowledge of the needs of the
order in all parts of the State than he. A
few years ago he was member of the
Maine Legislature, and he has also been
at the head of the Golden Cross order.
He is still living, and a member of the
order.
should not forget to mention that in
1887, Rev. John Allen of Pennington,
famous as ''Campmeeting JOHN died at
the advanced age of 92 years. He was
the Oldest member of the Good Templar
order in Maine and one of the Oldest in
the world. In 1883 Governor Joseph R.
Bodwell died in the zenith of his life and
exalted usefulness. The Maine Good
Templars, and every temperance organi-
cation in the State, had good reason to
lament his untimely death, as it was a
severe blow to the enforcement Of our
Prohibitory law, which he so fearlessly
and nobly championed. In his message
to the Legislature in 1887 he said of the
liquor question:
1.-THE Prohibitory law has been of inn
measurable value in reducing the liquor
traffic, and has CORRESPONDENCE increased
the wealth of the State by increasing the
sobriety of the people and saving the
fruits of industry. The experience Of
Maine for the last thirty years abundant
ly justifes the adoption of the Prohibi-
tory system"
The next occupant of the gubernatorial
chair was our present Congressman, Ed
win C. Burleigh of Augusta, who early
in life was member of the Good Tenn
plar order in Aroostook county, where
he was reared, and who has always been a
strong temperance advocate. Congress-
man Burleigh was twice elected governor
of Maine Tin 1888 and 1890) and l find in
looking over his inaugural address to the
Legislature in the winter of 1891 that he
said of our liquor laws:
'The highest welfare of all our citizens
demands the maintenance of prohibition,
and that prohibition has accomplished
vast work for temperance in this State
no candid man will deny. The liquor
traffic is no longer respectable. 1t is I'm
der the ban Of popular condemnation, and
those who engage in it are criminals in
the sight of the laws. The open dram
shop with its Haunting signs and alluring
windows is no longer a feature in our
State. Maine stands, by the emphatic
declaration of her citizens, in the very
van of temperance States"
The next Grand Chief Templar Of
Maine to follow Brother Hamilton was
Storer S. Knight of Portland, who was
elected to this office at the 32nd annual
session in Augusta in April, 1890. Six
months from the time he was elected to
this office he died at his home in Deering
at the early age of 49,. No death OF any
prominent Good Templar in the State Of
Maine has been more universally regret
ed than that of Storer S. Knight. He
was an earnest, active and an able tenn
perance worker and left a beautiful
record. He bore most honorable part
in the War of the Rebellion, and was
Register of Deeds for Cumberland coun-
ty.at the time of his death. Probably
his funeral was one of the largest ever
held in the Universalist church in Deer
ing, of which he was an active member.
The G. A. R. Post of which he was
member, and the Camp Of Sons of Veter-
ans, attended in body, while large dele
cations of Good Templars, and the Grand
Lodge officers, were present. His pastor,
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