The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1909-07-22
PROHIBITION OR
DIsPENsARY?
SOME OF The RtSJLiS Of PROhlBlIlON
INMalNE P3,h'ED CUT By A
CORRESPONDENT.
Editor County Record: =


with pride to the good old State of
Maine rs Il shining example of the
success of prohibition, but before ac-
ceptins their dictum AS concluslTS
let Us - over into the Pinetre
State and See if it is fact that pro.
hibition has succeeded there. Let us
hear the evidence Of witnesses who
are on the spot. We want to know
the truth.
The New York World sent Il spec
ial representative to Maine to lnves-
tigate the working of the liquor law
in that State, and upon the strength
of his report The World made the
following editorial comment:
ga World correspondent has made
an extended tour of the State of
Maine. and presents the facts as they
came under his careful observation
in relation to the working of the
liquor law. Liquor is procured With.
out difficulty in Portland, Augusta,
Bangor. Bath, Belfast. Lewiston,
Brunswick, Eastport and elsewhere.
In Portland The World representa-
tive found 144 places where intoxl-
cants were sold in some form or 9th
er,and he estimates that there are as
many as a,500 open bars in the
State. Such a condition cannot fail
to be demoralizing to the public serv-
ice, and there is growing feeling
manifesting itself in favor of the re-
peal OF the law. The arrests for
drunkenness in the little city of
Portland alone tor six weeks were
922."
TIE following excerpt from an ed
itorial in the Portland (Me) Herald
corroborates the statements of the
World. The Herald, by the way, is a
prohibition paper.
"Crime is alarmingly prevalent.
Murders have continuously increased
year by year. Our jails and prisons
are unpleasantly full. Robberies ahd
burglaries are occurring in all di-
reetlons. Crime of all kinds is in
creasing. One hundred and thirty
four liquor sellers in Portland One
hundred and tweuty-seven in Ban
COR! and fifty-6ye IN LewistonM Is
it any wonder that crime is lncreas-
ing? Are our citizens less law-abid-
ing than Western people: Is public
sentiment at a lower ebb in the good
old State of Maine than it is in a
Western State, where people from
all countries have congregated:
Wouldn't it be well for the Maine
Legislature to appoint an investigat-
ing committee to ascertain why 1t Is
that the prohlbitory laws cannot be
enforced in Maine::'
SAYS the Portland (Mel Argus:
"Here is fact; The prohibitory liq-
uor law-so far as its enforcement
or non-enforcement is concerned is
a tool in the hands of politicians,
used 10 compel liquor dealers to vote
with the party in power on penalty
of confscation of property and i'm
prisoument of person.
Gail Hamilton speaking of prohib-
ition in Maine, says in the North
American Review:
THE actual result is that liquor is
sold to all who wish to obtain it in
nearly every town IN the State. En-
forcement of the prohibition law
seems TO have but little effect. For
the last six years the city of Bangor
has practically had free rum. In
more than one hundred places liquor
is sold, and no attempt is made to
enforce the law. In Bath, Lewiston,
Augusta and other cities no real diff
fculty is experienced in procuring
liquor. In Portland enforcement of
the law has been faithfully attempt
ed, yet the liquor traffic flourishes
for all classes from the hiohest to