The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-04-15

tended to interfere improperly with the
personal habits Of individuals. 1t only
seeks to prohibit public trade, which in
the opinion of large proportion of our
people-perhaps all-is public mischief.
Nor does it attempt to dictate what we
shall drink more than the laws against
the sale of diseased, poisonous, or other
wise unhealthy articles of food, dictate
what we shall eat
In his second inaugural address to the
legislature in the winter of 1872 Governor
Perham said: sit is probable that less
Intoxicating liquors are drank in Maine
than in any other place of equal popula-
ton in the country, perhaps in the civil
lized world. This enviable position has
been reached through many years of in
dividual and organized moral effort, sup
plemented by efficient prohibitory laws;
neither means could have been equally
successful alone. Other States have
temperance men and women as devoted
and as efficient as ours, but having no
laws to aid them, or lacking the public
sentiment necessary to sustain and en-
force them, the success they deserve is
not achieved.
During the legislative session of 1872
the following law was passed: "An act
relating to the duties of sheriffs and
county attorneys" Briefly this law
made it the duty of sheriffs to enforce
the laws of the State, and especially the
prohibitory law, and if the governor after
making careful investigation was salts
fled that any sheriff or county attorney
was not doing his duty in this respect it
was then the privilege of the governor to
lay the facts before the legislature.
1t was about this time in the history of
our prohibitory law that young man
residing in Richmond, and known as
George H. Osborne, delivered temper
ance and prohibition address before the
reform club at that place which | have
been told was one of the most eloquent
and able addresses on the liquor question
ever listened to by the citizens of Rich
mond. When speaking in Richmond
few years ago the story of this young
man was told me. He lived in Richmond
SIX years and took up any kind of work
he could get to do, and finally left Rich
mond in 1874 and shipped as mate on
large vessel for Australia, and was lost
at sea. The proof of his identity has
been established without question, and it
was found that this young man who de-
livered such a brilliant temperance ad-
dress before the reform club in Rich
mond was none other than George Ham
ilton Gordon, 9Th Earl of Aberdeen, one
Of the proudest and richest peers in the
British Empire. Soon after the sad death
OF this young man we are told that his
mother, the Countess of Aberdeen, visit
ed Richmond and established his identity,
and the great estates of the house of
Aberdeen fell to his next brother, the
9TH Earl of Aberdeen, who in recent
years was Governor General of Canada.
1t will probably always remain mystery
why this young mar, who was one of the
richest noblemen Of Europe, should come
to Richmond village to live and work day
by day at hard labor.
When the story of this unfortunate
nobleman was told to me in Richmond |
made notes of it and placed the dates
among my papers which, however, have
been lost. My attention has again been
called to this matter in reading in re-
cent issue of a Maine paper an interest
ng article by L. C. Bateman on ''Noble-
man in Disguise in Richmond. Mr..
Bateman well says: 1.-The fact that one
If the richest peers of the United King
1om, lived humbly for six years in the
village of Richmond is one of the unwrit-
ten chapters in the history of Maine;"
md l will add that the fact that this great
lobleman delivered one of the most elo-
luent addresses on the liquor question
ever heard in Richmond is also one of the
lnwritten chapters in the temperance
history of our State.