The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1909-10-07
151jAZIII|I):II|||gijilp!
SIo -EgN a
WHISKY is SCARCE IN MAINE
officer Of Maryland Antlsaloon
League Finds Little Drunken
ness in Pine Tree State.

Mr.. w. Ii. Anderson, superintendent
OF the Maryland State Anti-Saloon
league. mas returned to Baltimore aft
er a visit OF three weeks to different
points in Maine. During his stay in
that state he made a close study to
ascertain II the law against the sale
OF liquor is enforced. His conclusion
Is that, despite statements to the con-
trary, the law is enforced and that
whisky is very scarce article.
Il went to Maine" said Mr.. Ander-
son, ito obtain a rest and to ascertain
for my own information IL the liquor
law is enforced. My headquarters
were at Owls Head, a resort on the
coast, where IL was impossible to OBJ
tain an intoxicating drink. ! visited
Portland, which is the largest city in
the state; Rockland, a city of 10000
population, and Camden, another city
OF considerable size. l was told in
Portland that If l really wanted a
drink | could find one, but ! would
have to go up back alleys, through
NTH and amid the slums to obtain IL.
This certainly does not agree with the
statements that liquor can easily be
obtained in Maine. During my whole
stay in the state saw only two
drunken men. Each had a bottle in
his hip pocket One of the men was
In the custody of the police.
There is a bottle trade In tie state,
the whisky being shipped from Bos-
ton. Congress passed a law which will
be effective on January /, by which
there will be no C. o. ID. sales of whis-
Ky brought from another state. The
law will also require that all packages
containing intoxicants shall have la
bells designating their contents, in
GLIDING their quantity and quality.
Maine prohibitionists believe that this
law will considerably reduce the bot
tie trade.
What impressed me mCst, how
ever, was the absence of drinking by
young men. A new generation has
come on the scene since the saloon
was abolished in the state. This
means a removal of temptation to
|
perance among young men. ! was told
that the amount of liquor sold in Port
land would not equal by a large mar
gin the amount OF liquor that would
be sold over the bar of one open sa-
loon in the city.
There has been complaint q. the
violation of the antiliquor laws in
Bangor. This violation was mostly
by lumbermen, who imported their
supplies of liquor. saw by the news
papers that state deputies had been
sent to the city and that several ar.
rests had been made.
Il visited the state penitentiary near
Rockland. II is not much larger than
one of our county jails. Its convicts
numbered about 200. was told that
this is above the average of 175, be-
canse of recent arrests for violation
of the liquor laws. AS you are prob
ably aware, the savings bank accounts
in Maine exceed per capita those of
any other state.
by the way, did the fact ever strike
you that Maine, although a small state,
has for half a century exerted more in
! fluence in the national congress than
any other state in the union. Il has
been represented in the senate by
Fessenden. and by Frye and Hale.
who are reelected Just as soon as
! their terms expire. In the house there
have been such leading men as Blaine.
Reed. Dingley and Littlefield. There
is no liquor question TO diturb poll
| tics i'm Maine. II does not shelve a
man. In that state capable members of
the house are promoted TO the senate
and then to the national congress.
was told that any effort to repeal the
| liquor law would meet with disastrous
failure.
While in Portland / called upon
/ Mr.. G.. w. Norton. editor of the Ex-
press. one of the leading daily news
papers in the state. He assured me
that the law is observed and the abo-
lition of the saloon has been a dis
tinct success
81 also had an interview with Mr..
~. r. Libby, the largest merchant in
/ Maine. He owns a department store
/ in Portland He corroborated all MIR.
| Norton said about the enforcement of
the liquor laws.
81 am thoroughly convinced, after
my investigation in Maine, that state
ments that the laws are not enforced
are misleading. In fact, ! am con-
WINGED that whisky is very scarce
article there and is hard to obtain.
Why, the proprietors of the leading
hotels at Poland Springs. one of the
most popular resorts in the state, will
not tolerate liquor on their premises
and contribute literally to the tenn
perance cause"