The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1911-09-21
maine AND
PROHIBITION
wry" Law Has Prevailed For
Sixty Years.
HISTORY Of LEGISLATION,
Brigadier General Dow Was Father of
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For Repeal
Was Started Because of Wholesale
Violations Of Statute.

.vIOlaCiOnS OF STATUTE.
Prohibition in Maine is sixty years
old. The recent election, in which
the 'wets' appear to have won, al
though there will be a contest in
the courts, was the first time in TWEEN
ty-seven years that her citizens were
called on to vote on the subject. Brig
adler General Neal Dow was the father
of the movement. It was he who in
1851 drafted the first severely prohib-
itory law Of the state. He was in the
forefront Of the fight over all succeed
ing prohibition laws, which eliminated
In the constitutional amendment Of
1854, repeal Of which has just been
voted on
That amendment came up for consid-
Grafton after Maine had tried state
wide statutory prohibition for over a
quarter of century. It was proposed
by the Sixty-frst legislature and sub
mitted to a test vote on Sept. s, 1884.
It was overwhelmingly approved, TO-
7S3 persons voting for it and only
23,811 against it. Governor Robbie is
sued proclamation in regard to it on
the following Dec. 3, and the amend
! ment actually went into effect in Janu-
airy, 1885. It prohibited the manufac-
ture and sale of Intoxicating liquors,
not including cider, but legalized the
| sale Of liquors for medicinal and me-
chanical purposes and for the arts.
The article in full reads:
The manufacture Of Intoxicating liquors,
| not including cider, and the sale and keep
! Ing for sale of Intoxicating liquors are
and shall be forever prohibited, except,
| however, that the sale and keeping for
sale Of such liquors for medicinal pur-
poses and the arts and the sale, and keep
ing for sale Of cider may be permitted I'M
der such regulations as the legislature
may provide.
The legislature shall enact laws with
suitable penalties for the suppression Of
the manufacturing, sale and keeping for
sale OF Intoxicating liquors. with the ex-
ceptions herein specified.
This clause Of the constitution was
unquestioned for twenty years. In
1904 Governor Cobb attempted a strict
enforcement Of the prohibition law.
When he ran for reelection his plu-
rality shrank from $4,000 to 1000.
With the swinging Of the state this
year from the Republican to the Dem
ocratfc column state leaders figured
that perhaps a majority Of the voters
were not in favor Of mo license
The history Of prohibition in Maine
Is declared to have been marked by
wide violations of the law. Secret
bars are said to have flourished every
where. The mail order liquor dealers
are said to have smuggled liquor into
the state by trainloads, while moon
shine distflleries 1ourished.
Finally the legislature enacted the
Sturg1s law, authorizing Governor
Cobb to appoint a commission to
search homes for forbidden beverages.
The legislature repealed the Sturgis
law in 1906, but Governor Cobb vetoed
the repeal. Then arose the movement
for reamendment of the constitution.
The campaign just closed was hard
fought on both sides and attracted the
attention Of temperance workers all
over the world. Mrs. Lillian M. N.
Stevens, national president Of the
Woman's Christian Temperance union
and herself a Portland woman, took
charge Of the fight for the prohibition
element. Campaigners were enlisted
from all over the country. The Inter-
national Prohibition association flood
ed the state with literature containing
interviews with prominent men and
women gathered all over the world.
The National Temperance society, the
Antl-saloon league and the Good Tenn
plars also were active.