The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-03-23
PROHIBITION RESULT
IN MAINE
People in Better Finan-
cial Condition
Mrs. L. VI. \. Stevens Writes In The
Outlook Interesting Article-Sta'e p
ments from Leading Men
(From the Outlook

/ uldn tDIlslldu ItHlpcl ditt HlOH
and Vice President of the Worlds
Womans Christian Temperance
Union, respectfully ask the priyil-
eye of making a statement in The
Outlook relative to the conditions in
Maine, in which State my home has
always been. For thirty years
have been actively and officially con
nected with the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union, the work of Which
has called me into every State in the
Union, and oftentimes over the sea.
refer to this fact simply to show
that my opportunities to study the
great problem, What shall be done
with the liquor traffic? have not been
confined to my own State, aud hence
| should be the better able to judge
concerning the relative values OF
laws enacted to apply to the liquor
traffic.
As is we'll known, Maine longer
than any other State has maintained
a State wide prohibitory law Previous
to the enactment Of this law Maine
was one of the poorest States in the
Union, but for many years Maine has
been classed among the most prosper
Gus States. The amount of money in
the savings institutions Of the State
constantly increases. and the late re
port shows the per capita deposit TO
be $18115. Since the enactment Of
the prohibitory law Maine has more
than multiplied its valuation by five.
while neighboring states have
multiplied theirs by three, and the
last year in Maine has shown the
greatest advance in this line.
The home lovers of Maine may we'll
be proud to live in a State of which
its Governor can say. as Governor
Fernald said a few months ago:
There are more than 212.000 school
children in the State of Maine Not
one of this great army of healthy
happy. rugged boys and girls has
WI 9ceH' 1iiipl"HOii'u NNSi 9'ol
front, a sign advertlslng1 the sale OF
lil ~, "a iiqu0l o neS n",e ""iA-
Gu 'ue ae'lu' Gus W i''lit9 u o"9'.ieoo
hundred and ffty-four towns, on their
way to and from their schools, they
have seen the names of their fathers
shining in letters of gold as sellers
az 'nC ",iIi'9o'''e anu ~, $50
ai'lOlee VI l!"ue' 90 ID Nv eis an" u9'-
eoi anu ~ 49,. ~ , Lux ~. 40 Poi9
oiieIS Vi cue human 9S''ei' anu
Vi 'io'i'O'
Colonel Fred y. DOW, a prominent
citizen OF Portland, and president OF
one OF the leading banks, has recent
~ sad. happen 10 kno" the oPlh-
ions upon this subject OF many OF the
presidents and vice presidents OF our
various financial institutions. And OF
those with whose OPINION am ac-
quainted-a large majority OF all
more than eighty-tiYe per cent are ia
Norable TO pfohlOlllon THESE men
have come to see that under prohlbl-
ton the power OF the liquor traffic
to sap the very foundation OF bust
ness is much eurtaliedi they nave
come 10 belleNe IN lhai pollcN as III
butary TO sound business condition.
J. r. Libby, 4 prosperous and intlu-
entail business man. recently stated
over his own signature: Il regard the
prohibitory law of Milne rs much
success as is any law of the State
against crime We have no open sa-
looms in our city. and liquor selling
in Portland is limited to kitchen bar
rooms and blind tigers. No hotel in
our CITY has any open bars. and | am
sure that the laboring people of our
State are today in much better finan-
cial condition than they would have
been if we had the open saloon"
1t is true that efforts for resuhmis-
sion of the prohibitorv amendment
have often been made during the past
twenty years, but have always been
unsuccessful Last September the
party which has stood for resubmis-
sion elected its Governor and the
majority of the legislative candidates.
Resubmission was not the issue In
the campaign. The chairman Of the
National Committee of this party. in
his comment on the Maine election
giving the reasons why the party
won, made no allusion whatever to
the question of temperance or prohi-
bition. 1t is well known that this
party came into power in Maine for
the first time in thirty years on the
same political wave that later swept
the states of New York New Jersey