The Republican journal., 1911-07-13
SHALL WE MAKE THE RUM ELE.
MENT RESPECTABLE?

SHALL WE MAKE THE RUM ELE.
MENT RESPECTABLE
To THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL
Prohibition in this northeastern part Of
the State is creating no unusual interest;
but the same arguments, or rather, as
sertions against it, are as common here
as elsewhere, namely: ''prohibition does
not prohibit prohibition makes the
dives!' prohibition makes disrespect
for law" and more liquor is sold under
prohibition than under licensed" and all
this comes from the "rummies' who
would be better pleased if any or all of
their assertions were true, and they are
crying down prohibition because none of
their assertions are true.
Slavery, prostitution and drunkenness
are all the crimes that have ever been
licensed in the United States. All other
crimes are, and always have been, wholly
prohibited. Maine is one of the few
States that totally prohibits all crimes,
and it would be discredit to our good
name if our people ever vote to license
any criminality.
Prohibition does not prohibit with
much more success than license tends to
restrain, but it does some better, and is
worth having. Murder is prohibited I'M
der the severest penalty; public senti-
ment is wholly against it, and the Stur-
gis commission is like "drop in the
bucket compared with our provision
for convicting murderers, yet the pro-
hibition Of murder is long way short of
a perfect success. The liquor evil is the
hardest crime to combat in all the long
list of criminalities, and yet there is,
under prohibition, no crime more sue
cessfully punished. Compared with lar
ceny, where, as we know, not one case
IN hundred is ever brought to trial,
our success against the liquor evil beats
1t more than two to one, and in compari-
son with the number brought to trial for
any or all the crimes, the liquor offend.
ers represent the largest per cent OF
successful convictions.
AS for disrespect for the law, criminals
always disrespect the law and the run
criminal in no manner differs from al
others.
The greatest value of prohibition is
that it certainly prevents the rum ele.
ment from becoming respectable, even If
the dirtiest cities in the State.
In the license States they have the
same proportion of unlicensed dives that
we have, and they have their licensed ano
respectable saloons beside.
What they call the ''rot" and "vile
stuff so unsatisfactory to the rum ele-
ment, brought here, as they say, because
of prohibition, is alcohol split up or mixed
in varying proportions with cold water
and called "split'' The average per
cent of alcohol in the following named
drinks is: Brandy 81 per cent alcohol,
whiskey As per cent, rum 45 per cent,
wine 20 per cent and beer 10 per cent.
All this is split, but not with cold water.
The distillery taste of corn, rye, mo-
lasses, bilge water, hops, jinsen, vine
gar, etc., are no doubt all sadly missed
by the thirsty consumers of State of
Maine split, but with free rum or license
in Canada, New Hampshire, Massachu-
sets and on the High Seas, and unlimi-
ted express companies anxious and will
ing to bring it here in any and all forms
without limit, there is certainly no we'll
founded demand for more liquor and
there cannot be majority of voters
who really want to make drinking more
respectable.
There is no getting around the fact
that the sole local desire for license in
this State is for the one and only pur-
pose of making the rum element more
respectable. The vast amount of money
and literature coming from distillers and
wholesalers outside of this State is for
the double purpose of discouraging by
our votes the prohibition sentiment in
other States, that are watching US, and
for increasing their sales here if they
win.
Our only danger of being thrown back
to license State is the possible indiffer-
ence among the voters.
Kingman, Me. C. S. GRIFFIN.