Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-18
LICENSE VERSUS NO-LICENSE.
How Arrogance and Insulting Defiance Of
Law and Decency Drove Saloons
Out of Cambridge.

and We're reaching out for more, re-
fusing to be restrained, and insulting
~ defying those who had the interests
of the city and citizens at heart
From that day began the upbuild-
ing of a powerful public sentiment to
redeem the city from the clutches of
the liquor interests and 10 control the
affairs OF the city by something other
than the necessities of those who are
willing TO coin dollars out of the souls
of men A Citizens No-Lieense Com
mittee was formed. without regard To
politics. and from that time semi
political work of this committee WAS
carried forward along parallel lines
with the more usual public work IF
rallies and public appeals.
OF the four newspapers published
in Cambridge at that time, not one
could be trusted 10 support the no
license movement. The committee
started a little paper called The
FitLNH L fAltls WHICH otAtiNd hAA' EN''
lie mind by its fearless. but careful
presentation of local facts. A canvass
of the voters was organized and the
polling places manned by checkers.
workers and carriages. That year the
no-lieense cause won by Il majority OF
sec The next Year saw a repetition On
the work. and again the liquor IN
terests were defeated.
Wholesalers in Boston fought the
movement tooth and nail They
poured money and workers into the
city. and did everything of which the
ingenuity of this great organization
was capable, but they We're defeated
by the no-Hcense committee, backed
up by an organization known as the
Law Enforcement Association. which
was not for the purpose of doing the
work Of the authorities. but fer as
sistins them in it, and of holding Of
fieials by the power of public senu-
ment. voiced through this association.
to the carrying out of their oaths of
office.
a Fight Every Year.
Practically the same methods have
been followed in each campaign. and
Maine will be interested in the sta
tistics compiled for the city of Cam
bridge for five years under license and
eight years under no-lieense, up to
1895, at which time the figures were
compiled.
The first result under prohibition
was that the saloons had been closed;
that it had been made easier for a
man to do right and harder for man
TO do wrong. The streets had been
made safer. Alurements for the
young, and pitfalls in the path of the
weak and the tempted had been re-
moved. No liquors We're displayed.
and no more were sold in violation OF
the local prohibition law than had
been sold in violation of the licenSsa
liquor law. At the end of eight years
of ro-hcense. majority of the school
children in the public schools of Cam
bridge did not know what an open sa-
loon looked like, save as they had seen
it in some other city. That was some
thing.
How many of the school children of
Maine, outside of those in certain de-
graded quarters of two or three of the
largest cities, know what saloon or
rum shop, or Kitchen barroom or
a liquor dive of any sort, looks like
Is that not something OF which Maine
should be proud, and which she can
claim as redeeming feature, for the
prohihitory law, in spite of all the rum
trust indictments against it?
In Cambridge, at that time of the 122
buildings formerly used for saloon pur-
poses. nearly all had been remodeled'
either as dwellings or as stores for
legitimate business. "Of course" said
the writer, the Illegal liquor traffic
had net been eXtirpated. No one
claimed that. There were still kitchen
barroOms. But there had been such
places under license, and some of the
worst of those that had existed in OPP
position to the license law had been
closed under no. license. Some drug
stores did an Illegal business in Cam
bridge. as elsewhere, but after one or
two of these so-called druggists" had
been sent to the House of Correction,
it became manifestly lharGer for a
druggist to do wrong. and easier for
him 10 do right.
Practical Questions Answered.
In Cambridge at that time, Gas there
are in Maine today) We're certain
practical questions which might fair
ly be asked, regarding the effect of
no license upon:the material interests
of tho city. The first touches the val
uation, and here are some of the fig
ures given by this authority and pub
lished in the New England Magazine
for September for the year 1895.
other conditions remaining the same,
| If the increase in the valuation of the
| city during the license period had not
been maintained under no-license. il
would have been fair TO conclude that
no-license had retarded the growth of
| the city. If the old rate of increase
| had gone on practically unchanged, it
could have been said that the change
| in the policy of the city regarding the
| regulation of the liquor traffic had not
| affected the material welfare of the
city. If there is observable, from the
date of the inauguration of the no
| license policy. an accelerated increase
| in the valuation, it Is not unfair to at
| mi 10 IN npliav CO .f