Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-08-09

The Prohibitaon Way ". License.
BosroN, July =, 1si1.


! note in the current issue Of your ssti-
mabls paper . quotation from my recent
lsttsr to you, in 20 far % IL concsrns the
prohibition agitation In Maine. My words
may have been ambiguous to those OF my
home State who are unacquainted with
conditions here. Perhaps, In justice to
them, should explain more fully.
Now, at the outset, let ~ admit, for the
purpose Of comparison, all the evil things
that the saloon interests say OF the LIQUOR
trafnc in Maine, that we may compare it
with the liquor trafiic Of Massachusetts.
Let us admit that the saloon interests
bride many OF the sheriffs and police of
Maine and maintain kitchen bar-rooms
and "blind tigers" in large numbers in de-
fance Of the law. Let us admit that
drinking men do not go thirsty in Maine.
II, after all such admissions, we can still
prove that the boys and young men who
have not yet become drinking men have .
better chance even under the worst condi-
ditions in Maine than boys and young
men have in Massachusetts,, we have
proved the case for the Maine law.
In Maine, as everyone knows, the liquor
trafnc is conducted in semi secrecy. It
requires certain degree Of initiation for q
young man to recognize saloon In Maine
at least for the country boy, and the
majority OF Maine boys are from the
farms.
II may b pardoned for referring to my
own case: For three years after leaving
Hancock county attended high school
In village near Lewiston, and very fire.
quently passed through the city. It was
not until my third year Of scqusintsnce
with the city that learned, from chance
remark OF friend, what the sign OF
"blind tiger" was. After that could
count Z dozen or more on Lisbon street
alone. That illustrates how efsectually
the Maine law guards young mon from tho
temptation Of sights that shall describe
hereafter o common in Massachusetts,.
In fact, the first view got OF Massachu-
sets when I left the steamboat landing ON
Atlantic avenue in Boston early one
spring morning was this cheerful legend,
in big letters on the side OF brick build
Shortly after that, wished to mail let
ter, and, presuming that Boston drug
stores would carry postage stamps as they
do in Maine, walked guilelessly into the
most magnificent appearing drug store I
had ever beheld, but fed in Mortified sur
prise; II t0as a saloon. q fancy cynical
readers are saying: "He has gotten over
that fear OF the saloon by this time", and
hasten to assure them that boys who
grow up to mans estate and mans judg-
ment shielded from temptation until then
by the Maine law are safe when they go to
other states.)
In Massachusetts nothing is more
familiar than the public saloon, with its
decorated windows, its brilliant lights, its
gorgeously- equipped bar, its patrons OF
all ages and all classes, lined up at the
rail and being served with sparkling
liquors, or circulating freely about the
room, laughing and talking and partaking
OF the free lunch that is almost invariably
served.
Children grow up with such scenes be-
fore their eyes-children always over
ready to initiate the man. Here is some
thing like fairyland to them-these bril-
liant lights, this gorgeous place; this gay
throng, and they, the children, long to
grow up and participate in its joys. Thus
we have an army OF potential drunkards
and rum made criminals recruited from he
ranks OF unthinking, unreasoning child
hood.
Children flock the streets in every city
in the early evening. II there are sights to
be seen, they see them; trust them for that.
Often have observed children hanging
around the doors and windows OF saloons
in Boston to see the 'sfun'; to see
"drunks" elected; to see arrests made,
taking lessons from the life in which they
will soon join.
Now, do the good people OF Maine wish
to expose the helpless innocence of their
children to the degrading influence of
the wide-open, law-approved saloon traf-
fic? What il it will bring money into,the
Golfers Of the State? What il it will clean
away the accusation OF "hypocricy" that
the liquor interests craftily make against
the whole people OF Maine? What if it
will delight those who speciously advocate
'.local self-goverpment' and the inalien-
able right Of man to go to the devil il he
wants TOT"
The fight is not one Of few years, nor
OF one generation merely, but it concerns
the whole future of the State. Prohibi-
ton 10 fight not to keep old topers from
their "booze," but to protect the boys and
young men Of the land, and by eliminate
ing the powerful temptation Of the gor-
geous saloon, to allow - many OF them o.
possible to grow up to lives Of temperance
and industry, ia gain can be made in
each generation; il Temperance can b
brought about, though slowly, by means
even Of Observation-Disclosures prohibition,
the final extinction Of the liquor traffic
ID assured. But in the meantime the
"blind tigers" and the kitchen bar-r rooms
Of Maine cannot lure the children q