Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-11-13

GOVERNOR HAiNES.
tcontInued from rage one.)

present at your convention. but | am
handing what | have To say to tn.
Rev Wilbur F. Berry of WaterVllie
Maine. who will be in attendance
upon the convention and have asked
him TO read the same for me.
/ have taken for my subject Tho
Maine Law or Does Prohibition
Prohibit by this mean thu INV
prohibiting the manufacture and sale
If Intoxicating liquors in my state
and what ! have Ia say will pertain Ia
my own State principally. with Few
suggestions, which have to offer.
Maine was noted in its early his
tory for inebriety. We were referred
10 by the early writer's as "A race OF
dfunkards'' Rum was one of the
principal articles of traffic. our peo-
pie We're early engaged in navigation,
particularly with the West India
islands. We sold them lumber ana
picked fish. We took in exchange
sugar. molasses and West India rum
and the early commerce of the state
is especially marked with the last
named product. If you were to eX-
anime the accounts kept by any of the
country stores. and in fact all of the
stores of the State. prior TO 1870, you
3 would note in the charges made 10 the
Various customers. abont every lohrth
item, wv l. Goods" | have examined
n good many sets of old account
books. and they all read the same.
The subsistence of the average family
consisted Of very few items-sait
pork, salt cod fish, flour and indian
meal. with the homo produced Vese-
fables. milk and butter, but To the
family expense. was added the in
.vitable item, w. /. Goods" or West
India rum. II was cheap-almost
lree. There was no license fee 10 sell
II. and no internal revenue charged
upon il by The Federal government.
All stores and faVsrna sold IL. The
state was large and taVerns were
frequent. There were no railroads.
and goods were moved by team very
leng distances, and the stopping places
were at these taverns. Every night
saw the same round of drunkenness
in the old time bar ROOM
In 1880, we had thirteen distilleries
of our own: five hundred licensed
dealers, with only 100000 people, and
we imported 100000 gallons of in
toxieating liquors annually. II is es-
timatcd that we had 10000 habitnal
sfrunkarls. the most Of them heads OF
families 1T that date. There were
1000 grog shops in the State-ene TO
every 295 persons. In a single town
Of 1900 population we had as high as
Il rum shops reported, where 10000
gallons of liquor We're sold annually.
Poor, but Millions for Rum.
While the most marked thing about
the State in those early days was
poverty. ii was estimated that at least
$4,000 800 (at the very low prices for
which intoxicating liquors were then
slld) was spent annually for them by
EN- people, or about $50 per capita.
In 1884, few of the leading men of
the State became frightened 1T the
situation 4 State temperance society
was formed of which one of the gov
,-rrors was president, and Chief JUS
tice Mellen Of our supreme Court was
elected as his successor. The traffic
was pronounced immoral. and a fight
for better conditions was begun. Soon
afterwards Judge Shepley of our Sa-
preme Court and nine other leading
men presented a petition to the LeGis-
laiure, announcing the doctrine that
the sale Of intoxicating liquors is
either right or wrong. If right. the
law hy license should not make il
monopoly. If not right. ii should not
be sanctioned by law" THAT. by
iegaiI2ins the traffic and authorizing "A
revenue from it, such laws tend to en-
courage the sale and use Of such
drinks and hold out temptation 10
produce a town income from a source
adverse to the moral interests of the
community
Various kinds of local and state Ii
cense laws pertaining to inn holders
We're passed from time TO time for the
next 90 years, all of little force and
effect. but the agitation went con-
stantly on. supported by the right
minded and far-seeing people of the
State, creating sentiment for the
suppression of this traffic.
Our First Prohibitory Law.
The first prohibitofy law was passed
In IssC, but II did not give the right
If search and seizure, and it was not
until 1851 that the first real prohibit
tory law was enacted. IL was signed
by Governor Hubbard. n Democrat,
who was reported To like his toddy al
together too we'll. but who had respect
cnotiyh for the will of the people not
10 veto this statute, as ii was expected
he would do.
The row now began in earnest, with
the late General Neal Dow comman-
der in chief of the forces of prohibit
ton on the one side, and the Devil,