Year: 1878

SoipCo OJ ~


By all these people. who generally run


the political machine, who set up Estates


men and pull them down at will it was


thought an intolerable wrong that they


should be summarily set aside and that q


law should be passed without consulting


them, and only in the general interests


and with no reference to the will oil


party hack politicians or to the interests


OF any party These men generally as.


sumed an attitude of active and bitter


hostility to the new law of prohibition


and it was only after many crushing de-


feats by the people at the ballot-boxes


that these men abandoned their opposi


ton and came into the new movement as


prohibitionists par excellence and assumed


to. lead it; precisely as the pro slavery


politicians came into the triumphant


antislavery movement as its special


friends and leaders, carrying off all the


honors and the fruits of the victory they


did not help to win.


Now, the Maine Law in Maine is exc


cuted as easily and as promptly as any of


our other criminal laws, and with no


more friction in our courts or elsewhere


than with our laws furnishing smaller


otfenses against the general good-to- wit,


robbery, house-burning, outrages of what


ever sort against property or persons.


The result of this policy of prohibition


has been to drive out of the liquor trade


every man with any claim to decent


character, leaving it entirely in the


hands of few of the lowest and vilest of


our foreign population, who carry it on


secretly, on very small scale, and only


in our larger towns and cities. The men


in Maine now engaged in the great crime


against society are literally of the dregs


of the people. l do not think it doing


them any wrong to say that they would
as readily rob, burn, or murder for


money or for passion, if the penalties on
detection were no greater. As the result
of the Maine Law, the liquor traffic is


absolutely driven out of more than three


fourths of the territory of the State 1t


is entirely unknown in all the rural dis
trscts, in all the smaller towns and vii
lagos, and exists only on very small
scale in the larger towns, and only in
the low, bad parts of them.


The Republican party in Maine has al
ways had in its platform the policy of
prohibition and the vigorous enforce


ment of laws to that end as its most
prominent feature. This party owes its
ascendency in Maine chiefly to the
hearty endorsement of that policy and a
withdrawal from it would be instantly
followed by its overthrow. No consider
atlons OF state or national policy aside
from this question of supreme import
ance, would be sufficient to induce the
temperance men of Maine to support or
countenance any political party which
should oppose or ignore the great ques-
tion of prohibition of and annihilation to
the liquor traffic.


For many years the Democratic party
made opposition to prohibition a dis
tinct plank in its platform, declaring
in the most formal way that it was
great lover and promoter of temperance
and of every other virtue that does or
can adorn the Christian, philanthropist,
or patriot, as all its history abundantly
shows and proves. 1t declared prohibi-
ton not to be in the interest of temper
ance, but great injury to that eminent
license law was the wisest and best poll
cy, opening up all reasonable and proper
facilities for suitable and moderate in
diligence of the natural appetite for whis-
ky, while it would prevent excess, by
taking away all inducements to secret
selling and drinking. But the declara-
ton of this fundamental Democratic
principle did not draw, as it might rea-
sonably be expected to do. On the con-
trary, it repelled; and at last, after most
mature deliberation on the part of the
leaders. it was formally determined to
put the Democratic ship about" on the
"other tack" So now in Maine we have
both political parties fully committed to
the policy of prohibition. In Connecti-
cut in New York, in Massachusetts, in
Pennsylvania, and, indeed, in every
Northern state the temperance men are
numerous enough and influential enough
to compel the Republican party to assume
this attitude, it, like the men of Maine,
they will make open proclamation, and
firmly abide by it, that, let come what
may, they will vote no ticket and for no
man who is opposed to the policy of pro-
hibition to the liquor traffic and to the
enactment Of suitable and sufficient laws
for its suppression. l wonder that Re-
publican politicians do not see that the
of the liquor traffic inures to
the benefit of that party. Every grog-
shop is ri1e.pit to kill off Republican
voters.


Now what. upon the whole, is the
result in Maine of this policy of prohibi-
ton for more than quarter of a centu-
IyP 1t is not little singular that every
where through the country there are a |
great many intelligent men who are alb !
solutely without correct information up
on this point. There is no policy and |
can be none so important as this in its
relations to every interest-the highest |
interests-of nation, state, and people
In Maine a bold and decided stand was |
taken upon it twentyseven years ago |
yet everywhere, especially among educat-
ed men and among so-called statesmen.
there is almost profound ignorance upon |
ito or Il I'M nd re- ho,
a most important relation to the Church,
to Church work. and to all religious in
terests in all Christian countries; and |
yet the great body of leaders in the |
Church in all lands are either profoundly |
ignorant or Indifferent to the whole mat
ter, as they would not be, could not be if |
their hsarts were really interested in |
the progress of the Christian religion |
through the world, or even in its hearty
acceptance by their own people and in
its legitimate effect upon their lives and |
upon the condition of society.


The mischiefs coming from the liquor
traffic to the moral, intellectual, and |
spiritual interests of the people are
vastly greater and more dreadful than |
those which saaoh their physical condi-
tieni just as a moral, intelligent, and re-
ligious community will be happier and |
more helpful to the nation than any |
abounding in mere wealth,
with no claim to morals, intelligence,
and religion. There is no example in |
history of the decay and ruin of people |
moral intelligent. and religious; but |
many examples of the destruction of ma,
tions rich, luxurious. and profigate 1t |
has been said and often repeated that
modern Christianity is only civilized |
heathenism. If this be not true the |
Church will certainly be aroused by and
by to its duty to help, to the utmost Of