How Prohibition Is In Maine

From the Chicago Tribune The late Gov. Bodley of Maine, a slior time before his death, stated in an inter view that while he was in favor of tli enforcement of the Prohibition law in the anti-Prohibltion cities of the State and was using the entire uiaehinery o: the law to do so, he was compellèd to regard it as a failure in the cnmmiinitie opposed to it, for liquor was f reely solt In Portland and other cities where there was not a sufflcient public sentiment to prevent It. This Is the result after thirty five years' experience. It has lonif been known that there ie little or no more re9traint upon the sale of liquors in the larger cilies of tha State than when prohibition was inventec iu 1854 by the Demócrata, and that there has been as mucli drunkennesa tn the cities of Maine as in cities of the same size of the other States wliere prohibition is not the State law; but it has not been known until now that this drunkenness extendstoehildren. A prominent clergyman of Portland a few Sundays ugo charged that there was drunkenness eveu among primary school and kindergarten scholar?, and npon investifration sucl was fouud to be the fact, notwithstand ing the School Board's denial of tht charge. The day following the denial a policeman was called to remove a 12year old drunken boy froni one of the primary schools- i spectacle so pitifu that it had the effect to convert ooe or two of ihe leading Prohibitionists trom the errors of their ways and to convince them that probibition does not proliibit Lest sotne pprson who pins his faitli to thetfficacy of paper prohibition in cities may tliink that The Tribune is not accurately stating the facts of the case, we reproduce the following dispatcb from Portland, Me., Jan. 25: The startling revelatlons of the Rev. Mr. Bayley In hls prohlbilion sermón a week ago have created great interest here, where for years efforts have been made to show tlint tüere is as little drunbenness here as there Is Inanycltyin the country. Mr. Bayley nald that the records ehowed more druukenuess tlian ever, and gave plenty of instances aud figures lo conflrm hls allegations. Tbe municipal authorities ut ODCe began to make au lnvestlKatlon. Muyor Chapinan spent two orihree days In Rathering material to refute the charges. Mr. Bayley sald that there was drunkenness In the primary and kludergarten schools, aud the anthorltl. vialled all of them, ftlviug tbe resulta ot thelr investlgulions to the newspaperi. Leadlng temperance men wrote Communications lo the papers, and T. C Woodbury, a prominent advocate, sald that after a long trial prohibition was a fallare, and tbat people hero bad botter bO hou t noiuetblng eltee than trylnc to make 11 suceessful. Yesterday Interest was ronewed when the Portland pollee were called upon toremove Johnny Mcllonougb, a drunken 12-year-old boy, from the Centre Street Primary School He wasHodrunk that the teacher had to llikv hlm removed and when bereached theatatloD he sank i uto u doep rum sleep. On wakenIng he was stupefled and dld not know what day It was. The prevluus niglit the Portland School Commlltee passed resolutlons that there was no druukenneus In the public schools. The despair of the situation in Maine In places where the law cannot be enforced is that there Is nothing to take lts place. The sale is ur.restrained, the law is disregarded, and the saloonmen are not punished under a law which the oominunity declines to enfore. Would it not te better under a hijrh-tax system for cities like Portland, Me., to follow up the case of this 12-year-old drunkard, ascertain who sold hlm the liquor and :unish him severely, and revoke his ícense altogetlier f As the law now stands he can go on Helling. There ia lothing to restraln hun. There is no one to punisli. There is na law with power jnough to reach blm, bf'cause the only xisting law cannot be enforced. The jondition of Portland is that of free ivhiky and a disregiuded, broken law. !s that the best way of promoting the nterest ol temperance ?