prohibition STALWARTS.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43211, 6 August 1907, Page 1

prohibition STALWARTS.

GENERAL NEAL DOW.

One special difficulty was the attitude of the democratic party, one of the two principal|political - j parties in Maine, and all the ! other States; the other party j being known as the Whig, or Federal Party (now known as the Republican Party). The democratic party upheld slaveholding in the South aud liquorselling in the North; but de* spite all obstacles and opposition, the prohibition agitation' had made such progress that, in L 844, Neal Dow was moved to bring in a Bill to give legislative effect to his.policy. A still greater evidence of progress was afforded by the passing of this Bill through the House of Representatives, though it was re* jecfced in the Senate. This was the first - PROHIBITORY LIQUOR BILL, / and so energetically did the agitation continue that;’ in 1846, a similar Bill passed both branches of the legislature, * and became the law of the State. .. It did not realise the desires of its supporters' because, as before stated, prohibition is not suppression; and one thing which Neal Dow had not reckoned with was the law-breaking determine tion of the liquor-sellers and their abettors. The Aet o£ 1846 did not provide against' this lawless spirit, and the pro* visions for the detection and punishment of offenders were imperfect. Its suppressive force was lamentably weak. One of the two indispensable of enforcement - efficient ; machinery was absent. To meet this necessity Neal Dow and his friends made vigorous efforts, and in 1849

AN AMENDING BILL was introduced, and passed through both the House and the Senate, but was vetoed by the Governor, Mr Dana. (The President of the United States has ay veto power over bills that pass through Congress unless the majority of votes is two-thirds in both Chambers, his veto beiug theu overridden. The same power is vested in, the Governors of States). Nothing daunted, Heal Dow and his friends brought in another Bill the following year (1850) ; nil 1 this, though carried in the j House, was lost by a tie-vote in the Senate. This Bill had been drafted by Heal Dow himself,, though not a member of the Legislature. A decisive change was at hand, and it came about in a manner that might be called romantic. 'The session of 1851 was about to close, and no legislation had been attempted. Hurrying to Augusta Heal Dow gained the consent of the Speakers of the Senate, and House of Eepresentatives to address them collectively on the prohibition issue; and so impressive was his appeal that the bill he had drafted, and which * resembled the one of 1850, was introduced at once, and passed the House of Eepresentatives by 86 votes to 40, and the Senate by 18 to IOV All previous defeats were effaced —the battle was won, and an EFFECTIVE PROHIBITORY LAW was placed upon the Statute Book of Maine. Fur this triumph it was necessary for the Gbver- , nor, Mr Hubbard, to sign fchi Bill, which he did on- Jun© 2nd, 1851. Mr Hubbard bei longed to the Democratic party, j but he bowed to; the will of the ! people and of the* Legislature, assisted, it was thought, by tht fact that his predecessor, who had vetoed the Bill of 1840, had been defeated at the subsequent election for the Governor—- . ship. J (To be Continued.)