THE TRUTH ABOUT MAINE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 125, 17 November 1911, Page 8

THE TRUTH ABOUT MAINE.

ADDRESS BY REV. RS. GRAY. ] There was n, good audience? in the Good Templar Hall last night, when Rev. R. S. Gray gave a very forceful address I on "The truth about Maine and other | parts of America, as it affected the prohibition qu stion.'' The address lasted for nearly :»'o hours ami a half. Mr. ,[. l\ Roy presided, and there were on the piriform several ministers and members if the Temperance party. The chairman, in his opening remarks, paid the sung, ''We must be abstainers," with which the meeting began had hit him hard, as he was not himself a strict •abstainer.

Rev. Gray prefaced his address by stating that when in America his attention was given to the towns and cities of 32,000 and upwards. He did this because even the liquor party itself admitted that prohibition was all right in Ihe country districts. He first spoke of the .southern prohibition States; then of Maine, and lastly of Kansas. He pointed out that he could not discover any of i he horrible evils in these cities that the liquor people ascribed as following in the train of prohibition. They said that divorces, would increase, that the churches would be deserted, as though liquor induced a man to love his wife ana attend church.

Me then dealt at length with the increased liquor bill, stating that before vaiting America he was very much puzzled over the fact that the liquor bill had increase on the whole in that country, despite the fact that there were 4(1,000.000 people in areas with more or less prohibitory law. The facts were that in the ten dry states the consumption was decreasing. Distilled liquors hi'd increased by 738,522 gallons, and fermented liquors by 71,701 gallons, whereas in three large licensed States distilled liquors by increased by 3,802,943 gallons, and fermented by 1,030,001 gallons.

He next dealt with Maine, which the liquor party had alleged was the most drunken State Latest Government returns showed that in the whole of the United States the average was 203 per 10,000, whilst in Maine it was 40 per 10,000, and in the crime the average was 582 per 10,000, as against 80. Maine and Kansas together had a population about equal to New Jersey. Yet comparison showed that the' residents of the former had three times as much real and personal property, three times as many unmortgaged houses, only half as many rented houses, only half as many convicts and insane, nearly twice as many universities and colleges, and more than twice as many students as New Jersey. He had spent considerable time in Portland (Maine), which he found one of the most beautiful cities he had visited—clean, no drunkards, and no drink shops He bad an interview with the Mayor, who said that he was antiprohibitionist, and yet admitted that the place was clean, orderly and free from sl J'-K™gging. It had the third lowest per capita debt in the United States.

The case for Kansas, as submitted by Mr. Gray, may be summarised in the two letters he read from such high authority as Mr. W. E. Stubbs, Governor, and Chief Justice W. A. Johnson, as follows:

"My Dear Mr. Gray,—l regret very much that I could not have a longer talk with you at my house at Lawrence on the subject of prohibition. Every Kansan has something to say upon that. I am quite sure it is the opinion of 90 per cent, of the people of our State that prohibition is the very best business asset of the State.

"Like all great reforms, it was unpopular at first, and people began to charge that it was sumptuary legislation, and all that sort of thing. From the first the Republican party has stood by prohibition. For several years the Democratic party opposed it, but along about 12 or 14 years ago the Democrats dropped their open opposition to the law. and about 10 years ago they began an open advocacy of its support. Every party in the State is supporting the law in their platforms to-day. No party is indifferent enough to public opinion to advocate a repeal of the prohibitory policy It is here to stay, and the people of Kansas are blessing the dav that it was written into the Constitution. "If iit any time you care to ask me for any special information on this subject. I assure you that I will be glad to semi it to you to New Zealand, for the cause of temperance brings all nations and peoples together as one family and one brotherhood—Very truly yours W. R. Stubbs, Governor." "Dear-Sir,—ln response to your enquiry as to the operation of the prohibitory liquor law, I will say that, judging from the litigation in our courts, of which I have been a member for about 27 years, it is quite successfully enforced, and has operated to greatly reduce poverty and crime. At first it'was enforced

with some difficulty, but experience and a wholesome public opinion have overcome that difficulty, and, although transgressed now and then, it is about as effectually enforced as other laws prohibiting and punishing ordinary offences. The closing of the saloons and joints has had an excellent effect upon the morals and material interests of the people of Kansas. Among the results arc. better homes, happier families, higher standards of intelligence and education, and a great diminution in disorder and crime. It has become a permanent policy in Kansas, and is supported by railroad companies, merchants, bankers and business men generally, because it has promoted not only sobriety and morality in those engaged in these avocations, but greater efficiency in both management and service.—Very respectfully, W. A. Johnston. Chief Justice."

Referring to the recent voting in Maine, it was conclusively shown that Prohibition was retained bv a majority of 755. An explanation was asked why the majoritv was so mirth less limn in 18S4. and his. opinion was Unit it was caused partly bv the influx nf population from' Eastern Europe. Tn his concluding remarks, he urged |*n all his hearers to free themselves Ttrom the curse of the drink trade, which be compared to an octopus with its farreaching tentacles. He emphasised the fact that it was useless trying to overcome the evil by merely lopping off the tentacles It was necessary to strike at th.! head and destroy the trade entirely. This he advised them to do by striking out the top line in each paper on comber 7, and to use their influence in obtaining others to do so. A number of questions regarding accommodation in no-license areas and also as to Iho effect on labor if prohibition was carried were well answered. On the motion of Rev. J. It. Roseveare the speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks by acclamation, and a vote of thanks to the chairman closed the meeting. During the evening two well-known Temperance songs were enthusiastically sung, Mr. S. Lewis accompanying on the pinno.