annual convention of this year, rejected, by an immense majority,
and with enthusiastic cheers, a resolution, proposed from the
floor, in favor of "license."

The original Maine Law was enacted by a vote in the House of
eighty-six to forty, and in the Senate by eighteen to ten. There
have been several subsequent liquor laws, all in the direction of
greater stringency; and the Legislature of this year enacted an
additional law, with penalties much more stringent than any which
had preceded it, without a dissenting vote. No one can mistake the
significance of this fact; it was an unanimous affirmation of
adhesion to the policy of prohibition, after a steady trial of it
and experience of its results for more than a quarter of a century.
And, since that time, the people have passed upon it at the late
annual election by an approval of the policy and of the men who
favor it--by an immense majority. If it be conceded that the people
of Maine possess an ordinary share of intelligence and common
sense, this result would be impossible, unless the effect of
prohibition had been beneficial to the State and to them.

While we were earnestly at work in bringing up the public opinion
of the State to the point of demanding the prohibition of the
liquor traffic, as a more important political and social question
than any other or all others, I was startled at hearing a gentleman
of the town of Raymond declare that in his town the people
consumed in strong drink its entire valuation in every period of
eighteen years eight months and twenty-five days! "Here are the
figures," he said; "I know the quantity of liquor brought into the
town annually. I am so situated that I am able to state this
accurately, beyond all possibility of doubt, except that liquors