Pubdate: Sun, 15 Dec 2013
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Associated Press
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388

GENTLER TEMPERANCE UNION TARGETING POT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The mansion that serves as Maine headquarters 
of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union lay largely fallow until 
recently, with drug needles, liquor bottles and pornographic 
magazines littering the grounds. Now, in the state where Prohibition 
had its roots and in a city that just legalized recreational 
marijuana, the WCTU is overhauling the building and looking to reinvent itself.

Leaders of the organization, which is committed to abstinence, plan 
to take a lower-key approach, compared with the old days when 
crusading women terrorized saloon owners.

"We just want to bring a new passion here. It's not that we want to 
be self-righteous and condemn you because you're drinking or drugging 
or you're smoking pot," said the Rev. David Perkins, who is working 
with his wife to restore the WCTU's Portland chapter. "It's not that. 
We want to love you but tell you that there are ill effects."

Last week marked both the 80th anniversary of the end of Prohibition 
and the legalization of marijuana in Portland, Maine's largest city.

Neal Dow, a Union general, entrepreneur and teetotaling crusader, led 
the push for Maine to ban alcohol in 1851 - years before national 
Prohibition was enacted in 1919.

Back then, it wasn't uncommon to see tubs of rum on Portland 
sidewalks, where anyone could use a dipper to indulge. Church bells 
tolled at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., signaling rum breaks for 
workers, said Herb Adams, a former state lawmaker and the city's 
unofficial historian.

In Portland, members of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, weary 
of alcohol's harmful effects on families, harassed saloon operators 
by showing up with Bibles and singing hymns. They refused to leave 
until they extracted a promise to stop selling alcohol - and they 
weren't above smashing bottles if the proprietor reneged, Adams said.

"They were formidable. They were remarkable. They were the 
glass-smashers and boundary-breakers of their day," he said. "In 
their moment, they were the cutting edge of American womanhood, and 
they changed a nation."

The WCTU, which went on to become a major voice in the suffrage 
movement, began using Dow's mansion as its statewide headquarters in 
1960s. But over time, the WCTU's numbers have dwindled.

Across the nation, the Illinois organization's ranks in the U.S. have 
dropped from a peak of 500,000 in the 1940s to today's level of 
between 4,000 and 5,000, said national president Rita Wert.

The dwindling numbers coincided with a shift in public sentiment. 
After the end of Prohibition on Dec. 5, 1933, members watched as the 
number of "dry" towns declined, wine sales were extended to 
supermarkets, the state got into the liquor business and brew pubs 
and breweries popped up all over Portland.

Last month, 67 percent of voters favored legalizing marijuana in a 
referendum. It's a largely symbolic victory, since local police will 
continue to enforce state drug laws.

State Rep. Diane Russell, who supports legalizing marijuana, said 
city voters approved the ordinance for the same reason Prohibition 
was ultimately overturned. Outlawing alcohol and marijuana didn't 
stop consumption or substance abuse, she said; instead, it led to a 
black market with criminals profiting while smalltime users were punished.

In Maine, the WCTU's Portland chapter temporarily closed two years 
ago, and the Dow house fell into disrepair. Bottles, needles and 
pornography were strewn about the yard.

Last year, Perkins and his wife, Janet Perkins, the Portland chapter 
president, began the process of rebuilding the WCTU's local presence. 
Part of that process included overhauling the Dow mansion by 
replacing the roof, applying new paint, installing new windows and 
overhauling the heating system.

Substance abuse is an issue near and dear to them. Both have dealt 
with it in their families. And David Perkins knows firsthand, as a 
former drug abuser and dealer.

"We find that a lot of people who are on hard drugs had started with 
marijuana," said Janet Perkins. "That's one of the reasons we don't 
agree with the new law."

At 55, Perkins presents a younger face for the group.

The group will continue to meet at the Dow house, but there will be 
more to it than bringing out Dow's silver tea set. The group is 
recruiting members and looking into social justice issues, including 
human trafficking.

Mae Billingslea, the oldest member of the Portland chapter, said the 
group needs to get noticed and to get its message out. She agrees 
with the change in tactics.

"In this day and age, I doubt very much that women praying in the 
saloons would accomplish much," the 82-year old said. "I guess my 
faith is too small."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom