The Portland daily press., 1867-03-11


If the Daily Press should earnestly advocate
the enforcement of the Maine Law, it would
mot long deem Prohibition as a doubtful sex
pertinent" as is now the case. Its columns
would furnish facts and opinions in favor of
the Law and its execution, selected from other
papers, as well as those opposed, which it now
eagerly gathers. ..l.- -Isl. tr-.l al
The executive officers of this city regard the
Daily Press, as opposed to the enforcement of
the Law. And the Press phlosophically queries
II 1t can be enforced, instead of practically Sc
curing the success of the Law by SUSTAINING the
officers, and urging them to more activity in
the needed work.-Ech0. .i s.-,.l ll- = ID
"The executive officers of this city" have a
right to regard the Press in any light that
seems to them proper, but we do not believe
the Mayor, che municipal Judge or the Marshal
entertains any such opinion as is attributed to
them in the above, for they know that in no
instance has the Press ever opposed sim
gle word "to the enforcement of the Maine
Law" or to any law designed to promote good
order in community. We do not recognize it
as any part of the duty of journalist to con-
tinually keep urging the law officers to more
activity in their work, nor do they require any
sustaining" from the newspapers except the
general incubation of law-abiding sentiments.
law is on the statute book and that they are
elected for its enforcement, and when they
have taken an oath to perform their duties
faithfully, they have no right to shrink from
the enforcement of any law. They have no op-
ton but to perform their duty, and if law
will not bear enforcement let those whose pre-
rogative it is to do so repeal it, and the sooner
the better. la4L -a .s5lfh s--tHosI
We insist that the Press has ever dealt fairly
and faithfully-as faithfully as any paper not
its special adyocate-with the Maine Law
Its friends never offered well-wrtten word
to these columns that was refused 1t has
never contained a word against the Temper
ance cause; on the contrary, it has had much
to say not only in favor of the cause itself, but
in favor of the very law which it is accused of
opposing. lL u.i'fia 'snto5 .4-'.lslAa
The legislature has just enacted very strin-
gent amendment to the existing law, provid-
ing for increased and intensified penalties for
violation Wisely or unwisely the enacting
body has provided for submitting it to vote of
the people, and we shall not quarrel with the
wisdom that dictated this act of submission
We suppose the legislature felt, as almost all
Il
public evil, to be successfully enforced, must
not be far in advance of the average public SEN
timent OF the State in relation to the matter
In this at the risk of being set down in op-
position to the law, we think the legislature
took counsel of good sense, for if the people do
not want such law it's attempted enforcement
would very likely prove failure and thus pro-
duce reaction in good cause, and if they do !
want it and are prepared to see it enforced,
they will very likely say so at the ballot-box-
We have no doubt of the result of this appeal
to the people; they viii approve the law, and
then all tongues viii be silenced that attempt
to resist it on the ground of its being opposed
to the popular will. + ..
Wewould like to see the people of Maine on
the day appointed for taking the vote, turn out
in full numbers and give expression to their
will on this important measure,---their free |
unbiased, determined will, and then, should the
law be approved, its faithful friends will feel
doubly armed to work for its enforcement.