Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-02-16
NO. A..

from to five clerks learning the business, and
IN less than five years there would be from one to
one hundred legslized rum shops in every village
and city in our State. Under the present law,
the city of Portland has right to appoint
agent to sell liquor, aud the municipal officers Of
town can appoint druggists for town sgents, If
they find those who possess the requisite qualih-
catIons-and | think some of them have one
qualification, they have experience in the rum
business. | do not say that all druggists in this
State rum sellers, but | do say that large
number OF them have at some time been engaged
IN the business. and very many of those whOse
names head these petitons have been indicted
Tor the crime of rum selling, and their names may
he found on the criminal dockets for violation oil
the laws of Maine. do say that in these drug
stores the fires Of in,emperance kindled, and
that more drunkards have been made in these
places than in the lowest groggeries. There are
those engaged 10 the drug business in this State
10 whose hands the sale Of liquor may be placed
with perfect safety. But these men, many of
whom are viOlators Of law, now ask us to give
them the right to engage in the sale of ntoxicat-
ing liquors inJscriminately. If this bill should
become a law, the laws which regulate the liquor
traffic in this State would be simply this No one
shall hereafter engage IN the sale OF intoxicating
liquor except the druggists, and there would be
no limit to the number engaged in the business.
Rum would be sold as freely in this State as it
was before the enactment of the Maine law.
it would be sold as freely it is in the Safe OF
Massachusetts,, under the present license law. Ii
%
hibltory law. The only conceivable difference
IN this the druggist. would monopolize the
business. No person Of any other profession
occupation would have right to engage in the
bus ness, but it is an easy thing TO become a
druggist and there a great many druggists out
side the State of Maine. This is an attempt made
to popuarize and egaIize the rum traffic in the
State of Maine. 1t is a compromise offered by
those who ave opposed to the present prohib tory
law, by those who IN favor of the repeal Of
that law and the enactment of a license law.
If this bill should become law, our
prohlbltory law, that law which is universally
conceded 10 be the best in the world, would be
virtually repealed. One reason urged by the
friends of this bill is that the apOthecary must
nave liquors To compound his medicines. /
perfectly willing he should have liquors for that
purpose, aud there is no law on the statute
books OF Maize that prohibits the Of qaor
for that purpose providing he does not compound
1t with hls drinks but they become so accustomed
to compoun" ing liquors with medicine, that they
ar very apt TO mix IL With their drinks. There is
statnt law in this State that prohibits the use
of liquor for medicinal, mechanical chemical
purposes or for any leg innate purpose. Bat there
Il a law that prohibits the sale of intoxicating
liquor for tipping purposes. But the apothecaIy
can keep on hand and use for all legitimate pur-
poses, liquors of all kinds. But when be attempts
to sell he becomes a violator of law, and is liable
TO inclcu eut his liquors are liable to seizure, and
he is iIble TO fine and imprisonment for his
cline.
ne made, a,y person could go to a physician and
get pl e,crp 90, aud that presc ption will be val
I'd until It is worn out it vi i'll enable him to 20 to
ANY druggist and purchase qior by the pint,
quart gallon iol himself and his friends.
The dental profession is Obliged to have ale biol
with hIch to vnlcaDize their rubber ceuoid,
TO anueal their gold and for various other purposes
Now why do not the dentists of Maine come here
and ask 10 be allowed 10 use alcJhol in their pro-
iesson Simply because the law allows them TO
use II. II. however, dentist should make him
self Dotoriou,as rumseller, 1t might be very diff
cult for him to keep lqnor. The officers of the law
wOu selZc IT, aud the TACT that he mad violated the
law 10y selling, would be prma faca evidence
that his liquors are intended FIR sale. II the
liquors which are kept exclusively for his own use
and are not soil OF intended for sale should be
seized, he can recover them if he is not engaged
in the traffic. Now 1t has been asked who these
these three thousand petitioners are. | answer,
some of some of them are honest men, some of
them are good meu, and some of them tenn
perance men, and some of them are to-day en-
gagged in the netarious business of selling rum in
violation of the laws Of our State.
And ask who are the twelve thousand remon-
stIants, whom the counsel for these petitioners
says he cares nothing aboutf They are the men
who represent the dill rent temperance organza-
tIons OF our State. The Christi An women and the
praying mothers are among the number and the
more than twenty thousand reformed men OF our
Stats are amona them. These are the men and
women whom this counsel nothing about,
aud these are the men and women who remOG-
~-tatcd against ths bill.