The Portland daily press., 1880-03-17
THE NEW LAW.
The Debate in the House.
Reasons for and Against the Amendments

Reasons for and Against the Amendments
The passage of the amended liquor law to
be engrossed in the House Saturday was at
tended by long and animated debate in which
the leading members took part. The more in
teresting portions are reproduced below. The
discussion began with the motion of Mr.. Perry
of Camden, supported by Mr.. Hale of Els
worth, to strike out as unconstitutional the
section providing for the removal of sheriff
and county attorneys and soon became general.
Mr.. Butler of Vassalboro agreed with the
gentleman from Ellsworth, and he was glad to
hear him. 1t revived an interesting instance
OF the past. He had been he thought, the OF.
ganizer of the first cold water army in the state
of Maine, and the gentleman from Ellsworth,
a little boy then, carried the first banner, and
he remembered that it was carried very steadi-
ly. And now after so many years. they were
both together acting once more upon the ques-
tion which was of so much interest to them
then. From that day, Mr.. Butler said he had
been champion of that cause, and he would
be very sorry to see anything that would in
on it might be wise or unwise, as in other mat
ters. The section prohibiting the sale of less
than five gallons of cider did not commend
itself to his good judgment. He thought action
in the matter of temperance, legislative. pri-
vate and social, should be founded upon rock
or it would have to be abandoned sooner or
later. AS a general principle it is assumed by
temperance people that it is morally wrong to
drink glass OF intoxicating liquor. This is
Ir,ln 10 H.
than it is to take dose of strychnine or arsenic
for medicinal purposes. If we have taken that
position as principle, we have got to recede
from it,. If this false principle were applied to
section 3 and run out to its legitimate results,
it would end in the enactment of law to cut
down every apple tree in the State of Maine,
and prevent the raising of apples. In all great
moral reforms which are based upon moral
principle, there must be q just principle on
which to put the foundation stones: if not,
they are on the sand, and sooner or later must
give way. He was prepared to go to any length
for the advancement of the cause of temperance
yet, as one of its best and Oldest friends he pro-
tested against any legislation that is not
founded upon the principle of moral justice
and truth.
Mr., Hale of Ellsworth said L am very glad,
Mr.. Speaker, of the motion to reconsider the
vote passing the bill, so that there may be an
interchange of views on this subject. take it
that this House is honestly and seriously, and
such legislation on the statute books as will
promote the cause of temperance and put down
grog shops wherever they may spring up in the
State OF Maine. In fact, nothing is better set
tied in the history of this State for the last
thirty years than that the principle of prohbi-
ton, as found upon the statute hook, is to be
kept up and maintained. The man who has
lived among us for the last thirty years and
does not see the immeasurable benefits that
have resulted to this State from the prohibto-
f..rx Ioxrr audi ,fNa .r IL.
And it has become so we'll settled that the
feeling has permeated all political parties. The
idea that many held years ago that license
law would answer in this State and would
meet the demands of the earnest friends of
temperance, has long since been exploded. /
know l, at one time, almost had that view.
My observation and experience have cured ne
of that. fully believe that the prohibitory
law, as it is operated in our State, has been of
great benefit. can express my belief no bet
ter than by reading the resolution upon this
subject adopted unanimously by the last Re-
publican State Convention. If gentlemen will
pardon me l will read it: Speaking the
sense Of the convention. it recognizes temper
ance as q cause which has conferred the great
est benefit on the State, and it sustains the
principles of prohibition which in its opinion
has so largely suppressed liquor selling and
added intellectually to the sum of virtue and
prosperity among the people. Itsbelieves that
every interest of the State and of its people
urges thorough and impartial enforcement of
all law.
may say that that resolution was drawn by
me before the convention met and taken by
the Committee ON Resolutions and adopted as
drawn. And 1 believe in that. 1t has long
since been the settled policy of the State that
it should act under the prohibitory law. And
under that law, Mr.. Speaker, rum selling has
been actually banished from scores and per-
haps hundreds of towns in the State; and to-
day the trave Ter may pass through large
portion of the country towns of Maine, so far
as my observation goes, and from border to
border no liquor selling shops can be found.
And temperance and the principle of prohibi-
tion has become not only a matter of practice,
but it has become social rule and it is SO en-
bodied in the habits of our people. We have
to-day upon our statute book, compared with
other States, very strenuous law, body of
law that is very strong in every respect, much
stronger than any where else. We ought to
be thankful that under the administration and
operation of this law the State has been made
such a temperance State as it is. l know that
there are instances lika that mentioned by the
gentleman from Hallowell. There are many
individual cases. There would be such cases.
But there are a thousand things upon which
this State has to congratulate itself, brought
about by our prohibitory law. All of us here
in Augusta, during this winter, in a time when
the whole State was subjected to q degree of
excitement almest unknown, when this capital
was crowded with hundreds and hundreds of
men, and human passions were aroused to the
highest degree, almost, will concede that it
was thing to congratulate ourselves upon that
it was sober assemblage of people that met
here. was in and out, and on the street and
with the crowd, and it impressed itself upon
me every day, that it was so different from
what might have been found in many States,
in that sobriety rules, great testimonial of
the temperance character OF the State of
Maine. Whoever undertakes to break up this
order of things or to break down the law will
make an ignominious failure.
But, Mr.. Speaker, in this cause as in every
other great moral cause, you should be careful
that the enactment of laws is not carried too
far, that YOU should not strain so that by and
by there should come reaction, that laws
upon laws should not be heaped upon the stat
ute book, which, in the end, will harm the
cause of temperance.
There are several things in this bill that
am bound in honesty to state that do not
like. am afraid of their effect. not only in
the far but in the near future. do not like
the provision in section 5, allowing the govern
or to remove an elective officer, elected by the
people of his locality. You cannot get acounty
attorney or sheriff into Office unless ma
jority of the people where he resides elect him.
/ don't believe it constitutional to remove him
by the action of the Governor. But setting
that aside, do not like theprinciple of amplify-
ing the power of removal of public officer
elected by the people
do not like the cider clause in this bill, and
l fear the result. l think and fear that as
time goes by and men reflect upon it, that this
temperance cause will, in the end, become dis
affected with it, and that it will tend to alien
ate them.
do not like the provision for an additional
conStabulary. can see under it operations
that might tend to make prohibition and the