Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-03-12

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rho majority and minority reports
wy Tho Committee on Temperance, the
jon.s,;op being on substituting the minor
;,y renort. which brings in a bill to repeai
,he cider and constabulary Law OF last win
ter. for the majority report. when gives 'he
netitiouers for the repeal leave to wlthura"'
Mr.. Richie of Winterport took the moor
in onnosi,ion to the majority report ne
reuresented farming class of men OF whoni
ba Col, nroud They were of that class when
had brought our territory from MS natnrai
condition to its present state: Ines hau
built beautiful houses anu had peautiheu 'he
Hand. They were law-ablding citlzehs anu
temperance people. They PAID the mos. ol
the taxes and had the largest vote; yer 'heir
RIGHTS had been ignored. They were given no
ranrrscntarive on the Valuation Commission
and their exclusion from the management II
tho Agricultural College he believed had
haau the cause of the failure of that instltu-
ton The farmers of Maine asked for 40 do
nation. They asked simply that they might DC
left free to sell their farm products as they
saw fl without being subjected t. the penalty
of wearing a prison garb. They were OPP
posed to having their name coupled with the
name of rumseler. The giving OF a glass of
cider might subject them TO the penalties pre-
ri led for keeping house of ill fame under
If no man. hut for the welfare OF the whole
State. and he believed il to be for the best
interests of all that the law of 1880 should be
repealed.
Mr.. LANG of PALMYRA said he could raise
500 bushels of potatoes on his farm and from
them manufacture whiskev. and make four
t;mes a, much as he could to sell them in
their natural state And Sd of barley. If
this little matter Of cider was allowed. why
not the others: But cider could be disposed
of to a very good purpose without running
our children and our neighbors children ana
sending them down to miserable deaths anu
landing them in the eternal world, damned
le;ernally.
Mr.. HARDING of Waldo was in favor OF the
prohihitory law up to last winter. but OBJ
posed to the law sought to be repealed OH
GERS in his county whose duty it was to en-
force the law were temperance people, and
would enforce the law if not nterfered with;
but a constable wholly irresponsible and I'M
fitted for the position had been appointed and
the work had been taken out of their hands.
The result was that the law had not been en-
forced, and resolutions were passed by the
district lodge of Good Templars asking for
this ronstable's removal. He still retained
the office The people over there now desired
that he he taken out of the way and the en-
of Belfast and the sheriff and his deputies.
Mr.. MCKELLAR was Il Good Templar from
Knox, and they desired the adoption of any
means for the better enforcement of the Ii
uuor law. He believed in the law, and was
in favor of strengthening, by legislative en-
actment, the hands of the thousands of tenn
perance people of the State. If there was
something wrong in Waldo county, there
shonld be some way devised to remedy it ::
but he was opposed to a repeal of the law.
Mr.. CHApBoURNE of WATERFORD said his
town had no rum-shops but plenty of cider
and if there was a chance it would be set to
running and many men would be on hand to
ct drunk on it.
Mr.. HUTCHINsoS of Lewiston first spoke
of the provisions of the law, and claimed that
it was sufficiently guarded The proposition
was to repeal it. Upon principle he was OPP
posed to the enactment of a law at one ses-
sion and voting it down at the next. This
law had been carefully considered before its
enactment and it should have a fair test be-
fore it was repealed. In Belfast they wanted
it repealed because of the ineficiency of an
officer appointed to execute it but that was
not sound argument. for one might as well
argue for the repeal of the law against MUIR
der or anv other crime because of the ineai-
cheney of an officer. There was no force in
the argument except to show that efficient
officers were necessary to execute this as well
as any other law.
The claim had been made that the farmers
are opposed to the law but they were among
its most earnest advocates at the time it was
enacted and they did not petition now for
its repeal. They realized the evils of the
cider traffic, and he submitted that it was the
experience of nine-tenths of the people who
had carefully considered the matter that the
| linz I Al,
men. is where is furnished the Devils kind
ling-wood that leads to drunkard's life. He
urged upon members the Importance o: tax
ing no backward step. If there was any
doubt about it the be-efit of the doubt should
he given in favor of the reformed temperance
man and against the rumseller.
Mr.. FREEMAN of Lincolnvillc sent to the
clerk and had read the law respecting the
duties of sheriffs and their deputies, and
claimed that before the law of 1880 there was
law enough to compel officers to do their
duty in the suppression of the sale of intoxi-
eating liquors The 'plain people, of the
State viewed with Alarm this appointment
of officers by the governor to override local
officers, and he warned gentlemen
that they would not submit to it.
He contended that it was always right to re-
peal bad law. 1t was not only the petition
ers but the voice of the people that de-
handing the repeal of this statute.
| The time having arrived for an adjourn
ment, Mr.. Freeman gave way and the House
Adjourned.
| READ AND ASSIGNED.
An act to incorporate the Ocean Bank of
hennebunk: an act to authorize BENJAMIN
Conant ct. ais. to build and maintain piers
and booms across the Androscoggin river; an
act to authorize the Kennebec Log Driving Co.
to erect boom across the kennebec river at
Browns Island an act relating to mortgages
of real estate and actions thereon; an act re-
lating to the criminal jurisdiction of the
Superior court of the county of Kennebec: :
an act to amend chap. FOG of the public laws
of 1880, relating to suits by collectors of
taxes and the jurisdiction of trial justices :
an act relating to unsettled accounts of the
State.
| PASSED TO BE ENGROssED.
An act to incorporate the Lejok Bank !:
an act to incorporate the Peoples Bank: an
act to incorporate the Norway Bank an act
to incorporate the Richmond Bank of Rich.
mond; an act TO incorporate the Mer
chants Bank, Waterville; an act sec. II
chap. 10 of the public laws of 1878. RELATING
to the taking of smelts, entitled an ACT
to regulate and protect fish and the