Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-02-07

n, added 10 make the legislation ehectasl. |
ie = man who vas carrying on legitimate husi
lie ness was To be exposed 10 the liability of
re fine of $50 for selling without knowledge a.
G. TO the age of the minor, cigarettes or tohsecs
l. in any of its forms, then attention should bs
Is turned TO legislation which should be diree
T. and effeetual. No sentiment As 10 whs
might happen under certain circumstances
&c to boy who deliberately broke this la~
II ought TO restrain members if they believed
|. there is q real evil. from meeting that evil
v in q straiyatforwa ard. manly fashion. With
v reference to the amendments, he said thai
e the evil where il may be less with reference
= TO other forms of tobacco. is not the less
great in iIsels whatever the fault may be.
Il He did not believe there was physician in
/. the land but would raise his voice against the
+ use of tobacco in any form by the young
= under Is. The friends of the bill do not
& undertake to dictate what people shall do in
e their own homes OF in private, but say II this
, is an evil, then boys under l6 should not be
e encouraged to walk the streets putting cigs-
rettes And tobacco; not p, rhaps because of
: sentiment but because 1t is an evil under
mining the health and constitution of the
: youth who are growing up, aud the evil has
E become so great that it ought TO be met.
! For himself he did not believe in furnishing
people who are indirect auxIliaries TO GER
tain results which are regretable, and allow
ing the principle to pass VITA but notice. lie
bt leved it \ mistake that in all our prohibi
, tory legislation, We had treated the gigantic
|, crime of crimes" as not in the use and abuse
of liquors, but simply in their sals. IL was
time 10 take hold OF the difficulty at right
end, and that Was 10 direct repressive legis
| lallor, if need be- against the parties who
use and abuse dangerous articles of food and
drir k. and not against the parties who hap
pen TO be engaged in commerce. He would
direct the legislation against the evil itself
and make the youth who are growing up.
understand that such habits are not conmen-
dable. With reference TO the objection
raised that it would punish in cas-. of a bo,
who bought tobacco at the request of his
parent, he said the bill was not susceptible
of such construction. because section pro.
vided that TO make ANYBODY liable, IL must
have been sold for such personal use.
Mr.. Wright called att, ntion that this pro-
vision did not apply to section |.
Mr. Libby said then it should be added to
that section also lie believed the bill
should be 50 framed that unless a person
knowingly sells for the minors personal use, |
he should not be exposed 10 the penalty. He
thought the penalties for smoking in public |
places would be imposed with discretion |
in community would be sufficient to cause
offenders to refrain from further exhibitions
of their tastes. He believed the bill would |
| be a wise Law and that it should be experi |
mented with at least TO the extent of seeing |
| if it was sufficient TO cope with the evil He |
trusted that the amendments would be re-
jected unless the Senate felt tina, tn. whole
bill should be defeated.
Mr.. Wright said he did not attack the bill |
for the purpose of killing it. lie believed |
in ii to n certain extent lie believed that
with the adoption of the amendments the
measure would accomplish every purpose
desired op the part of those in favor of the
elevation of the morals of the
| people. So far as he was personally con.
cerned he would not object to law to pun
ish the man who drank a drop of liquor, be-
cause he did not believe in such habits but
would the Senate go to that extent? And if
not, why should they punish for smoking, a
provided for in the bill! He
thought there would be more consistency
in Furnishing the man who drinks liquor who
has arrived at the years of discretion than TO
punish the boy of IA or 10 who has not the
discretion of mature years.
Mr.. Daggett of Piscataquis opposed the
amendments because if they were adopted
they would destroy the effect of the bill, |
which to his mind was too much TO ask.
The boys under l6 now using tobacco would
still continue its use If the amendments
were adopted. and the bill woul not abate
the evil in a single instance. If any legisla-
ton TO be had it should be something At
least having the appearance of comply ing
with the desires of the petitioners.
Mr. Collins of Aroostook said he and his
colleague lived in a county whore tobacco
was used almost universally and where ali |
sorts of traps were being set for the pur-
poses of prosecution. Merchants there were
all obliged to keep tobacco and they were
constantly receiving orders for it from peo- |
pie living at great distance. He could see
how such a law applying to tobacco would
work injurious results to parties and he op
posed it, though he did not object to the
feature with reference TO cigarettes There
would be no safety in keeping tobacco for
sale if the bill became law.
Mr. Freeman of Cumberland desired to
put himself on record as opposed to this
kind of legislation He had seen docu-
meDt lying about with the healing "A
psternal government is an internal govern
ment," a quotation attributed to Henry
Ward Beecher. Be that as it might if We
live under paternal government, which we
do not he was satisfied that the first thing
to be done ought to be to prohibit the sale of
cigarettes to minors under lG years of age,
lie was not in favsr of the use of tobacco,
though he had used it a great many years
and knew it to BE- a bad habit, But he had
very strong convictions, from certain rocol-
iecuons OF ms boyhooi days, that II parents
at end to their duty, they are perfectly able
,o or,r,,Ia ,,;,t ,h,. ,,,,,,.,;., -, :, - ~.
w s'"PP'e ~" ',''s iies"oi', anu II was ht'
feature "hich he objected to. The State
was undertaking to do what belonged to
a. n,ahoJ, IL, =, III. -, =. " -.
''se =" oiips aoou' IL was hgs
..,,rd - ~ NV an'
onrh, 30 ha a,,ta.ooi ''' ~" ""i'"
n, UolbrooL ~ v..hi.,,,e.-, ,,o.,.,
,ha, ,ha h;li bo =, 40 ., ,' W" ~
Tha o,,as,;nn -, ,, arf,y " a..
IN str;ka from sec,i,n ,ho ,ro,I. ...,n
| ~ '" '"e ""i'' 7""" VI
tooscco III any form, yea ana nay vot'
vas taken on motion of Mr. Libby result
in, in ,na .a;rm,,iva a. f,1Io..
20 " ~ "
igA-Burgess, Clark. Collin, Freeman, Fros,
simn.on Wsihe, wri,h,,. In As''' h"i'' sargent
| NsY-Au.,in, BurriiI, D.gg,'t, Harding. Heath.
Hinekleyi tiolSrook6 Libby, Lord Of rsnob.c'i.
a. VI '''A' ''e'''"' 'o'' 'Y"ef' oe per- alton.
ABSENT or NOT vorISq-Kend,I,-l
80 the amendment was adon.ed
Mr.. Libby then moved +, can.;d., sr,, oil
the amendment. IN section which wasI,.,