The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-05

On hearing of the second move, caiieo
| a meeting of the directors, ana on ehelr
authority the hotel was closed, NoVem-
Der and unless purchased on or before
November 10, it will not be sold for hotel
purposes.
[ think I have answered your second
question in replying to the hrs5.
To your third question Will staI =. 1naD
the terms are cash. The price Is 20 per
cent of the actual cost of The stock, with
this additional guarantee, that If the
hotel is sold through your committee for
the price named, we will make the
Board of Trade a present Oh SooO. ANA,
further, if the purchaser Will give me a
bond for $5000 with acceptable suretles,
binding himself and assigns TO keep the
any Intoxicating liquors to be kept Old
the premises, l will give him personally
$1,000 TO be applied to the payment OF the
nurchase of the stock. Let it be distinctly
Understood that the foregoing offer is
bona tide, and the time of acceptance ex-
hires at noon, November 10.
Now if the merchants and business men
generally want hotel, all it is necessary
for the board of trade to do is to solicit
subscriptions for the stock of the Bidde-
ford Hotel Company, and wo will deliver
the stock and the keys Of the hotel on
demand, any time before November III,
at noon.
splendid investment for any one who may
have the privilege of supplying guests
with spirituous and malt liquors. Other
wise, there is q grand opportunity TO lose
money.
I trust you will pardon me If avail
myself of this opportunity to express my
contempt for the prohibitory law, and to
state e1nrhatically that do not believe
in it's enforcement, and do not blame the
authorities for not enforcing it, as they
no doubt understand full we'll that public
sentiment is opposed to the strict enforce
ment OF the law. And such enforcement
can only be sectional and spasmOdic, for
there is not city in the state of Maine
but what liquors are sold openly and in
most all the towns the initiated can get
all they want to drink. Oh Methinks l
hear some of the temperance fanatics say
ing, tits law, nevertheless, andsshould
be enforced. " GAN laws should be en-
forced, be they good or bad,'' SO say some
people,
| Now suppose the authorities should act
on that assertion, and enforce all laws
| impartially, how many officers do you
suppose we would have out OF jail to
serve the warrants? How many minis
| tiers would be able to preach their usual
| Sunday sermons? For "who is there
among us, the true and the tried, who
has stood so close to Jesus and those on
the Lord S side'' that he would be exempt
from arrest? Did you ever sell news
paper on Sunday? Are you in any way
connected with tie street railway who
run the cars on the Sabbath? Did you
ever ride out with your family on the
Sabbath? Do you know of any one who
uses prorane language in your ne1ghbor-
hood? Did you ever use plofane language
yourself. Have you ever been guilty OF
any of the above named acts? Ii so, you
| 80 i,,e+ a g r,o11oh ouiltv Of violation of
| law as the man who sells liquor
| Thus YOU see that if the authorities
should enforce all laws strictly there is
hardly any one who would not come in
contact with the law as violator OF It,.
Why don't they enforce all these laws?
Simply because public sentiment would
not indorse the act, and for that reason
only / believe the local officers are right
in not enforcing the prohibitory law in
the strjctest manner possible. Oh, per-
haps some one is saying: Mr.. Roberts,
do you believe in free rum?' My answer
is. ssNo, 1 believe in high license local
ontion law, ssWell. that might be all
right, but it is impossible under the con-
| stitution of Maine to enact license law,
| for a great many years to come, at least. ;"
Now what are we going TO do in the
meantime? Are we going to have Tree
rum2 No. All that is necessary to do in
order to bring about practically the Same
result as n nlgn license tHI lOCdl opium
law is simply for the next Legislature to
repeal all penalties for the violation of
the present prohibitory farce; then pass.
an act authorizing the state to issue reve-
nue. licenses, the same as the United
States revenue tax. to any one known to
be engaged in the sale of intoxicating
LIQUORS; make the revenue fee not less
than $50, nor more than $1,000, discretion
ary with the local authorities, one-half
to 90 to the stats and one-half to the
town or city where located. Also pass
local option act giving the towns and
cities the right to decide by a majority
vote whether revenue license shall be
issued therein or not. Then make the
pepalties for keeping or exposing for sale
Without first taking out state revenue
license. not less than $500 nor more than
$1,000 fine and imprisonment not less than
six months nor more than three years.
After the passage of such an act, we
would have no more trouble in running
hotel and the liquor business would be
conducted on business principles, thus
placing the traffic in responsible hands
and affording a revenue to town, city and
Very respectfully yours,
VIM A. ROBERTS.