The Portland daily press., 1895-12-27
desire to see a return to the old civic

desire to see return to the old civic
virtues.
I have been a citizen of Portland for
twenty-five years, and in all that period
never knew more perilOus times. We
need able leaders, devoted Christian men
at the head, and arouse public sentiment
and decided programme. The great
| the leader began with five men.
| / stand here not as leader, but as a
member of this league for all / am and
| all am worth, and for all the influence
have and for all have as long as /
| live, and trust that the league will live
| much longer than myself. The time has
come to act. TO act promptly, to act to-
gether, to act her IDEALLY. and to redeem
this city from the curse of the rum
| traffic.
| Hon. Hiram Knowlton was then in.
troduced
Mr.. Knowlton after referring to the
fact that he was announced to speak be-
fore he was consulted about the matter,
said that all law is the result of real
| or imagined want. The power of the
people is delegated to the legislature, and
when law is -ionce enacted all good
citizens are bound to obey it, 1t is some
| times said, 'the prohbitory law cannot
be enforced because there is not public
sentiment in favor of it's enforcement
| That is the most absurd thing ever
| said by any one out of the primary
school. All the power of the state in
Guiding its military force is back of
every law OF the state. Any law can be
enforced if there is Willingness on the
| part of the officers of the law to enforce
| 1T. There is no difference in laws and
there is no difference in criminals, and
| IA man who violates law is a criminal
| no matter whether he controls fifty
votes or hasn't cent. If this country is
ever destroyed and its system of govern
| ment changed the work will begin in the
cities.
1t is said that the law can't be enforced
in the cities, but don't see why, for
the cities are mostly made PIP of people,
| and that is about what you find in the
country. But it is said, "the people
won't stand an enforcement of the law. !"
They would if the officials would only
enforce it, for the same reasons that the
Dutchman' S wife died, they would have
to.
Mr.. Knowlton said that the law vile
never be changed until some one besldl
those who desire to have their unlawfue
acJs made lawful ask for change. n
thought the complete defeat two years
ago of the "wet'' candidates q sufficient
indication of what the people of Main g
desire, and quoted James g. Blaine rs
saying that prohi bition is the settled
policy of Maine forever.
The present state of things will con-
tinue until the people take the idea of
party politics out of municipal elections.
1t will make no difference even in q
presidential year how the city of Port
land goes at a municipal election. Mr..
Knowlton made an argument in favor of
the uniting by all good tizens or good
men without regard to party.
Rev. r. Il. Hack. followed, speaking
briefly along the line covered by the
previous speakers. and explaining the
scope of the work of the league. In clos
ing he said: "The league will especially
carry on it's work of education and agita-
ton until good men will demand the
nomination of good men for office. so
that we can mould and control for
righteousness the municipal life of this
city,