The Somerset reporter., 1896-03-19
Prohibition.

them, and IA CURSE to the community at
large" This is an incontroycrtible fact
1t IS an evil, a curse, and By the c IL
stitutiou aud laws Of the state of Maine.
its sale except for medicinal and mcchan
zeal purposes, IA crime.
Prohibition of the manufacture and
sale of Intoxicating liquors is the policy
of orr state, and has been continuously
since 1857, nearly forty years without
break. Ii has twice been submitted to
tlfr popular vote aud twice carried BIZ
oyerH helming majorities of Maine citi-
zens. No political party dare put an
anti-prohibition plank in its platform
and even the delusVe "re-submissiOn"
plank is unpopular as platform timber.
Whenever the people of Maine have
had opportunity to express their senti-
ments by the ballot they have done it
with an emphasis in favor of prohibition
as the method of suppressng this crime
against humanity as well as crime by
virtue of statute enactments. The sue
eessiYe Maine legislatures during this
long period have been As emphatic in
their actions as have Maine citizens in
their voting and have inserted "new
teeth into the law from time to time to
meet emergencies as they arise through
the ingenuity of dealers to cireumvent
the law.
Moreover, after prohibitory law had
been in force five years in Maine, from
1851 to 1855, inclusive, the Democratic
party cameiinto power and in 1856 en-
acted license law. The people got
after this party at the first election, in
1886, swept it out of power by nearly
10000 plurality and in the winter Of
ls57 restored prohibition, which has
since maintained its proud position
among Maine beneficent statutes, against
every enemy. Therefore, we believe we
are amply justified ia stating that pro-
hibition as applied to the liquor traffic
is the settled policy of the state of
Maine. Godtgrant it may always be.
There are doubtless men in Maine who
desire the suppression of rum selling,
and yet who believe Il license law would
have a greater effect in that direction
than a prohibitory law because of the diff
fieulty in enforcement of the latter, This
was brought out quite emphatieally by
the remarks of gentleman at one of the
citizens! meetings held recently. He
said he had advocated high license be
cause prohibition as it has been enforced
was practically low license, and he pre-
ferred high to low license if we must
have it at all. Thus we believe the
vigorous and consistent enforcement of
our prohibitory law would bring out a
class of friends for it who are now dis
posed to regard its enforcement i'm
practicable.
Some people are disposed to expect
too much of our .'liquor law and be
cause it does not close up the liquor
traffic regard it as a dead failure. We
do not expect the law against murder,
larceny, burglary, arson and kindred
crimes, to annihilate these crimes nor do
we advocate the restraint of these
criminals 10y, lieense because these crimes
continue and will ever continue. One
thing is lost sight of among Maine
people. The manufacture of intoxicants
in Maine is a thing of the past. The fact
that there is not a distillery in Maine is
grand victory and worth all the effort
made for. prohibition for the last half
century.
We thoroughly believe prohibition to
the liquor traffic is The correct principle
and moreover believe in the enforcement
of the law in spirit and to the letter
We are aware that officers of the law
are human and are disposed to regard
the wishes of their constituents to "A
greater or less degree. Because of this
it is the imperative duty of friends of
law and order to make their wishes
known and to stand by officials in the
performance of their duties. At the
same time officials should not disregard
the law itself as an expression of public
sentiment. They should remember
what Judge Whitehouse very forcetully
said, in substance, that law is the
capitalization of public sentiment and
the only evid enee of it an officer of the
law has any right to regard.
Public sentiment as a whole in the
state of Maine preponderates in favor of
the enforcement of the "Mane law.
II it does not why does the law remain
so long in the constitution and among
the statutes The sentiment of one
town or city or county should not count
against the enforcement of the law in
that town, city or county. Even if
officers have Il right to regard public
sentiment of the State against the dis
charge of duty lmade positive by
statute which We do not admit-they
have no right to regard the sentiment of
any one locality, very small fraction of
the State.
The theory that local officers have a
right to allow public sentiment to keep
them from enforcing any statute that
it is their duty to enforce is false and
~. g