The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-06
Defines His Views On
Prohibition.
Accepts the Platform Without
Reservation lie Says.


lowing letter Of acceptance:
10 Joseph +. f. Connolly, chairman. and
20 members of the county convention:
conference.-the Democratic nomina-
ton for sheriff of this county, came to me
unsought and undesired. Undesired for
personal reasons and unsought because
1 preferred some other Democrat and
tried to have it so. 1 do not undervaIue
the honor conferred upon me by such a
nomination nor underestimate the re-
sponslDilities attending the duties of such
an Office. Under the circumstances. how
ever, / recognize certain personal and
party obligations that cannot be avoided.
4 therefore accept the nomination so
corulally extended, expecting and beIiev-
ing that every Democrat in Cumberland
county from this time to the hour when
the polls close on election day, viii do
his fun duty.
Ine principles enunoiated in the plat
form 4 accept without reservation. They
are clear explicit and uuembiguous and
1 would especially emphasize those per-
tanning TO local and county matters and
70 the Office for which i am "A candidate
i believed the Zee system is "a source Of
unnecessary, unjust ana expensive
charges upon the public treasury - and
favor its abolition ia forms of criminal
procedure ana in all cases where it may
De used As the means OF persecution, cor
ruption or unjust gain. The pledge of
the convention that It's candidates, II
present prohibit0ry law, / VIII faith
fully keep and observe, II elected.
am greatly gratined a. the position
the party has taken Oh the prohibitory
question ia state and county. At Lewis
ton the adoption of the plank declaring
the position OF the party on the prohibi
tory law was greeted with enthusiasm
ana great applause. The hTeninQ Ex-
press, one OF the leading Rep 1llcan pa
pers in this city in its report Of the eoun-
q
paper himself. said: From the opening
speech of the chairman to the closing
speech on the sheriff nomination, the cry
was FOR the enforcement of the liquor
law. Nobody doubted that every Demo /
crat IN this county is anxious for the law /
20 be enforced, and the sponsors for the |
regular Democratic candidates, promised 1
faithfully for their candidates that il |
elected the law should be strictly en-
/ 1orceds as strictly as Mr.. Pearson would
/ do it If the office went to him. -
The position taken by the party must
appeal to every intelligent, law abiding
citizen OF this county, whether pr0h1-
bitionist or not. This position is simply
this: In dealing with the prohibitory
law, three conditions can exist, three
/ courses only can be pursued First, nom
T enforcement or the present disgusting
condition; second, an honest, impartial
enrorcen mt third, a repeal of the law,
IN whole a part. The present condi
ton Is opposed by every one, except posi-
bly, the saloon keeper who violates the
law with 1mpunity, and the Official who
profits by such violation. There remains
then the only alternative of enforcement
or repeal. The Democrats by the decIara.
tions and pledges of their platform and
the obligations of their candidates, If
elected, who have accepted that platform, |
are bound to enforce the law until a
majority of the voters, according to the |
law and constitution of the state, vote
to repeal or change it. is not that an |
honorable position to takeS
The position of the party in relation to |
resubmlssion, is logical ana honest. If
an honest, impartial enforcement Of the |
present law does not meet with the APP |
prevail of a majority OF the people OF the |
state. then it says a repeal is preferable |
to q general violation and notification /
of the law, and a law that can be en- |
forced be put in It's place. Is not that an /
equally sound position?
just what "resubmission" means, is |
not clear to many. The first practical |
step to attain resubmissiOn would have |
to be taken In this way When the legis |
laturS of 1901 meets, If two-thirds of the /
members should vote to submit a resolu-
t1on, to see ii the constitutional amend |
ment adopted in 1884, engrafting the /
principles of the prohibitory law on the |
constitution. should be repealed the peo-
pie would vote upon it at the regular |
state election in September, 1902. IT |
majority voted yes the amendment |
would be repealed, after the governor by
proclamation had declared and the legis-
lature of 1903 had approved 1t, But even
after that was done we should still have
the present proh1b1tory law on the statute
book, with it's provisions, pains and PEN
alties, in force, just as it is now. It
would remain SO until the legislature
should vote to change, modify or repeal
it. When you take into account the pro-
cess, the time. the opportunity for discus
sion, and all the necessary steps to actual
" accomplish resubmission, it seems to
me that real, live, honest, intelligent
temperance man, would regard the re
submission question political spook,
that might frighten children, but not
men in this campaign. And especially
should this be true when there is the
great burning, living question Of enforce
ment or nOn-enforcement, that comes
home for immediate attention.
But suppose resubmissiOn be accom-
pIished and the people confronted with
the question of either enforcing the pro-
hibitOry law or substituting something
else for it, what is the stand the party
has taken? Simply this. Ii the existing
law cannot be enforced then the platform
says we advocate high license and local
option law in the cities and in the towns Of
three thousand inhabitants or more"
How would such law affect this cOun-
ty? One town outside Of three tiles,
according to the last census, would be
permitted to vote on the question of
license The very places where today
there is practically free rum and
where rumshops are numerous and sa-
looms abundant. In the city of Portland,
Republican member of the city gov
eminent at recent meeting, said there
were 800 open saloons in the city where
liquors were sold unhindered, save by an
occasional seizure for political purposes 7
A license law in this city would not
permit over go licensed saloons, one sixth
what it has now, according to reliable
authority, under constitutional and
statutory prohibitions hit where the law |