The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-24


world and especially the evils OF our
own state. II we complain Of the times,
the optimist will say that such things
have always have been and always Will
be. This dissent which they have been
making we object 20. We may go on,
but think Of the wrecks that we have left
behind. speak Of all Of this because
this Is the most disCUuraging thing
which the Civic league has TO meet. We
said three years ago that crime was in
lCreasing. We know 10 now. We said then
that there was great disrespect for the
law. We know it now. Such Is our con
dition and the foes Of law and order ask
Iarrugantly: What are you going to do
about itf Behind many Of our saloons
are men Of great wealth. Those who are
opposed count hardly anything. Against
the 1900 saloons we have 100 churches,
which. with the exception Of a few, CON
tain members who are unanimous In the
oppression of hatred against the saloons.
The league In the first place seeks to
educate Its members in all that pertains
10 good citizenship. Somewhere hack in
history there was deep seated regard
for law planted in the Anglo Saxon
race. When that idea has been weak
the Anglo Saxon has been weak. Now
the lax enforcement of the law has given
a disregard for the law. While Maine
believes in the enforcement Of the law,
Maine Is strong. Otherwise she fails.
The league believes that the Christian
men and women should no longer sub
NIT to the rum power. All that the
Christian league asks is fair field and
no favor. Men tell us that the prohibit
tory law can't be- enforced. IL can be
when the people want IL enforced. The
words OF William Penn are as true to-
day as they were 800 years ago when they
were spoken, and the danger Is Just as
great. We are entitled to the honest
and impartial enforcement OF law and he
who deprives US of that Is Just as guilty
as he who breaks into our house and
steals oLr goods. We believe unequivo-
cally in the prohibitory law, but IL 1t
can { be enforced better a thousand times
that it be repealed III one finds that his
neighbor has contracted the dread disease
OF small pox he Is hurried away. But
| the rum traffic Is allowed ~ flourish in
Maine: and IL you step In and talk
against these things, you are denounced
as meddler. IL Is continually said
that the people don't want the prohibit
| tory law enforced. Who are they? The
| 1900 in Maine who sell the drugs for the
degradation OF man for dime, the
respectable man who is willing to take
u chance and the politician who wishes
to use this influence for his own gain.
firmly believe that the people OF Maine
want the prohibitory law enforced. What
are the foundation causes for our present
condition? An inherent selfishnesS, greed
OF gain, pursuit OF wealth and the
4
1 final record IL written with a pen of
truth, although not for a hundred years.
| 1t is cowardly and hypocritical for the
| legislature to think that ft can save it
self by a veto. IL Is serious thing to
question the integrity Of our courts and
to think that they are influenced by per-
sonal feelings. But there are a large
number Of people In our state who be-
lieve that many law breakers can be
protected. If the courts claim that
the people don't want the law enforced
/ let them come forth and test 1t. L
talk of the acknowledgements of this law
| because 1t Is the most fragrant of all, as
| fearful as was human slavery. Rever-
ence of the law makes a nation strong;
disregard weak"
| Hon. Hiram Knowlton was the next
speaker, and spoke ON the legal side of
the enforcement of these statutes 1t is
not only "a privilege but duty Of the
| state, he said, to make prohibitory
laws. The state law against the prohibit
ton of the sale of liquor Is not against
of the legislature the manufacture of
| liquor Is for the makers own use, IL Is
not for the courts to disregard. 1t Is
plainly the duty of the court TO carry
lOut She expression of will of the people
relating to the prohibitory law. man
has not any right to do anything to in
jure a mans family or the community.
| He is not at liberty, the law says, to
manufacture liquor for his own use. The
| law of the land is that n citizen is re-
| quired to so conduct himself as not TO
unnecessarily injure his property or that
of another. BY perpetual injunction
| of these things can be prevented con-
tinuance of them in the future. One
section of the Maine law says that the
sheriff and his deputies and the county
attorney shall carefully. inquire into
places where it IL believed there Is wrong
| "A isalI " IL ThnUUhf
that liquor Is sold.
Does il say that they shall wait until
| they have received complaints asked Sec
rotary Berry ut this point
| No, answered MIR. knowlton, 1t says
| that they shall go ahead. Gambling
houses, houses of i'll repute and rum
shops. When the rum shops have been
disposed OF the others have been disabled.
The sheriff has IA right to appoint his
own deputies: If a man is elected sher-
quirements of the law If he fails he
is either incompetent or dishonest.
There Is no question about this and l
suppose that the most charitable thing To
say Is that he is incompetent. III he
makes his office a means of making
money he Is worse than robber.
The lastssspeaker was Secretary Berry.
81 sometimes feel like organizing
vigilance committee" he said. II
did, I'd begin with some of the chief
officials of the state. L would Ike TO
take them and bind them and gag
them. And then after getting through
with them I'd like TO go into saloon
and give each keeper u dose of light
| treatment To be followed upon the next
visit by heavier dose. When the time
comes that officials refuse to do their
duty vigilance committee should be
organized. l have no respect for party
for nothing Is so fatal to good govern
ment as constant devotion to party. A
man has a duty himself which is above
that of party The other day n man
wrote to me that he did not want to
be- member of the league any more
because he thought that it had no busi-
ness interfering with the duties of the
officers. He also wrote that the league
was backed by Howard Owen, partner
of Joe Manley, and that he didn't want
anything to do with Joe Manley.
We're not in the majority today, but
If the good people of Portland would
stand together the mayor would not let
"a hours pass without making an effort
To close the rum shops. condo mn no