The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1900-12-06

and you have hit it hard. 1t is this brazen
Haunting of crime right in our faces that
ought to stir us most deeply. 1t is tn is
openness and familiarity of the evil which
is insidiOusiy debauching our youth and
killing all our sense of the worth of law
When even the children wink and laugh at
the new ''store," do you not see opening the
very abysses of moral degradation? What
shall we do? A new County Attorney is
coming into office-a man untried, but his
professed purposes are good, and he is re-
puted to be an honest, earnest man. Give
him the assurance of your moral support
Say to him personally, "Go ahead, do your
duty, try your best But there is the
Judge to be reckoned with? Recall that
happening in Aroostook county at the April
term of court, 1900 The Judge refused to
impose the penalty of imprisonment, when
it was asked for by the county attorney on be-
half of the people, but he said virtually, that
next time, notice having been thus given of
a public desire for change in the method
of punishment, he would be willing to inn
pose the extreme penalty. Apparently there
is a changing attitude on the part of the
Judiciary. Our judges will do what we
loudly and unanimously ask of them. You
have driven vicious law-defying characters
out of town before and you can do it again.
The saloon-keeper pure and simple de-
serves no mercy. He is an outlaw. He has
no right to any recognition or standing in
the community. Crush out his place!
Danish him. This all is within the power
of an aroused public opinion. Shall there
be that opinion? 1t is the function of the
church to create public opinion which
shall be effective to repress crime and secure
obedience to the laws. The church is the
grand generating agency of moral influence.
1t is a reflection upon the Christian life of
the community that there is SO much covert
tolerance of evil things. We have reached
a crisis. A crusade is in order. There is
surer promise of enduring results now than
for many year. Not few who have been
Indifferent before are heartily sick of pres
ent conditions. The disgust is spreading.
Shall we seize the chance? God give us
to-day the vision of a city, not Johns Jeru-
salem, but very human, imperfect little
city, which yet shall be marching onward
and upward towards the heavenly things.
Rev. G. E. Edgett spoke in the evening at
the Methodist vestry, and the room was
crowded. After the usual devotional open
ing exercises, with prayer by Rev. G. G.
Winslow, Mr.. Edgett began by saying that
he would not read a chapter of Scripture,
but would recommend that his hearers read
the 5th chapter of Daniel after going home,
as that chapter was in line with his dis
course. BelshaZzar's feast was an illustra-
tion of personal liberty, and the hand writ
ing on the wall is plainly seen. ''And in
that night was King Belshazzar slain" and
the armies of Cyrus marched into the city
God rules in the affairs of men. Since
those days nation dfter nation has reached
the zenith of power and fallen The hand
writing was on the wall when Spain was
enacting her bloody drama in Cuba. When
slavery was at its worst the handwriting on
the wall was unheeded. Garrison and
others had given the Interpretation. Garri-
son was mobbed in the streets of Boston.
But the end came. 1t has been true of ma
tlons, States, cities, corporations and indi-
yiduas. Years ago when the rum power
was dominant Neal Dow interpreted the
handwriting on the wall and began his life
work. You know the result. The Repubi-
can party rightly interpreted the signs of
the times and gave us the prohbitory law,
but that party is sorry for it now. But we
are not always to stand by that party be-
cause it gave us that law. \ man who does
me favor will retain my respect only SO
long as he is worthy of it. We have no
right to hinder moral progress for the sake
of perpetuating a party, even though that
party may have done good service in the
past. The officers of the law have either
been sleeping like Rip Van Winkle, or else
they do not like the law and have decided to
give us license law. For years the law
has been detiantly broken. Who is respon-
sible? l charge high handed treason to the
sheriffs, State constables, mayors, alder
men, county attorneys, and judges of our
courts. These are elected by Republican
voters, but with the exception of the State
constables and judges they are the choice of
the people. The voters themselves are in
measure responsible. The people should
work at the polls and in the caucuses for
the election of honest and reputable citi-
zens regardless of party. Mr.. Edgett then
read from the revised statutes chapter 81,
which defines the duties of the officers, and
laid special stress on the section which pro-
vides that convicted cases may be continued
for sentence one term and no longer In
1900 just 100 cases in Waldo County
were mol pressed, cases were filed and %
cases sentenced. The county attorney and
the presiding judges are responsible. The
statement that the law cannot be enforced
for lack of public sentiment is a SANDER on
the intelligent people Of this city. We elect
men to enforce the law. Why do they ex-
pect private citizens to keep everlastingly
patting them on the backs and saying, "go
for them and we are with YOU. Why do
they expect merchants to sign petitions at
the risk of losing their business? They do
not do this when other laws are violated.