Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-04-09

mites. and the county attorney to enforce
the law faithfully and diligently. Upon
n failure of the sheriff and deputies 70
perform this duty. the governor ana
council are authorized to appoint spe-
cial constable therefor.
A State liouor commissioner Is provided
for who under various restrictions fur
nishcs to municipal oIlcers in the town
liquors to he kept and sold for medicinal.
mechanical and manufacturing purposes
By a town agent who is appointed and
removable by them. lnnholders and Wet
uallers cannot do business without IL
cense. and before they can obtain one
they have to give bond that they VIII
not violate any of the provisions of the
liquor law.
The foregoing are by no means all of
the provisions of the law upon this SUB
iect, but they are the most important.
When it is observed that the same eNl-
dtnce. assuming that as one Of its elee-
mcnts it contained that Of actual SAFE
ana drinking upon the premises, Wouiu
b. competent for the purposes of estab-
fishing the crime of a common nuisance
common seller. drinking-housc and up
pling-shop, and single sale may nave
an aggregate maximum penalty o.
twelve hundred and fifty dollars tine or
one year and one hundred and MY uaHs
imprisonment. the effectiveness Of TINS law
as an instrument for the suppression q
the liquor traffic will at once pe SSH.
No well informed person Will, thlhh;
for a moment deny that the provisions %
this law are fully adequate for the pur-
pose for which ii was designed The
| i{duor traffic ms a traffic or as a business
| cannot live under a thorough. deter
mined. faithful. ana impartial enforce
ment of its provisions.
| Wh,n / s;tv that tile business cannot
| live. | do not mean that the !aW Win az
| snnltviv eliminate the sale OF liquor from
| the state of Maine, as that Is result
| which i'm the nature of things cannot be
expected with respect to the hquor tr,I :
! Tic. any more than II can ne tNptcleu Ii.t :
| statutory provision Will obllttrlte All n
ina crimes known % the dccaloSuc. !
! mean thai il wOulU rclegatc thc tflli''
as To prevention ana restriction, ~ tht
same category aS other crimes now pro-
limited by law. With many people VINO
are interested in the suppression ol the
liauor traffic an impression seems to pre-
| vail that all il is necessary To 90 l. 10
make Il law, and that IN some way II WI
enforce itself. ON the other hand, the Of
| n.ialS upon whom rests the duty u en-
| forcing its provisions must not only hc
| elected, but must he actively sustained by
an earnest. determined ana Jealous con
| stitucncY. That the enforcement uI the
! Maine law is intermittent. and IN many
| localities ineffective. is true; but ! am
| satisfied that it is in every instance nN
reason Of the failure OF the local cuustii-
uencivs to make themselves property felt,
ana in NJ sense the fault Of thc law II
While it is true today that liquor is sold
| more or less freely in our larger cites,
| | doubt about its being sold even tltIt
| openly; that *. in such manner tAdt
| You would notice its sale if You We're not
looking for it, COnccding that Such Is
| the fact. however. il is worth nntlGc ~
bearing upon the efficiency Of TINS l'I'S-
lItiun for the promotion VI pubic NOR
! 1Is ana the wrlI-bcinG Of the people OF
Maine that the larger cldes contain
something more than Il quarter OF the
people of the State. IN the last census
| the State has 4 population OF 6'l'>o. IL
| has twenty cities with an aggregate pop
| ulatiOn of l95,&9 49,
Hon. f. \. Wilson in an address as
president to the Maine State Bar ASsnclt-
ton. in 1895 during which nc seNtrti!.
| criticised the Maine law. conceded thal
| the law was effectively enforced IN StE-
| en-eighthS of the towns i'll the state. II
| may toe assumed that he dlu noi oyer
| state the case against his criticism
There are $40 towns and plantations II
! the state. out of these, according L
| MIR. Wilson's estimate. 49, towns ane
nii,ntations. with a population Of ioh,>51
| against a total population OF 6bluS6, NAYS
| me law cffectuaIly enforced.
| While these figures are or course oh!g
| estimates. | believe they state the factS
with reasonable accuracy. II So thCi
50 far as practically two-thirds 81 our
| ncaple are concerned. this law Is auc-
duately and effectually tulillllnS rs ms
| sion. 1t only needs popular sentiment pC-
| hind if to make that result universal;
| That il has been ana is productive 81
| +rnot GOOD to the people Of Maine Is III
! nv Judgment undeniablc. and fuliE ne
iiGvG in its value, practicabllity ana Ell
| fipipDcN