The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-03

Of . polioy inhArmony with the miid
and innocuous method which the officers
follow. seems Inclined always 20 keep
within . certain restrict ID area Of penalty.
| following, 10 would seem, not the pro :
visions OF the statutss In such cases made
ana provided but the purely negative
method Of not hurting any body's feelings
excepting the temperance people, and
asking the offenders against the liquor
law 30 contributs q small amount toward
the finances OF the county. Bor In
stance, have taken this names OF nfty OF
the LIQUOR sellers Of Lswiston. nearly all
Of whom have been In business oumber
Of years. OF thsss ffty, the M mes Of
thirty mine appear on the court docket 81
least oncs, many OF them more than
once, for the four farms OF court begin
ming January, 1899. Against these law
breakers there wsrs during the four
terms OF court. is2 complaints and in
dictments. 50 OF these were noi-prosssd,
II were assigned to the special docket and
10 continusd for sentence, which means
to all inssati and purposes. that Iis Of
these complaints and Indictments we're
brushed aside. This lssves 90 cases
against the 80 men during the four terms
Of court or an average OF somewhat less
than two counts against each Individual
for that length Of timr.
The average total fine imposed upon
these 81 men under these 20 oasss during
these four tsrms of court was 1924, and
every one Of the 30, with enc exception.
he IL in jail, is IN business today, and
80 far as We can learn has never been
out Of business for day during the tims
covered By thess calculations. IL would
seem therefore that the policy Of the
court aud Oh the officers. is not one Of
repression not one OF enforcement of
law; but simply one whereby certain
amount of revenue may be secured to
the county. That this policy Is general
throu ghout the state Is proved by the
fact that in some counties no raids are
| made either BY the local officers or the
county officers. but that every year the
liquor dealers ara rounded up and made
TO pay n nns, which in one county 20
which my attsntion has been directed,
amounts on the average to $3.50 q year.
This method Is surely more economical
than the one which IL pursued In Andros-
poggin county. and seems 10 secure the
desired end without friction. That IL
should be without friction, 1t is we'll to
note, may not be wholly to the credit
either to the officials, the courts or the
tenn psranee people but is surely no rshso-
sion upon the liquor-sellers.
My attention has been repeatedly called
TO the fast that local officers, after max
| log raids and securing In some cases
large quantities Of liquor, have found
the grand jury under some circumstances
unwilling 20 grant an Indictment; and
the case. after passing through the mu-
nicipal court. .has been dropped and the
liquors returned. Equally suggestive IL
the fact thai business men; men OF infiu-
| snos In the county politically, socially
| and In some csses, am led to believe.
tsligiously, stand In the way of the laws
enforcement; stand IN the way even Of
| tbs attempts which are made to enforce
It, and not infrequently By personal SC
llcitation seek 10 turn the officsrs from
the plain pash Of thsir official duties-bs-
cause, observation-disclosures with certain
liquor dsalsrs would bs detrimental to
| business.
Can we blame the officers for re gard
ing suoh advice a. an indication of .
prevailing sentiment sufficiently strong
TO warrant them In regulating their offie-
iAi conduct by IL?
And Ia it not In accordance with the
dictates OF q similar sentiment that the
courts consent to pursue what oan be re-
garded IS nothing more than an easy
routine which blessss the liquor dealers
while 1t curses the lawf
| 1t is this addition OF q little legal sugar
70 Names illegal whlskey that is bring
ing our grand old state into contempt
abroad and into civil paralysis at home.
from which rescue Is possible only as o
quickeued pubic conscience and eniight-
ened zeal CLEANSE this law In Its enforce
ment, or, In the name OF outraged dsoen-
oy and forgotten God, wipe IL on the
statute books.
| IL will be impossible for me to give you
| In detail the results OF the oommittes's
investig Ations IL would require hours
Of your time to do so. A few GASES, as
typical OF a great many which we have
classified, do with to present both ss
giving you some IDEA Of the Kind Of
work your committee has been doing, the
Trustworthy ness OF its deductions and IS
revealing more completely the methods
Of the court.
Then followed q number of cases Of
Lewiston liquor dealers showing how
many cases had been brought again st
them and how they were disposed Of
None OF them iffered In any essential
particulars. The report is slRned by
Rev. q. A. knioke booker for the oom-
| mittee.