The Portland daily press., 1900-10-11


Gardiner, October 1O.-The Good Tenn
plars of this section of the state are hold
ing a convention here and tonight they
held public meeting at the Opera house
at which Sheriff-elect Pearson of Port
and was the principal speaker. 1t was
rainy, but the hall was we'll filed. Chief
Templar Game presided and told the au-
dience that the Republican managers
had ordered the law enforced, quiet
hint having been given the town COM
mittees. Mr.. Game would not undertake
to say whether this action was hypo-
critical or not
Rev. R. L. Ringgold welcomed the
Good Templars to Gardiner.
Mr.. E. H. Emery OF Sanford, the first
speaker, after declaring that the liquor
interest Will be in politics until it is
stamped out, said: "But things are COM
ing our way now. For ten years the tide
has been against US. Two years ago
one party declared for resubmission, but
it was beaten. The other party, year
after year, put declarations into its
platform favoring enforcement, but these
grew weaker and weaker until now
they disappeared altogether. That party
has nominated scaIawags time and again
and I know 1t. They have a man for
sheriff in York county who is as good a
neighbor as man could wish, but for
the enforcement of the liquor law he is
about as good as wooden Indian to
bacco sign. They nominated him for
sheriff, but they knew all about him,
for you, bet I told them up and down
the county. Well, people stood it in
Cumberland county as long as they could
and then they elected Pearson sheriff.
Since then the Democrats haven't had
word to say except that I believe the
Biddeford Record did craWi out of the
wreck to admit that there is a prohibit
ton vote after all. But Brother Joe
M anIey, who is a far-seeing man, was
right on hand with letter in which he
said that the dear people could have
enforcement or they could have result
mission, or they could have anything they
wanted.
s. Hush my dear, lie still and slumber,
Holy Angels guard thy bed
"That what they want, the dear peo-
pie to- do; just lie still and slumber for
the next two years" (Laughter.)
Mr.. Emery then interested his audi
ence with list OF 16 Gardiner men who
pay United States liquor taxes He
asked if his hearers didn't suppose that
the places Of these men could be found
in the daytime with lantern.
1.-THE authorities must know that these
places exist and If they Will give me a
commission to act" said Mr.. Emery,
ST will take six women out of this
audience and close every one of these
places. That's no idle boast, either. I
know, because I closed every saloon in
Sanford with the officers against me.''
A. s. Burke, grand councillor Of the
Good Templars, was the next speaker.
Mr. Burke alluded to the loss of the
Maine, the death of the missionaries in
China and the determination OF the gov
eminent to right these wrongs. The same
determination should be made in refer
ence to the gigantic crime or the nine
tsenth century. Attorney General Haines
was quote by the speaker as saying that
practically all of the crime which came
under his observation in Maine was due
to liquor drinking. Asked for the
remedy, he said that it lay in education.
Well, the people have been educated
and the result was that outbreak OF pub
lilo sentiment which elected Mr. Pearson
in Cumberland county and since which
the politicians have been struggling to
get on to the band stand.
A collection was then taken, after
which Mr.. Pearson was introduced.
SNOW you who gone to sleep, wake
up" exclaimed the chairman, ''for Sam
Pearson of Portland is going to speak to
you. Give him three cheers.''
The cheers were given and at the con-
clusion Mr.. Pearson remarked that 1t
was great noise for one fellow. And
then he told story. ST don't care how
the rumseIlers vote, he said ''Some of
them meet me very cordially. was
talking to one of them the other day
when got little hot under the collar
and he made a pass at me. I reached
back and pulled that from my pocket
and pointed 1t at him and he said,
jumping back: You're hell OF a min
ister.' Id frightened him with specta-
Gle case, continued the sheriff elect as
he held 1t out so that the audience
might see.
''1he gentlemen who welcomed us here
tonight" continued Mr.. Pearson, ''told
us what a fine town Gardiner is and
then my friend Ned Emery read that list
of liquor sellers and say Gardiner is
about the most badly libelled town
I know of because he said that eleven of
those rumsellers were doing business
whereP Why, on Water street. You didn't
see that, did You, Emelyf'
Mr.. Pearson then told how he had been
a Republican In early life, how the Re-