The Republican journal., 1901-03-21
REsuBM1ss1oN DEFEATED.1
The Vote In the House After Three-hour's
Debate, Was "a to "a, with 20 Paired and
Is 3Absent. Senate Had Only Three In Favo r
Of Reaubmiaainn.

The whole of the afternoon session of the
Maine House March 14th was devoted to
| the resubmissiOn debate. The hall was
packed with spectators, Mrs. L. M. N.
Stevens, Sheriff Pearson and many well
known temperance people being among
those present. Nobody had any idea that
the resubmissionists could muster the nee
essary twO-third's of the House around
their standard, or even 0ne-haf, but there
was a general eagerness to hear the argu-
arrange their lines The debate was opened
by Mr.. Kelley of Lewiston, who spoke for
| fifty minutes in vigorous denunciatiOn of
the present law and urged that the whole
matter be again submitted to the people at
the polls. He declared that he was con-
SlStent temperance man and that the prOhi-
bitiOnists are inconsistent since they quarrel
among themselves and the present law is
favored by the rum sellers. The law, he
said, has had fifty years OF failure and dis
grace. No individuals or officers are re-
SponSlDle for its non-enforcement. The
people do not want it enforced and they
| want a change. The officers who try to en-
| force the law are driven from Office as
Sheriff Pearson will be in Portland. Drunk
enness is on the increase in Maine. Whis
II it were not for the moral cowardice of
the people of Maine and the members of
this legislature, declared Mr. Kelley, ''this
great moral question would be submitted to
the people and they would vote for high
license, letting each municipality have local
optian and settle the question for itself
Let the people have chance to express
| themselves"
Great applause greeted Mr.. Kelley as he
closed.
Foster of Oakland was the first speaker
against resubmission. He declared that the
present law is all right and that there is no
public demand for a change. Overwhelm-
ing defeat at the polls would meet any at
tempt to repeal the prohibitory law. The
5000 people who have signed the remOn-
| Sprague Of Easton declared that this is
the most important matter of the session.
He held that the 5000 petitioners for resub-
mission include all the rum sellers of Maine.
"V0te for resubmission," he said, land the
State will be flooded with rum. Let us vote
| against it and enforce the law"
| Davis Of Waterville declared that the
prohibitory law is an injury to Maine, a
dead letter, a failure and a menace to the
cause of temperance. He urged the taking
of the liquor question from politics and
making it local question in each town.
The towns now free from saloons are not so
by virtue of law, but by their own choice.
The next speaker was Cook of Vassal-
boro, of good old Quaker stock. He asked:
"Why not repeal every law which is broken :?
The law is all right. A license law would
be evaded and broken. The influence of the
women is all on the side of prohibition and
this should weigh with us. Prohibition is
the settled policy Of the State. Nothing has
so built up the Republican party as the sup
port of this law
defending prohibition, and quoting statistics
against the license system as promoting
temperance.
Farnsworth of Beddington, the only cler-
gyman of the House, was the next speaker
. for resubmissOn, and his effort was the
| nd nfoti nf %
afternoon.
"The will of the people, he said, s'can-
not be reformed by law. The only way to
make Maine temperance State is to get at
the hearts of the people. Rum selling can
be stopped only by educating people not to
buy rum. The present law is beautiful in
theory, but complete failure in practice.
believe in resubmisSion for the sake of the
agitation for temperance, even II the law is
not repealed. | have been threatened by
temperance people, b.sa am not to be fright
ened, as are some men here, who will not
vote as they think on this question. Our
present system is as bad as any license sys-
TEN can be: Let us stand by our col1sciences
and take the consequences"
Great applause was awarded the clergy
man legislator, who is one of the most popu-
lar members of the House.
Gardner of Patten warmly resented the
insinuation that any member would vote
against his own Judgment and conscience
also the he, attack 1T By Tesubmiss9n speakers
others not able to reply upon the floor.
Bennett of Hollis spoke briefly and elo-
quently against resubmission. lie declared
that the enemies of prohibition have pro-
posed no remedy.
''Free rum, low license and high license
are only three links of the same sausage
stuffed with meat of the same hog''
The last speaker of the afternoon was
Weymouth Of Biddeford, who took the
stump for the amendment in 1885, but now
regarded the prohibition law as a mistake
which ought to be corrected.
At $50 the aye and nay vote was called
for and taken. A vote "aye'' was for the
substitution of the minority report and
therefore vote for resubmissiOn. The call
ing of the roll was followed with great in
terest. There was a burst of applause
when Speaker Manley voted sno,' and more
applause when the result, yes, "a and no,
"a was announced There were 20 members
paired and l3 absent and impaired. Fol-
| lowing is the vote:
Yes-Bradford, Briggs of Hudson, Carle-
ton, Clark, Cordwell, Cramer, Dirgle Deer
ing, Dillingham;, Farnsworth of Beddington,
Irving, Kaler, Kelley, LaLiberte, Libby Of
Burnham,, Littlehale, Maddocks, McNam-
Powers of Pittston. Randall, Ross, sa-
bourin, Shaw, skidmore, Sutherland,
Thomas, Thompson of Bristol, Trickey, No
gell, Walls, Williams-34.
| NO-AdamS, Allen OF Sanford, Andrews
OF Norway, Andrews of Rockport, Ballard,
Beal, Be nett, Bodwell, Boothby, Brewster,
Briggs of Harrison, Cain, Carr, Carson,
Chase, Cook, Crosby, Cushman, Dearborn,
Dodge, Dudley, Eaton, FarnswOrth of Penn
broke, Fellows, Foster, Fuller of Auburn,
Fuller of Kennebunk, Cannon, Gardner,
Gilmore, Gooding, Green, Hammond, Harris,
Harvey, Haskell of Lewiston, Hinkley, Hix,
Hodgkins, Hoxie, Hurd, Jackson Of Jetfer-
son, Jackson of Monson, Kneeland, Knowl-
ton, Lawrence, Leathers, Libby of Poland,
Libbey of South Berwick, Little of Mon
mouth, Loud, Manley, McDougall, Mead,
Minot, NORM, Noyes, Page, Peabody, Petten-
gill, Pike, Porter, Pratt, Purington, Putnam
OF Dlxfeld, Putnam of Houlton, Russ, San
born, Smith, Somes, Sprague, Staples, Stew
ems, Sturgis, SWEET, Thornton, Tornquist,
Tufts, Walker, Walter, Weatherbee, Webb,
White of East Machias, White of Naples.-S4
The following pairs were announced :
Little Lil of Lewiston, yes, with Allen, no;
Bird. yes, with Dobson, no, Moulton, of
Bowdoinham, yes, with Coffin, no Davis,
/ yes, with Mayo, no; Wilson, yes, with Fred
erick, no. Hyde, yes, with Hill of Belfast,
no; Hill of Exeter, yes, with Spofford, no );
Moulton Of South Portland, yes, with Has
| kell of Windham, no; Burrill, yes, with
Thompson of China, no; Weymouth, yes,
| with Scammon, no.
:, Absent: Boyd, Bracket, Dunn, Farrell,
Fay, Hutchings, Jones, Low, Merritt,
Phoenix, Powers of Fort Fairfield, Sargent,
| YOung-l3