Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-15
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
Continued from page 81


years.
Vote no resubmsson and enforce the
law. and 800 rumshops will so out Of
business in one week, it is estimated.
7 trust gentlemen and comrades Of
Tho IJollse we may be worthy by our
votes and acts in this House Of this
heritage Of glory that has through the
battle come and when we cast our
votes today. may they be SO unani-
nous that it will forever end any
thought that Maine. the grand old
state of Maine. is still and ever
will be prohibitory State. CApplauseD
Mr.. DAVIS of Waterville: Mr.
Speaker. the resolution for the repeal
of the 9Th amendment to the consti-
tuition of Maine, presented to the tenn
perance committee of this House. re-
ported as ought not to pass by ma
iority of that committee. and as ought
to pass by minority of the commit
tee and now before this body on
motion to substitute the minority Tor
the majority report, brings before you
Il question fraught with as much IN
terest to the moral and material we'll
being of this State as any and all qIeS-
lions with which we have had to deal.
We rightly challenge any attack on
constitutional law, and consent to re
peal only when We are satisfied such
law is obsolete, abortive and injurious
to the commonwealth.
The question before US, Nh. Speaker,
is one on which it is very difficult for
members tofVote .impartially on. as
present conditions dictate. There has
been for many years in this State. on
the part of few, a belief, that alco-
holic liquors considered. by themselves
alone. are an unmitigated evil. work
ing only injury, and therefore not 70
be tolerated.
That opinion is shared by but Very
few members on the floor Of this
House: and yet votes will be recorded
here against resubmission that are in
fiuenced solely by a desire to please
constituents instead of doing the thing
that is for their best good
Growing out of the belief that al
coholic liquors in themselves are an
evil is conviction that all attempts
to regulate the liquor traffic BY law.
are the licensing III m evil: and thus
again We shall probably refuse to 4
ma jnritN Of the voters Of the State the
right to regulate q traffic which the
constitution says does not exist. nut
which we know does. The time has come
in my opinion. in the history Of conSi-
tutional prohibition in Maine, when we
must stand up ana he counted. and in
SO doing put ourselves on record. In
presenting one Of the resolutions for
rcSUbwiSSiOu now before you. it was as
! told the temperance committee with
the perfect assurance that | had taken
the unpopular side of the liquor q'IeS-
tion in Maine: that | was assaiIng a
position which because Of its cntrcnch-
mont in the constitution for nearly Is
years. was considered Wei nigh i'm
preenaEle: that only by legislation
such rs proposed could every single
city ana town deal with ana settle the
question In its interests. ana in thu I'LL
terosts of good government.
MY position on the question must not
hc misunderstood. for | stand her" AZ
the friend Of temperance. but opposed
to the constitutional and much of the
special legislation now on our statute
books; believing it has failed in its
purpose. has been subversive of the
popular will and productive of moral
rOttcnncSS in the State. Admissions of
the friends Of prohibition who appear
cd in its defense before the temperance
committee AL show Il conviction on
their part that under constitutional
temperance ana its attendant evils
have grown to alarming proportions
ana demand regulation in the interests
of good government.
1t is not my purpose to deal in sta
tistics as | fully believe this House
has thoroughly Informed itself on this
side of the question, but in the brief
space | shall occupy l want to empha-
size few of the conditions confront
ing us and which are behind the pres
cnt demand for Tesubmsson. coming
to You as the honest conviction Of
three thousand voters and tax payers
of the State.
Prohibition as expressed in Maine
laws has been a minority measure. and
has shared precisely the sam" fate of
AL measures which minorities foist IN
on mujoriticS: it has become a dead
letter ana a failure, and will continue
to he a failure and n menace TO the
State until repealed and something
substituted in its place that the people
VIII tolerate.
The famous or infamous Maine
Law" passed in 1851, which enrolled the
State in the prohibition column,
had but Sc votes in the House
and IS in the Senate, and 81
years of this law and Il years
of constitutional prohibition. has produc
ed an unsavory record Of law-brcakinS
incbriety, perjury and outlawry. and il W.
can credit statistics, we stand. after al
these years. not Il whit straightcr o
cleaner in point Of morals than our lis; E
States who regulate the liquor traffic y,
laws which are acceptable 20 the people
Rc-submiSSiou has another aim. am
seeks to remedy another condition. +,
giving to each city and town the regult
ton nf their own domestic affairs. tin
liquor traffic would once for all be taken
from the domain Of politics. That tn
question is ana has been political ON
no one denies. particularly one who ha
seen its workings in our cities and lar@
towns.
Mn quotation from President HYDE be
fore the temperance committee is To tn
point. He said: In some sections of tn
State. under some officers and at som,
times. the law has been fairlN Su,ceSsfji
ia preventing the sale of intuNicatiu.
IiGuOrS; at other times the violation ha.
been open and fragrant. While duriu" in
greater portion OF tho limo both D0Iitica
parties have been nomin.ily liz favor D
prohibition, neither Of them has given tn
law that consistent support which i
necessary to its complete success.
The prOhibitory law has not prevented
political PARTIES when in power from
seeking 10 control the liquor dealers II