Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-03-15

The fault. ana il is fault. for no law
should DE violated as this law has
been Violated must rest with the pco-
plc. Tho people. ana the people alone.
arc thc responsible parties.
II hus been demonstrated time an /
time again that they do not want the
laW enforced
1t has failed in its purpose and by
its failure has caused the people 90
di>trust the fiIcacy of other laws.
We have in the State Of Maine. to-
day. not prohibition. but rather In n-
regular IoW license system which has.
tu aIl ntents ana purposes. become 4
recognized system. No man can deny
it ana no man can see in the future il
promise of Improvement.
This law is one which carries with j,
disgrace ana corruption. Every breeze
! that blows tells US OF corruption ana
iniidelity iii officers sworn to cnfore thu
law.
ON every street corner we hear it
discussed ana only the other day
Sheriff Pearson in the judiciary room
stated that Il man in the building had
offered him $55.O0o if he would allow
city of Portland.
temptations!
Ana what IL the result Of the en-
forcement Of the law?
Sheriff Cram. during his first term
as sheriff of Cumberland county, en-
forced the prohibitory law as no other
sheriff has enforced it in the history
Of the State of Maine.
He WAS rcnominatcd for the onica
ANA dcspit" the fact that his nomina-
tion came from the Republican party
in the strong Republican county Of
Cumberland. which he had carried by
$500 ma ajorty. he received ma jority
of only - votes and the city of Port
land which had given him 1900 ma jor-
ity when he was first elected, register
"a an adverse majority Of over 500
votes.
Ana Mr. Cram himself. before the
royal commission in the city Of Port
land, pronounced the verdict of the
people as being unfaVorablc to the en- =
forccment of the law.
What can the supporters of Sheriff
Pearson hope for in the face Of these
facts?
How can he expect reelection as the
candidate of the small minority party
when Mr.. Cram, as the candidate Of
the great majority party. succeeded ~
such Il narrow margin"
Mr.. Pearson is enforcing the law as
we'll as any man can enforce it and yet
on a recent visit to the city of Portland
visited q great many saloons in which
| could have procured Whiskey if
had 50 desired.
A police officer informed me that
there was just as much drunkenness
as had formerly existed.
Mr.. Pearson stated, as | understand
it. in the Judiciary room last Thursday.
that he had reduced the number Of
prisoners in his Jail by H. but this il
not an argument for the efficacy of his
enforcement. as the number of prison
ers in the Andioscoggin county Jail
has been reduced 2S during the same
period and certainly no sane man will
claim that the law has been better en-
forced in the county during that same
period.
Mr.. Pearson has succeeded only in
stopping the bar-room sale Of beer. thc
ledSl HdilIliul bl liquors. ana l WAS IN
formed that at least - per cent. Of tho
patrons who formally drank beer in
these places. now called for Whiskey
instead.
Pocket peddlers are numerous on Com
mercial street. and | am Informed that
their business was profitable
Outside Of each saloon stands 4 watcher
ready to sound the alarm on the approach
of the sheriffs.
What is the remedy for these condi-
tons?
There is but one remedy and that is to
abrogaJc and annul the prohIbItory law
and substitute the local prohihitorV law.
otherwise known as the local option law
This law operates in 20 States of this
mon and. according to the total abati-
nence people and the leaders Of the M
license movement in the cities ana towns
Of Massachusetts. protects the young an
assists the cause of temperance much