The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1902-03-13
Prohibition W. License.

evil anywhere, In Maine 1t is crime.
The laws of Maine recognize 1t as such,
the courts, State and National, have re-
peatedly sustained this Law as a police
measure, In the interest of order and
good government.
The manufacture and sale with the
use) of Intoxicating liquors is the great
est menace to civilization, extant. 1t Is
the fell destroyer Of peace, prosperity,
health, home, happiness, life. The law
can reach the manufacture and sale of
this arch enemy of humanity. 1t does
so In every Christian country in some
form. In very few the government
itself attempts to restrain the sale by
taking 1t into its own hands and estab.
fishing dispensaries In cities and towns.
In by far the greater number of countries
and States license law in some form pre-
vails. Revenue, we believe, is the result
of these methods. They regulate, some
what, but, when they get to running In
good order, do little In the way of re-
other States a prohibitory law is the
method tried to prevent or curtail the
evil.
There is this radical difference between
any form of license and prohibition. The
license law legalizes the traffic and pro-
hibtion makes 1t a crime. The former
gives the traffic the advantage and pres
tige Of legality, the latter the disadvant-
age and odium of illegality. The former
does all 1t can do to make rumsellng
respectable, the latter what it can to
make it disreputable. We cannot see
how there can be any question In regard
to prohibition being the correct, the
righteous principle of law and the right
method to apply to rumselling just as
1t is the correct legal process to apply to
other crimes, like larceny, arson, rob-
berry, gambling, assault and battery,
murder, etc. All must admit, if the OBJ
ject is to lessen these crimes, prohhitive
methods and processes must be applied
with vigor, and, il the design is to sup
press the liquor traffic, prohibitive pro-
cesses must be applied to that.
There is, however, In the minds of
men who believe In the principle of pro-
hibition, question as to its practicable
ity as applied to the liquor traffic.
Whether 1t can be enforced, whether
public opinion will sustain its enforce
ment etc. OF course there is something
in this. The changes are rung on public
opinion by almost everybody who has
anything to say on the suppression of
rumselling. Speakers will expatiate
upon it with all the fervor OF one who has
made new discovery. There is large
fraction of humbuggery about this. We
believe with Judge Whitehouse that the
law itself is the one expression of public
opinion officers of the law are bound to
observe. A public law that has been on
the statute books of Maine for a half
century is entitled to greater considera-
tion than the opinions or wishes of any
number of financially, socially or politi.
cally interested men, clamorng for the
notification of that law. We Furthermore
believe II officers of the law 20 ahead
and enforce any statute according to Its
) true spirit and plain directions, pursuing
a straightforward course, the public vii
stand by them.
One trouble, as we view the enforce
, ment problem in Maine, is that officers
of the law and the courts apply the IL
, ceDse principle to vlolators of the pro
, hibitory law, and low license and uncer
, tain, vacillating license at that, instead
of applying the true principle of prohib
ition. The two principles are antagon.
, istic and cannot be made to work to-
, gether. II fines were imposed large
enough to be prohibitive there would be
much less number of persistent law
breakers. In fact, IL it were known to a
certainty that adequate fines would be
enforced, fines that meant what the law
intends they should mean, the number
to embark in the liquor selling business
would be essentially lessened.
!, 1t has been repeatedly demonstrated
that the sheriff of this county, when he
I meant business, has been able to close
the drinking places In this town, merely
by Issuing an order to that effect. The
selectmen through any constable can dc
the same. The chief Of police having
the same power as constable in the
serving Of warrants, can do the same.
1t is only necessary for dealers or pro-
prietors of bars to know that there is tC
be mo fooling" and they will suspend
violations as they did here the week OF
the Terrio trial and as they did last week
when notified 80 to do. What would
have been the effect in these instances
had we been working under a license
law?
1t is one Of the beauties of the Maine
law that when citizens and officers wake
up from the lethargy Of decade they
have the power to shut up the rum shops.
Under license law they could have nc
such power. They would be equally
powerless under the government dis
pensary system, as we understand it.
We believe that under the prohibtory
l., - hn, all H.