Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-06


ton to kiss the rod that smites them.
The temperance people came to this
House Two years ago and they showed
the conditions existing, they told YOU
that fronl the judges on your bench.
down to the lowest man in the enlploy
of the county or the State, that there
vas a disregard of law. They rald Won
that they had appealed TO the courts
and had appealed in vain: they told
YOU that the reply they received from
the courts was. and from county Off
Gals. from TIE sheriffs, was that this
law could not be enforced that nuhlic
! sentiment ,WasAnot behind it. There
has come aver the situation a wonder
iful change, after years of growing dis
! regard of law. after multiplicat;on Of
thnfS, after substitution of fines for a.
license openly. insthe daylight, they have
an AT once come to the conclusion that
the prohibitory statutory law can no
! enforced 1t is Il wonderful revelation
! They told you two years ago when Won
were asking Il vote on this question
that the law would be enforced if the
| PEOPLE wanted it enforced. You aslad
| them To enforce by Il very large ma i'm
| ity in this House. You have been met
by substantially by two wears of re-
fusal since tnat time and now Won
come again to discussion of this uue.
ton; :nd / would like to speak to Tho
con%cienCes and hearts of every Nom,
Der in this House when | saw do NOT
believe there can come to this I.eeis,a-
ture ut this session a question that is
fraught With so much interest and of
| result 10 this State as the question thai
Is now before you. What you shall do
With vour bridges, what you shall do
with your water ways. what -ou shall
do with your finances, with your Of
ficers. with your salaries and. had al
| llost SAID, With your schools, sinks into
inseniliCance when you bring this
question w for careful consideration
and for settlement
Resuhmission from the standpoint of
the men who are presenting it means
m opportunity to so before the people
of the State of Maine and ask them or
say to them. will YOU continue this
farce any longer" 1t means that it is
Il protest. a righteous protest. against
the state of things that has prevailed
1t means that the State of Maine, her
good citiZenship-and you have an il
lusttaton of it in your petitions here III
~ US i1itlliS lilil your SOOu cltl-
Zership of the State of Maine demands
that there be no longer disregard of
law. 1t means that this law, if it is
IN the statute books. is there for ii pur-
pose, and that purpose is that the law
be enforced us long as it is there. 1t
means that the city of Watervilla tho
city of Portland and other cities in this
State are not satisfied when the sher-
cities go into the larger towns and die
tate ia them how they shall vote. 1t
means. gentlemen. that if this question
goes TO the people and they say they'll
are dissatisfied with this thing, that
they might place it upon a plain right
cous basis; that they will say, We Of |
Watcrvillp know what our domestic |
policy shall be. We do not believe that |
this thing should run riot. We So"
no reason why these men should be al |
lowed to so on in unriehteous, Illegal |
t&ritfc, but we do want the right 10 |
say that statutory law shall be enacted |
which shall give us here in this town |
and in this city the right to say Wheth |
or this shah 80 on here Or whether it |
shall not
Mr. Speaker. have not asked i gen. |
I'tilifn on tHt iIDpT Oh tlilS House ~ \
vote for this measure. 1t is a measure |
that must appeal To them. Most OF YOU |,
represent the dominant party il this |
State. and as has been truly SAID by |
the gentleman who preceded me, that |
party is on trial. According to your |
dec ision today, you will be judged. | |
do not look to see this question settled, |
today. | look to see nothing more than |
4 reasonable protest made against the |
condition of things that has prevailed, |
but sometime, it may be two years, |
il may be four, and it may be six |
the thin end of the wedge has been |
driven. possibly you may say with |
muflicd hammaI-but before six years |
shall have passed that wedge will reno |
this partv in twain unless YOU listen |
to the wishes of the people. The men |
who come to you and ask that the |
people of the State be given an on !
portunitv to express themselves on this |
question. tell you that a generation has !
passed since this measure became con- |
stitutional law. They have come to me |
and have said: I'VE fully believed that |
when this measure was put into the |
constitution. there would be no ques- |
ton about its enforcement" The peo- |
pie of Maine would honor constitutional |
law, but you have the result before |
YOU and you must decide this Gues- |
ton. not by the oratory that VIII fol- !
low after | am through, but you must |
decide it by the facts as you find them. |
The very protests that are made. the !
very efforts that are made to retain |
the law. are all arguments in favor OF |
this question. |
| anDrehend that there can be but |
one real reason why the members of |
this House will refuse to give the peo- !
pie again Il chance to say whether |
they shall reatfirm this law. or whether |
they shall vote it down, for that is |
all there is to it. and that reason is !
this: Members living in rural districts, |
living in the smaller towns that are |
practically free from liquor drinking |
and using, tell YOU and me that they |
fear the results if the question goes
to the people and the people vote for |
statutory law and local regulation as |
they might do. They say: What |
would become of the town of Buxton"' |
my old home. Portland is only Is miles !