Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-06
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
Continued from page 81.

should stand firm as party, mean
the Republican party, and give the
people at least, so long as we nave
started out upon an era of enforcement
give them at least the time between
one election and another, IN oroer 10
see whether anything can De accom-
plished, Don't, the very moment after
they have expressed their desire and
their demand that there should be at
least n trial of the prOhibitory law by
full. fair and rigid enforcement, don't
saw to them that they shall be shut
off in the very first beginning of their
demand. / say, then, give them at
least the chance for fair application
of the enforcement of the prohibitory
law. Then, as General Grant once said
that the rigid enforcement of an I'M
popular law was the surest way in the
world to secure it's repeal, if it shall
be found that it is unpopular and that
there is a demand by the people for
its repeal, tell you. gentlemen of the
House of Representatives. that the peo-
pie of this State will make their views
and their will known in such certain
terms that you will have no occasion to
doubt what 1t means. You will not be
obliged when the people of this State
have been fairly and wholly aroused
upon any question, to have any doubt
whether they want that question sub
mitted to them for action or not. You
will not be obliged to come here and
back the question by a measly petition
of one out of ten against 1t. You will
have something to show besides a sem
timent that has been worked up, or at
tempted to be worked UP and failed.
ha of q
loss to know how to make their will
known to their representatives; and
apprehend that you as representatives
of the People, today, are not unmind-
full of what the will of the great mass
of the people of this State is upon this
question here. You are not frightened
by any bug bears Of this kind that the
gentleman from Wateryille throws up.
If the Republican party cannot stand
by the plank in it's platform upon this
matter which it has reiterated again
and again for the last generation, if it
cannot at least stand up and be honest
enough to stand upon its own plat
form, let it go down, is all the COM
ment l make; but / want the gentle
man from Waterville and every other
man to understand that l believe that
while there may have been an attempt
to Crystalize the Democratic vote of
this House into a unit upon this ques-
ton, when 1t comes to a question OF
Crystallizing the Democratic vote of
this State upon that unit, it
will be most miserable failure.
know of scores and scores of
people of Democrats in the State of
Maine who cannot and will not be
wheedled into proposition of that
Kind. no matter where their leaders go;
ana for every man that the Republican
party loses for standing upon it's plat
form and standing by its principles,
two Democrats will come in to make
up the loss. for | tell you this is not a
political question. 1t is a moral ques-
ton. and upon moral grounds the peo-
pie OF this State will decide it finally.
The Republican party cannot afford TO
give down upon it's principles, it can
not afford to give down upon the plat
form it has enunciated. Other parties
may be able and willing to catch up
any old hobby that comes along in Or
der to secure a few votes. but the Re
publican party cannot afford to do IL.
We have turned down several propo-
sitions of that kind The proposition
of the greenbacker was turned down
by us. The glittering doctrine of 10 to
was turned down by us. This propo-
sition will be turned down by US and
the same results will fOlloW-we shall
go right along, conquering and to con-
aucr, because we stand upon rock
and that rock the rock of eternal right
eousness and justice, so far as this
question is concerned.
have only one thing to say in con-
clusion. and would say it as Cromwell
says: Let all the ends thou aimest al
b. thy Kings, thy Gods and truth,
and then. Oh Cromwell, if thou fallest,
thou fallest a blessed martyr" Cap
plause).
Mr.. THOMPSON of China: Mr.
Speaker. Washington Irving, in writing
the history of New York, prefaced his
history by giving n description of the
creation of the world. 1t claimed it as
n necessary part of the history of New
York. because, he reasoned. if the
world had not been created. New York
would not have existed. and cOnse-
quently there would have been no his
tory. In the able discussions of this
question. both before the committee
and in this House. it seems to me that
we have covered a large field, and that
much of the argument that has been
made has not necessarily been perth
nent to the question. The gentleman
last speaking. it seems to me, has sum-
med up from practical standpoint the
question at issue, this question of re-
submission as it stands. 1t is impos-
sble to separate this question. perhaps,
from the questions of license and meth
DDS that have been so ably discussed
but the people of this State look upon
the action of this Legislature, as he has
suggested in this practical way, that
the submission of this question means
license in this State. that the turning
down of this question means to retain
the law as we have it; and while that
may or may not necessarily follow, yet
the people of the State in some way
have that thought in their minds.
There is one phase of the question that
has not been touched upon and it is the
phase that l wish to refer to. The
gentleman from Lewiston said upon
one occasion that when the American