Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-05

Ito rally around it and carry 1T TO VIC
tory in this our grand and beautlIui
commonwealth.
I favor resubmission as temperance
man, as a total abstainer from all IN
ltoxicating liquor, as a believer IN tenn
Iperance work, and as one VINO mas IN
1.-The past, and who is willing in the fu-
|ture to do his part in spreading the
doctrine of total abstinence every
where.
/ yield to no man or woman an my
loyalty to the cause of total abstinence,
but cannot believe that the state pro-
Ihibitory law is a benefit to the cause.
On the contrary / believe 1t Is a Mn
|drance to the progress of temperance
Iwork, for it prescribes unreasonable re-
lstrictions and taken as a whole, is a
law which does not command the re-
spect and support of reasonable men.
There is no question confronting the
people of the world today of greater
Importance than the question OF intem-
lDerance; in an economic sense 1t is
greater than all other economic
Questions; in a political sense 1t is the
very source from which springs nearly
all the corruption and rottenness which
mars the politics of our day.
In a moral sense, it is the great
curse that drags down the exalted from
their high place, that destroys the hap
piness Of home, the love of kindred,
that blights the hope of ambition, that
| fills the prison cells, that furnishes the
Victims for the gallows and the chair.
There are some people who will use
| the old style temperance speech call
| ing attention to the horrors that follow
the use of intoxicating liquor, as an
argument against resubmiSsion.
| But is there any man with a grain
| of common sense who will dare to say
| that this argument will not apply to
| the liquor traffic in the State of Maine
under constitutional State prohibition,
as we'll as it applies to the conditions
| in other states under the local pro-
| hibition law?
What folly and nonsense after the
| experience of over fifty years with the
annual crop of drunkards increasing
| and the higher felonies including muir
| ders growing more numerous with
each passing year.
A speaker on the floor of this House
| two years ago said Looking across
| the river from this Capitol we see the
| Maine Insane hospital. Many of those
| who are there, it is said fifty per cent,
are there on account of liquor, direct
| ly or indirectly. The people are call
| ing for large appropriations for the
same at Bangor and we must gran;
| them. Do you suppose this institution
| across the river would not have been
sufficient for this State and it's weak
ones for generations only for this
| liquor curse? But. rum is here, you
| say (and we know it to our sorrow
So is murder. and would you legalize
! murder and other crimes?"
The same gentleman further said.
Then let us do all we can to remove
| this blighting curse by voting against
resubmission and against the petitions
on which names appear of nearly every
| rumseller in Maine. Vote to re-sub
NIT today, and in 4S hours Maine win
| be flooded with rum, and temperance
weakened for years. Vote no resub-
| mission and enforce the law and 800
| rum shops will go out of business in
| one weeks time it is estimated
These are the exact words of the
gentleman and I present them to you
as a fair sample of the character OF
| the arguments against resubmission.
What a splendid commentary upon
that great agency for temperance, the
State prohibitory law. So we'll does it
serve it's purpose that this enormous
expenditure of money was necessary
% provide for the poor unfortunates who
| fell victims to the rum curse in this i'm
perial prohibitory State of ours. If II
continues much longer to render such
effective service we will have to con-
struct a new insane hospital at Kittery
so as tc provide sufficient accommoda-
tons for the new crop.
And he also informs us with great
wisdom and assurance that 300 rum
shops will go out of business in one
week, according to the estimate, if we
enforce the law.
Now as to this proposition l can only
say that the gentleman's experience
vas confined strictly to local conditions
n the community in which he lived,
which might have been the terminus
If the last newly made turnpike. He
certainly could not have referred to the
titles of our State, for the experience in
hose places has demonstrated in the
)ast, and it is being demonstrated
-oday, that enforcement of the law only
succeeds lin creating Il lower class of
.'umshops commonly known as kitchen
lives.
AS to his assertion that those who
Jote against resubmission will do a
great service to the cause of State
prohibition, there is hardly need of
Comment. 1t is the assertion of the
nan, and there are many like him who
nave not taken that broad view of the
temperance question which it's grow
ng Importance deserves. Such men
nave lived too much in themselves,
hey forget that there is a great world
beyond them, and that the laws which
govern mankind must take man as he
IS, not as the gentle lamb they would
nave him to be. You can never make
nan good by law. You can never
force from that unwilling being COM
)lete surrender to the unreasonable.
The State prohibitory law is fit to
govern the angels in Heaven, for they
IRE a law unto themselves, but it
never has and never will compel the |
respect of the average man.
AS Archbishop Ireland truthfully
says, unfortunately it is a condition |
y