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

why should not our Scholars nave the
privilege of seeing its workings. Why
is this law restricted from minors If il
is a good thing? / believe that most Of
our people believe that liquor cannot be
licensed in any form, in any way. that
will be benefit to this State, and be-
lieve that we should not as a Legisla-
ture vote to resubmit this question to
the people. i do not think that as n
whole the people of this State demand
it, [ do not believe but what If it
should be resubmitted to the people IL
would be re-affirmed by large ma
jority, and for that reason shall vote
against it. | thank God that We have
got beyond the good old days of rum
and molasses that we hear so much
about. And l want my boy, who has
been to this Legislature and looked uD-
on you, gentlemen, I want him to still
think that the liquor law is an injury
to the State. / have no fear that that
boy will go to low dens and commence
his liquor drinking in such places, but
if he should see people go to gilded sa-
looms fear for him. | want that boy
brought up, although the law has been
poorly enforced / admit in the State OF
Maine, l want my boy and / believe
you want yours brought up to look up
on this as a curse, and that it Is some-
thing that should be suppressed, and
that we should look upon those who
deal in it as law breakers and people
that are working against the interests
of the State of Maine. (Applause.)
Mr.. DOWNING of Sorrento: Mr..
Speaker: AS n member of the temper
ance committee 1 would like to say a
few words upon this question. / shall
not vote for resubmission. My reasons
for not doing SO are that I think the
time is not ripe. l am q. Prohibtionist,
that is, I believe in prohibition when
prohibition prohibits; but my love for
our grand OLD mother State will not al
low me to join in any eulogy of what per-
tains to her humiliation and disgrace,
and / must say that l cannot look back
upon the temperance movement. upon
the prohibitory law as it has been car
ried out in the last 20 years with any
degree of pride. When the people give
US great constitutional law, we are
in honor bound to try to enforce that
law before asking them to repeal it.
Scne will say, Haven't we had 90
years of prohibition" In answer, let me
ask you if you consider that levying
blackmail upon rumsellers is prohibi-
ton? AS well might you say that the
farmer is practicing prohibition upon
his sneep when he gathers his flock in
10 his harm in order that he may shear
them, and then the next morning turns
them out into his pasture in order that
when the time comes around he may
repeat the process. There is this much
difference, however, in the two process
VI,
whole fleece, but we only take a very
small portion of the fleece from the
lest he might kick.
Let us look upon these facts as they
are. 1t is always well at times to take
our bearings. What have we been do
ing in the State of Maine? We have
been turning our rumsellers loose and
allowing them to corrupt the very
lower of our young manhood, and then
we have Obliged them to divide with us
n some small degree the wealth they
nave thus obtained, and then we boast
If the princely revenue we have de-
lived from thus taxing ourselves in the
rery worst possible way in which we
'ould tax ourselves. Then we nave
AIKEN our i'll gotten gains and built
more houses of correction and jais in
# our own misdoinG. If a spirit from a
higher sphere of life should visit the
scenes of earth and should look upon
he gigantic farce which is going on in
Maine, we'll might he exclaim in the
words of the immortal bard of Avon.
What fools these mortals be" But If
his condition of affairs shall continue
md if this present demand for enforce
nent shall prove to be as it has too
'ften in the past but temporary
pasm of virtue, if in little While the
shall be again plying his vo-
alton, if we shall find the same state
VI affairs that we have had hitherto
MD notification shall again have been
)racticed. then give the people of the
state of Maine a chance and they will
Jury this notification law under an
avalanche of votes so deep that it will
l5Ner be seen again in this generation.
There is another side to the question
md, we hope, a better one. The law is
,eing enforced at present: the rum
ellers are hunting their holes. And 7
lope this may continue. The people of
laine are watching their officials as
hey never watched them before. and
this State of things shall last for
wo years | have no doubt that the
happiness and prosperity of our people
will be so advanced and that prohibit
ion will have proved itself to be such
good thing that the question will re-
olive itself and there will be no demand
or resubmission.
feel strongly tempted at this time TO
liter a word of warning to the great
Republican,. party. It's principles are
lear to my heart and when ! see the
hip upon which she is embarked, drift
ng upon the rocks feel as though n
vord of warning is necessary. j wish
might come from some ADLER tongue
han mine. But feel that the warning
hould be given, even though 1t come
rom so humble an instrument as my
elf. If we do not learn in our plat
orms to say what we mean and mean
What we say, if we do not substitute
Words of truth for those of hypocracy
nd decite, it behooves US to keep our
yes upon the wall lest the finger Of
ternal justice be writing there the
rophesy of our impending destruction.
Arplarse)