Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-08-05
RESUBNIISsION.
What MIR. Benson Has to Say about
the New Movement,

What MIR. Benson Has to Say about
the New Movement.
The new movement In the interest Of re-.
submission, is, according to E. N. Benson
OF Bar Harbor, moving merrily along. Mr.
Benson has been travelling over the State
sounding the people as to their opinions
on the question which be is confident will
be leading issue 10 the next Legislature
"ln bringing about such a radical
CHANGE" says Mr.. Benson to reporter of
the Portland Advertiser, las will result.
should the people want resubmission, we,
that is, we who are organizing the move.
ment believe in beginning at the bottom
and working up. Witathis end In view.
we are now progressing along systematic
lines. 1t is our intention to organize a
club to be known as the Resubmission
club OF Maine, and this is now In a state
OF perfection.
"What we want is to get the people to
favor resubmission and to do this we are
making careful tour OF the State, sound
ing the peoples minds and influencing
them in favor of the new movement |
have been nearly all over Maine myself,
and find that eight ont of every ten, and
/ think that am not stretching it a bit,
are ia favor of resu bn ission.
"Tbe only way that Maine will ever
have this most desired movement brought
about Is TO have a resubnission legsla-
ture, and to have this kind of leg stature
we must have the people In favor of these
principles, and once in favor OF them they
will elect resubmissiou Legislators. The
legislators have no thority to take away
the right OF referendum from the people.
"By the time OF the next election, we
hope hat the State win everywhere be In
favor of resubmission, and 1t certainly
will or the opinions have heard are far
from expressing the ideas of the people.
When the legislature allows the question
to be submitted to the voters, ! have no
doubt that prohibition will be repealed,
at has been said that the country towns
will all vote against the repeal. Maybe
they will; their vote will be more than
overbsanced by the cities, every one Of
which fsyors resubmisslon. There is one
thing that the advocates OF temperance
about the vote of the country town.
"The voting population of Portland,
Bangor, Lew iston, Brewer, and the other
cities OF the State, has more than doubled
| since the question was last submitted to
the people, while on the other hand the
country towns have not only failed TO in
crease their population TO any appreciate
extent, but they have in many cases de-
creased, and now show smaller voting
list.
"Such powerful things as these cannot be
| overlooked, and when Ii is shown that the
resu omission vote has such strength, how
is the movement going to fail? Is 1t true
that the temperance people will also
organize to defeat the movement? They
| will depend upon the country towns for
their strength, and let them have these.
/ have already shown that the cities Will
| outweigh with their vote, the vote OF the
rural districts.
Il cannot help seeing that We must win
Tue people really want resubmission as II
| the question were once submitted to them'
| the vote would show. We shall hold
| convention in Bangor in August to begin
| tnis movement for influencing the
| peoples m nGs, and then we shall plunge
| Into the fig hit in earnest with all hope that
| we shall win"