Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-05-04

state where there does not exist some
civic problem which the league is seek
ing to solve.
The Civic League Record has helped
to supply this lack of personal dificta-
ton and since our last annual meeting
its circulation has been extended to
1873 additional post offices. The regular
circulation is about 1000 copies, but we
are sending from 800 to 1900 sample
copies each issue to those not sub
scribers. The Record list is being in
creased about IS copies per month and
there is no reason why it may not
ultimately obtain and hold a regular
circulation of ten thousand Improved
in quality and freed from all irrelevant
matter and kept in close touch with
the civic issues of our State, it is likely
to become potent factor for temper
ance and good government.
Investigations have been made dur
ing the past year at Bangor, Portland,
Belfast, MillinOckett and other places,
and the publication of the results has
been beneficial in several ways.
We low have all the u. $. liquor
/ taxpayers in Maine card catalogued
and our list is revised at Portsmouth
every month. The names of the liquor
! taxpayers for counties and cities have
/ been sent to 46 persons. mostly officials,
who asked for them. During the year
we have sent liquor detectives to about
so places at the request of citizens and
officials. Many bars have been closed
as the direct result of our investiga-
tions, and a $35, 900 lottery was broken
up this year in one of the Maine cities.
Literature is furnished in great varie-
ty through the Civic League Record,
but We are reaching many other hear
ers by articles published in the county
and State papers. a quantity of re-
prints, such as letters and speeches by
Col. Dow. Representative Littletield,
and Ex-secretary Long, have been dis
trlbuted or printed by the League and
much more has been brought from
temperance publishing companies for
the special use for pastors and others
preparing addresses
Three thousand copies of the prohibit
tory law of Maine were published by
the League in 1901. This supply is eX-
hausted and with the assistance Of our
able attorney, Hon. Hiram knOWlton,
we are preparing from the Revised
Statutes of Maine a new edition of
1000 copies. which we intend to send to
every selectman, town constable, sheriff
deputy, city marshal, and rural trial
justice in Maine. Copies will also be
sent gratis to all members and contri-
buttons of the Christian civic League.
The laws of our State are very salts
factory to the friends of good govern
am will no Of I,,ci
ness during the next legislature to op-
pose any movement toward making
these laws less effective We believe
that bill should be introduced into
the next legislature requiring that all
patent and proprietary medicines shall
have the amount OF alcohol in excess
of one per cent. or opium or cocaine,
or other dangerous drug in any Quant-
ty plainly designated on the label.
The circulation of the Temperatures
pledge has been such neglected in re-
cent years and probably not one child
in 20 in the public or Sunday school
is ever asked to sign the total absti-
hence pledge. We hope that organized
effort will be made tC meet this de-
ficiency before another year begins and
to systematically circulate the tenn
perance pledge through teachers, pas
tors, and Sunday school superinten-
dents among all the children of our
state. 1t will also be III harmony with
the work to accomplish something
practical for retaining individual
drunkards and pledging adults to total
abstinence.
The breadth of our work is one of
the elements of its success. Persons
who has less interest in temperance
may be very glad to cooperate in sup
pressing gambling. a town may suffer
comparatively little from either gamb-
ling or drunkenness, but RIGHTEOUSNESS
or some form of obsenity may be the
evil, which prevails there. In another
place the secularization of Sunday is
the wedge of civic decentralization. In
some Maine cities bribery is endanger-
divorce presents another problem.
While ever emphasizing temperance as
the supreme issue, our work pertains
to all the civic interests of the state.
We would remind you Of the amount
of clerical work which is necessary to
sustain an organization like ours Some
1000 letters are received annually from
subscribers. We sent 1000 communiCa-
tions concerning the anti-resubmisson
petition. Scores of intricate lists of the
accounts of subscribers We're made for
my associates. The records have to be
entered on our books; supplies varying
from glycerine paste, and ink, to type
writer's. copying presses and paper have
TO be purchased and cared for. We have
70 newspa perS in our mail and we have
received over 40 letters in one day. In
three months we sent through the mail
about 1900 pounds of ati-resubmission
cards to persons who offered to circu-
late them for signatures.
Some of the results OF this work and
Of individuals and societies cO-operat-
ing are the following: Public sentiment
throughout our State in all moral is
sues has improved. The commendablc
position of the press unite unanimous
~ facOrs temperance and defends the
prohibitory lay. Political parties are
making better nominations of candi-
dates for public office and good cand-
dates are better supported at the polls.
The saloon have been closed in about
go villages and cities in Maine, and
nowhere outside of Cumberland county
SO far as we know, have they been re-