Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-02-04
A Communication from Mr., Doutney
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Editors kennebec Journal:
In your issue of even date you
publish q communication against me
signed by one Kingsbury E. Piper
AS matter of justice and fair play
ask you to please give space to my
reply to his communication, more es-
peclally since he Classics me as an
"imposter." 1 don't know this Mr..
Piper. Eut l do know that he has not
told the truth in his communication.
L don't make brains. l do throw out
truth and facts for brains to absorb
L am sorry to say that. in my opinion,
the absorbing power of his quality of
brain is extremely limited. In so far
as my temperance work is concerned
l suggest, before he again calls me am
imposter that he stands-upright
directly in front of a looking glass and
takes a good view of himself. When
Mrs. l.. NJ. n. Stevens, President of the
n. w. c. T. L.. Mr.. Nolney b. Gushing.
ana others who work on their lines, go
to Massac husetts and other states and
denounce ournatiOnal and state govern
ments.-our congress and legislatures
ana officials of cities and towns be-
cause of the liquor question. they are
given the right to free speech no mat
ter how they talk and are not insultcd
for having come from another state
The world is my field. I nave had the
experience on all sides of the question
both behind, and in front of the bar
and having suffered from personal
contact with drink. l came to Maine.
as | go to other sections. to tell the
people of Maine, from personal know
ledge, about the inside workings of the
dives and kitchen bar rooms. one OF
which in any community does more
harm than would fifty open licensed
saloons on the main thOroughfares-
l also came into Maine to urge the
good people of this grand old state to
take tn" temperance question out of
the hands of trickste- and cunning
and deceptive politicians. and pro-
hibitiOn cranks and for them Uhe
pcople) to act upon it themselves.
That's why for Il long number of
years. l have opposed prohibition and
why / urge and advocate the resub-
mission of the question to the people.
Leading politicians rs Il class, care
nothing for temperance. The desire
for power is their first heart study.
In many places, even men who would
lun a decent place under license are
slaves to certain political rings. The
votes cast for nominees on the pro-
hibition ticket for gubernatorial honors
III prohibition states proves, it is so
fearfuily small that the temperance
question is a political shuttle. There
are no morals in il. No sympathy for
the poor drunkard from them. Politi-
cal prohibition first, God and religion
next. That's their scheme. Pro-
hibitionists call all who disagree with
them frauds and inposters. l never
said in my talks or lectures, as all
honest ones who heard me know full
well,-that l hired a guide in Portland
to accompany HE into dives or saloons.
I did say l had Il party with me to
show me some few pl2ces-aSide from
those | know about. To visit them all
IN Portland would take q long time. l
did not s,dy they had women or maids
attending bar in Portland. I did say.
that in SO called restaurants l saw
young women raise their dresses and
take from under them liquor in bot
ties, upon demand and serve the same
TO customers. L never, yet knew d
crank to give credit to any mayor or
police department for the hard and
faithful work they do,-Mr Piper, by
his own communication proves he is a
fanatic and unreasonable and that he
knows but one side of the question
He don't even know one half of that
side. The vast majority of the clergy
DO not know both sides of life. There
fore how can they talk on both sides
Intelligently? They cannot. They
don't visit saloons nor do they become
! acquainted with saloons Or the owners
and bar tenders. The clergy as a rule
know nothing. absolutely nothing, o.
| real life from an experimental know
ledge of each side of life-the rough
and the smooth. the sad and the joy
full. l respect and revere the position
of the clergy, they are, as Il class. good
true living men. If there We're no
clergy the world would be in an awful
condition TO doubt. But | say to them
gentlemen i'm order to know real life
on both sides, you must become ac-
quainted with both sides. Never mind
statistics. as they are called, furnished
by Others most of whom are more or
less bisoted, but please go and see for
yourselves-and investigate, not with
the eye of another but with your own
eye. then come back and tell the truth
as it is. I will add that some minis
tiers. by the way they preach, would
do far more good for God and humanity
chopping ice or working in the woods
than they do as preachers. Political
aspirations seem to be the hopeful
dream of many of them. The w. C.
T. L. when first organized did grand.
noble temperance work until they be-
gan to bring it into politics. From
that moment until now they lost their
greatest power for moral reform.
Years ago there were a vast number of
temperance reform clubs in Maine AMI
all New England. There are not six
of those clubs today in all New Eng
land. What caused this tremendous
change? Political temperance did it
Prohibitionists and cranks, some of
whom are ministers, have even
attacked my personal character ana
private life They have done il also in