The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-10-26

Frank W. Gowen of Waterville.
One of the able and interesting addresses
Good Templars in Brooks was that by
Frank w. Gowen of Waterville, chairman
of the legislative committee of the order
Mr.. Gowen. who is widely known as a
temperance advocate, has crossed the At
lantic twice in succession to represent
order in Sweden and in Ireland. He is also
an active business man. In his address
Mr.. Gowen spoke on many topics of in
terest and gave his reasons for the stand he
has taken in opposition to referendum
act in Maine, of which he fails to see the
wisdom. at gives me great pleasure said
he, "to meet so many members of our
order on this beautiful autumnal day, in
this thriving and prosperous village in good
old Waldo county of my boyhood, and to
submit my second semi-annual report as
your superintendent of legislative work.
Continuing he said:
During the past summer / attended the
worlds session of our order in Belfast,
Ireland, of which l will give you a full re-
port later lcan only say it is mystery to
me how any American citizen after having
travelled in those old nations of Europe,
cursed as they are by the license system,
can return home and favor the same ruinous
system. For generations the people of the
British Empire have been sending the Ii
quor dealers to the house of Lords instead
Of sending them to jail as you are doing
down here in Waldo county and in the
grand old State of Maine under prohibition.
The result is that the licensed public
houses everywhere throughout the four
provinces in the empire are bringing such
mental and moral ruin upon the people
that the nation is alarmed and is taking
steps to greatly reduce the drink shops and
in time to overthrow the license system,
which is the most potent and deadly agent
of physical ruin and decay among the peo-
Pile in our mother country. Sir Wilfred
Lawson, one of the most distinguished no
blemen in Europe in the temperance reform
and member of Parliament, stated recently
through the London Daily News, that the
only national remedy for the liquor traffic
in the British Empire is prohibition.
In Maine things are different than in Eng
land and the only way for our people to do
who believe in good government, is to cling
to prohibition; for it is the best possible
measure to deal with the awful traffic in
liquor, and we must also put forth every
honest effort to uphold Governor Cobb and
the Sturgls commission in their efforts to en-
force the prohibitory law. That is what our
Legislature passed the law for and it placed
most powerful weapon in the hands of our
government, to rid our State of rumsellers
and compel insurgent sheritfs to do their
sworn duty.
In our recent State election the question of
prohibition was openly and thoroughly dis
cussed, as well as enforcement. Gov. Coob
tn1 ha hof 11oz +nI 30 81, l.; o.I.
office of governor he should enforce all laws,
especially the prohibitory law. do not see
how anyone could help voting understand
lngly on the great question, and the re-
suit was that on election day he received a
majority of at least 10000 or 1900 more
than the liquor element anticipated. 1t
seems to me that this fact ought to convince
every fair minded citizen of Maine that the
people do not want resubmisSion or any
ope rum shops, and as another proof that
the! do not desire resubmission | would
call yonr attention to the fact that only 50
persons petltloned our last Legislature for
it, while over 10000 petitioned against it.
Fooled at every hand to get at prohibition
through resubmission, and with 80 years of
defeat on this great issue, the liquor element
OF Maine is now taking another tack and in
my opinion hopes to bring about the over
throw of prohibition through the referen-
DUN. Now | have no unkind words for
eohi0 VI NY temperance Ii cluS WHO are
members of that organization, and do not
even suspect them of being reSubmission-
lists, but in my opinion they are being led
into trap set for them by the enemies of
our prohibitory law. What do you suppose
some of these men who favor this measure
care about the people? Their real object
is to get at prohibition through this meas.
ure. The moment this measure receives a
passage through our next Legislature, that
moment they will attack prohibition, the
best law that was ever written into the
statute books of the State of Maine, and the
liquor dealers Of the entire country would
then flood our State with money to bring
about its defeat, if possible. 1t is my belief
that the Democratic party will have an I'M
limited amount of money to use in our COM
ing campaign, in their endeavOr to carry
the State and defeat prohibition.
MIR. Davis, who is a member of the State
Referendum League, and his paper, the
Waterville Morning Sentinel, have little to
say now about resubmission, but they have
taken to the referendum as duck takes to
water. l don't blame him ; he simply wants
to carry his point, and he thinks he sees an
opportunity in this measure for doing So.
In an editorial on the Goth of September,
however, The Sentinel gave itself away
when it said: 'The referendum will &C.
complish little if the work of the league is
only directed in limited way, and fails to
take into consideration the great desire of
the people of Maine to vote upon the reten-
ton of the prOhibtory amendment. No
member of the referendum league can hon
estly and consistently work for the en-
thronment of the initiative and referen-
dunn, unless at the same time he is favor
ably disposed toward giving the people the
opportunity to vote on the question of pro-
hibition''
| do not see how any temperance man
who is opposed to resubmission and the
llcpOSp system nOSSihly ha ic1n
OF referendum act in Maine after reading
that article in one of the leading license pa
pers of our State. | should question the
wisdom of a mother submitting all her
questions to her children, and in the same
light l should question the wisdom of our
coming Legislature passing referendum
act such as the State league desires, simply
because there is a class of citizens in Maine,
as in all States, who have no more real
knowledge Of great moral questions of pub
lie policy than children. 1t is not because
of lack of book learning but because of
the lack of moral discipline. l have no
tlced that even in our Legislature it is
pretty difficult to have complete under
standing on important questions so as to
get fair and intelligent vote. Every legis-
lative action requires careful consideration,
and even then it is often found to be more
or less defective, but what would be the
result if all the important questions in the
State of Maine were submitted to the peO-
pie and then discussed in miscellaneous,
unreliable manner and often by designing
people.