Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-10-13

sons for the stand which he mas taken
in relation to a referendum act III
Maine in which he fails to see the Wis
dom.
1T 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 boy
hood. and to submit my second semi
annual report as your superintendent
of legislative work.
During the past summer L nave
been in Europe and attended the
worlds session of our order in Belfast,
ireland. of which l will give you a full
report later on in the session. L can
only say it is a mystery to me how
any two American citizens after haV-
ing travelled in those old nations OF
Europe. cursed as they are by the IL
cense system. can then return home
and favor the same ruinous system.
For generations the people of the Brit
| ish Empire have been sending tne
,ioror dealers to the House of Lords
instead of sending them to jail as you
.ra doing down here in Waldo county,
| and I'm the grand old State or Maine
under prohibition.
..,rbe resuIt is that the licensed pub
,;o bouses everywhere throughout the
four nrovirces in the empire are bring
| ing such mental ana moral rum upon
,be neonle that the nation is alarmed
| and is taking steps to greatly reduce
tho drink shops and in time to over
throw the license system Which Is the
most potent and deadly agent of phys
Il hA rNtn
in orr mother country. Sir Wilfrcd
Lawson, one of the most distinguished
noblemen in Europe in the temperance
re form and member of Parliament
stated recently through the London
Party News, that the only national
remedy for the liquor traffic in the
British Empire is prohibition.
I'm Maine things are different than
in England and the only way for ou"
people to 90, who believe in good gov
eminent, is to cling to prohibition 1or
it is the best possible measure to deal
with the awful traffic in liquor. ana
we must also put forth every hohcs'
effort to uphold Gov. Cobb ana the
SturgiS Commission in its efforts ~
enforce our prohibitory law. Ihat Is
what our Legislature passed the y"
for and it placed most Po"eiiui
weapon in the hands of our Governor
to rid our State of rumsellers and COM
peI insurgcnt sheriffs to do their sworn
duty.
In our recent State election the
nuestion of prohibition was every
where openly and thoroughly discuss
ed as we'll as enforcement which was
really resubmission. Gov. Cobb told
the neopIe that if elected to the high
office of Governor he should enforce
all laws, especially the prohlbltory
law.
81 do not see how anyone could help
voting understandingly on the great
question and the result was that on
election day he received 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 resubmis-
sion or any open rum shops. and as
another proof that they do not desire re-
submission l would call your attention
to the fact that only 50 persons petit
toned our last Legislature for it. While
over 10000 petitioned against it.
"Foiled at every hand to get at
prohibition through resubmission and
with so 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
overthrow of prohibition through the
referendum organization of the State.
Now | do not have any unkind words
for some of my temperance friends
who are members of that Organiza-
tiOn and / do not even suspect them OF
| being resubmissionists, but in my
| opinion they are being led into trap
set for them by the enemies of our
| prOhibitOry law. What do you sup
| pose some Of these men who favor
this measure care about the people?
| Their real object is to get at prOhibi-
| ton through this measure. The mo-
| mcnt this measure should receive q
passage through our next Legislature,
| that moment they will attack prOhibi
| tion. the best law that was ever writ
ten 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.
"Mr. Davis, who is a member of the
State Referendum League, and his
paper. have little to say now about re-
submission, but they have taken TO the
referendum, like a duck takes to
, water. | don't blame him. he simply
wants to carry his point and he thinks
: he sees an opportunity in the measure
Of doing 50. In an editorial in his
| paper. on the goth of September, it.
however, gave itself away when it
, said: The referendum will accomplish
little if the work of the league is only
; directed in limited way, and fails to
| take into consideration the great de-
sire Of the people of Maine to vote
upon the retention of the prohibitory
amendment. No members Of the
Referendum League can honestly and
consistently work for the cnthrOnc-
mcnt Of the initiative and referendum.
unless at the same time he is favorabIy
disposed toward giving the people the
opportunity to vote on the question of
prohibition.
81 90 not see how any temperance
man who is opposed to resubmisSion
and the license system can possibly
J see the wisdom of a referendum act in
| uct I,,t toll, ;,