The Republican journal., 1905-09-14
Waldo County Liquor Gases.

To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL: The
September term of Supreme Judicial Court
opens next Tuesday. Not for many years.
if ever, has so general and intense an inter.
est been felt in Waldo county respecting
the enforcement of the prohibitory law. AT
the last election the issue was squarely on.
and the will of the people was again reg
| istered at the ballot box. Hon. William T
Cobb, then candidate for Governor, every
| where declared that if elected he should use
every proper power and influence for the
enforcement of the prohibtory law and he
] did not want any mans vote unless he be-
lieved that he meant precisely what he said.
His opponent, Hon. C. w. Davis, was loud
in his cry against prohibition and for re-
submission. By overwhelming majority
the people of our State turned down the
| Apostle of resubmission and placed Mr..
Cobb in the Governors chair, plainly be-
cause the platform on which he stood, and
| his policy and pledge of law enforcement,
expressed their will. He is delivering the
goods. Have we, in the State OF Maine and
county of Waldo, a government of the peo-
pie? That is the question which thrusts
itself home with tremendous vehemence in
the light of the present situation. The peo-
pie of Maine for their own government
| have established,
First, the legislative department to make
| laws.
| Secondly. The exc cutive department, con-
sitting of the Governor, Attorney General.
Sheritfs and County Attorneys, etc, to exc
cute the laws, and
| Thirdly. The judicial department, con-
sisting OF the courts, to interpret and
apply these laws.
| The law says "No person or persons be-
longing to one of these departments shall
exercise any of the powers properly be-
longing to either of the Others" The
courts are not to make laws, but to apply
those made according to their intent. The
executive department is charged only with
the execution of laws. Although these
three departments of our State Govern
ment are distinct they are not independent
of one another; they must move together
and act in harmony or the will of the peo-
pie will be defeated, as it has been in
Waldo County for years, and in many other
sections of our State as we'll. Which de-
partment has been responsible for this? A
concrete example will show US. Mr.. L. l..
Gentner has been a liquor-seller in this
| County for the past twelve years. The
court records show Il convictions in that
period, but he has never served Jail SEN
tence and the fine imposed by the court has
been on an average only $500 year; not
withstanding the fact that the aggregate
full penalty during these years, would have
been $500 and nearly years in Jail. The
full penalty for the single year of 1894
would have been S2450 and years and 6
months in jail. 40 cases were mol pressed.
| Thus it appears that while the sherffs and
county attorneys, during most of this
period, did not do their full duty as shown
by the comparatively small number Of
seizures and the large humber CT cases mol
pressed, fled, etc, yet if in the cases
to the full penalty they would have
been driven out of the business.
| Where the responsibility rests just now
| is best seen by an inspection of the court
/ docket. The six cases in which L. L.
| Gentner was sentenced last term, amount
ing in the aggregate, to S4OO and 800 days in
| jail, to be served in sixty days, have re-
turned from the Law Court with Judgment
| for the State,'' and the sentences will be ex-
ecuted by the order of the Court. Six other
cases in which he has been convicted are
| back from the Law Court ready for SEN
tence. Three search and seizure cases and
one single sale are now pending at this
| term of the Supreme Court.
| The six cases in which W. S. Edminster
was given sentence last term, aggregating
| $3.50 and 240 days III jail, to be served in
sixty days, are back from the Law Court
| and the sentences will be executed by order
of the Court. Three other cases in which
| he has been convicted are back from the
| Law Court and ready for sentence, and Il
search and seizure cases and three single
| sale cases are pending at this term OF the
| Supreme Court. The three cases in which
| Fred NJ. Staples was given sentence last
term, aggregating $500 and 100 days in jail
| to be served in sixty days, are back from
| the Law Court and the sentence will be ex-
ecuted by the order of the Court. One
| other case from the Law Court is ready for
sentence, while three search and seizure
and two single sales are pending. Daniel
Jones and Frank E. Nash each have a
single sale case pending. E. S. Shuman
and Charles A. Logan each have a case
pending for illegal transportation of liquor.
Some search and seizure cases against
Italians in Frankfort are before the lower
court. There is one case ready for SEN
tence against each of the following: John
Mellen, John A. Warren and Jesse E..
Staples, and two cases against Edwin A.
Jones. All this is ready, mot to mention the
indictments which will be brought by the
grand jury. Thus it appears that the en-
forcement of the law in Waldo County is
now with the Supreme Court.
The opportunities of the liquor sellers
have been greatly enlarged, and the diff
Guilty of enforcement increased, by the I'M
portatiOn of Italians and other workmen on
the railroad. The Italians have liquor
| come for their own use; that is the legal
right of any person, but some have claimed
that they sell liquor, even to the natives,
| and that Sheriff Carleton let's the Italians
| have all the rum they want, while a white
| ,,of I,rr -