Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-30
The Enforcement Of Law.

| The Enforcement Of Law.
| IN an editorial on the need Of a rigid
and honest enforcement of orr nro-
hibitOry law in our issue Of Jan. 1aoo
we said that Willie the friends of tenn.
perance could not afford to be jntoyer-
ant of honest differences of opinion 40
to the best methods to be pursued 81
| suppressing the evils of intemperanca
| such differences could not exist touch
ing one fundamental proposition. viz
THAT laws are not made to be nulli6ed
and that, so long as they remain upon
the statute books they should be en-
forced without fear and without favor"
| broad proposition all good citizens
should be able to unite irrespective of
| their party affiliations, or any differ
ences that might exist among them
touching policies or methods. The
question that was imperatively "up' to
| the people of Maine was one which
touched the supremacy of law. Good
citizens everywhere recognized the fact
that disrespect of one law would in
evitably breed disrespect of all law, and
that the welfare of the entire commu-
nifty can only be insured by the faithful
enforcement Of all law. 1t was also
seen that. to be effective, such enforce
ment must be uniform. So long as
plans for evading the law were in
operation in some portions of the State,
the results of enforcement in other sec
tons was largely nullified. There was
further desire among the people of
Maine that the whole question should
be taken out of politics. II was in re-
Spouse to this very general popular de-
mand for an enforcement Of Our laws
that should be at once honest uni
form and non-partisan, that the en-
forcement or, as it is more commonly
called, Sturgis commission. was Great
ed. The bill establishing this commits
sion passed the Maine House OF Repre-
sentatiVes by vote OF - TO 80. How
ever much subsidized organs Of the
Rum Trust may desire to make it APP
pear otherwise this vote represented the
sentiment of the people of Maine.
The members of the Legislature voted
for this measure knowing that, in SO
doing, they represented the wishes of
their constituents. As we said, in dis
cussing this subject last September.
1.-The enforcement law was no accident.
1t was not foisted upon an unwilling
public. 1t was put upon our statute
books at the request of the voters Of
Maine by the men whom they had
sent to Augusta to enact their wishes
into law"
the operations of this commission
could be- carried on without expense;
but they were willing to pay these eX-
penses in order to secure an honest,
uniform and impartial enforcement of
the law. The commission as made up
represented both the great political
parties. 1t is composed of men whose
personal sincerity and high standing in
the community is beyond question.
While it is true that the law is still
violated iii some places-as is the case
with all laws-it is also a fact that it is
no longer done with the tacit sanction
| of officials sworn to enforce the peo-
pies will as embodied in our statutes.
The people know that they are getting
today the most effective and uniform
enforcement of the law which they
have ever had, and the organs of the
Rum Trust are making little Roadway
in their efforts to have it appear other
wise. So vain, in fact, have been their
efforts in this direction. that a we'll
| known Democratic editor feels con-
strained to admit that even if resuD-
| mission and local option were to come
to Maine the prohibtory law would still
be the law in nine-tenths of the STATE
This is the way in which he sizes up
| the sentiment of the State. after having
enjoyed exceptional opportunities to as
certain the views of the people. How
! ever much the organs of the Rum
| Trust may seek to befog the true situa-
| ton, the fact remains that the people
of Maine honor Governor Cobb for the
vigorous stand he has taken for the
honest. uniform and impartial enforce
| ment of the law, and will stand square,
| ly behind the members OF the Stursis
commission in their efforts to secure
it.
The RoguS RefOrmer is most olteH