The Republican journal., 1905-10-26
THE PEOPLE lAND ENFORCEMENT.

| A few weeks something of an argu-
ment was had between The Republican
Journal and the Bangor Daily News as
to whether the people of Waldo Coun-
ty were in favor of strict enforcement
of the Prohibitory Law or not, the ar
gument ending by The Republican Jour
nal admitting-as we understood it
that it was in doubt in regard to the
question, but thought the sentiment in
favor of enforcement was growing in
the county
The doings and results of the Sep
TENDER term of Court just adjourned,
settled the question in our mind, that
a large majority of the people of Wal
do County are in favor of a rigid and
impartial enforcement of the prohibit
tory law. The traverse juries attend
ing this term of court, drawn as they
were from the body of the people,
were fair representation of the peo-
| pie as whole, and the sentiment ex-
| pressed by those juries, both by their
| conversation and by their verdicts,
was fair expression of the wishes of
the people. We never met with two
| juries, taken as whole, that were
more willing to convict violators of
the prohibitory law tn an were those
two juries.
Take the jury that sat on the case of
state VS.. Shuman, where the charge
was for conveying Intoxicating liquors
intended for unlawful sale. In this case
| the county attorney failed to introduce
evidence to prove an important point to
| make out his case. and the jury were so
anxious to convict that they came back
| into court with written enquiry to the
court, asking if they would be allowed
to convict on their own knowledge of
the fact that the county attorney failed
to prove Of course the court instruct
ed them they must decide the case only
on the evidence presented. One of the
| jury afterwards told us that there was
not man among them but what want
ed to convict and that they We're much
disappointed that the county attorney
| failed to introduce the required evil
| dence so that they were obliged to &C
| quit the respondent In the similar
case OF State VS.. Logan, the prosecuting
attorney failed still further IN intro
| duclng the required evidence to make
out a case, and the other jury sitting
on that case took the bit in their teeth
as it were, and convicted on what evil
| dence there was before them. In every
! other liquor case brought before either
jury the respondents were easily con-
victed.
| These verdicts and doings of the
| Juries satisfy us that ali overwhelming
majority of the people of this county
want this particular law strictly and
impartially enforced. If more evidence
is required it can be seen in the general
rejoicing among the people at the jail
ing of SO many of the leading violatorS
of the law On every side one can hear
the most emphatic approval of the
course of the court in dealing out jail
sentences.
We are still further convinced, that
| the county officers upon whom devolves
! the duty of enforcing this law are in
full sympathy with the wishes of the
| people and are ready and anxious to do
their whole duty. To Sheriff Carleton
should full praise be given for his
noble and upright stand on this ques-
ton, and lie may feel assured that the
people are with him and will back him
III every effort he makes to suppress the
sale of liquor i'll this county. OF course
there are people who greve over the
prosecution of these yiolators of law,
but their numbers are few, and when
you dig them out it will be found that
| Iney are interested because LlleTe is
dollar in it somewhere for them, or
else they are SO lacking in manhood
that they are unable to distinguish be-
tween right and wrong.
The time has gone by, in our opinion,
when few of our officials can get to-
gather and resolve among themselves,
that the people don't want the law en-
forced, and therefore they will not do
what they took their solemn oaths to do.
Never again will Sheriff of this coun-
ty dare-even if we should ever again
have one with sufficient gall to do SO
to publish in the county papers, his
rules for the regulation Of the liquor
dealers; that they must close the bars
at certain hour each night and do nc
business on Sunday" thereby admit
ting that men were violating the law
and doing SO with his knowledge and
implied consent, so long as they kept
within the rules he laid down for their
government County Advocate.
|