Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-04

Therefore I beg of YOU that Won will
cast aside all partisanship, and no long
er play with this prohibitory liquor law
that is making drunkards every day i'm
the State of Maine, filling our jails, and
showing that after so years of test that
you cannot prohibit under it. You can
pass the SturSis and Cakes bills,
but the more law you have on the stat
ute books makes the people all the
more disguised with the prOhibitory
law.
You have had it enforced in the
county of Kennebec as well as in any
other county in the State of Maine;
your officers are faithful, but today, it
Is sold IN Augusta, and you cannot pro-
hibit it. You have simply turned it
| out OF the more respectable places into
the Kitchen bar-roOms and dives of Au-
guSta-aEd so it is in every other
county in this State wherever you have
undertaken to enforce the prohibitory
| law
They tell u.s. believe my friends do,
today-that the majority of the people,
if they would throw away all prejudice,
are in favor of resubmitting this mat
people in this matter. The referendum
is one of the grand principles upon
which our government was founded,
and yet you have for 10 long years been
| trying to enforce the prOhibitOry liquor
| law, and all we ask is that you will
submit il to the people; and if the peO-
pie then say they want it on the stat
ute books I will go with them and do
| all / can to enforce it. But I do object
| to the way this matter has been man
| aged; it has been a hobby horse for
politicians to ride on into office.
l believe if you will follow your own
| cOnsciences you will submit this to the
people, and let them vote upon it. Why.
| it was said in the House the other day
| that there was nobody in this State
| in favor of resubmissiOn but the lowest
classes of men.
/ repell that attack. l belong to the
party of 80, 900 men in this State. and l
am glad that party is willing to come
out and say it is in favor of rcsubmis-
sion to the people. because we claim ii
is the right of any people to vote upon
this matter whenever it is necessary.
Are YOU not willing to trust the peo-
ing in here? Ard yet you tell us. on
the other hand. that IL resubmitted it
will be buried by 10000 or 10000 votes
in September. Then why are you afraid
to submit it to the people Of the State
of Maine:
Now | tell you that some body is re-
sronsible for the young men of this
State who are being rulned by this
prohibtory liquor law. because it does
not prohibit. And wha. dc you do? You
drive rho sale of liquor out of the fair
ly respectable places. and force those
Young men to so into those denS of
infamy.
Can You reform the appetite of any
body by law?-not ny any means. If
We must have the curse among us let
US have it regulated IN Tie best posi-
able manner; that is all ] ask for. 1t
reans local option. If the city of Au-
custa wants 10 license the means for
selling rum. Why. then, the people
should be permitted to vote for it if
public sentiment here il; that way If
they don't want it. why, then, they
vote against it-and :ha: will apply to
every city and town in the good old
State Of Maine.
Now what can be the objection. oh,
l know that this Erohibitofy liquor law
has been a foot ball for the politicians
That is the situation; you proclaim in
your platform that you are in favor of
the prohibitOry law. Oh the hypocrisy
of it-and how it demOrali"eS the youth
of this State; for as the young man
grows up he sees the hypocrisy of the
ncople on this law, and he learns to be
hypcIitical and dishonest because it
has been exhibited before him, and has
for thu past 30 Eears-be cause the ma
iority of the people of the State of
Name are not. if they approach the
question like true men, iii favor of pro-
hibition.
an: called q rum SuzZlel if l favor
| resubmission. W. II, call me anything
hut that. for I am IA total abStainer
and would like to see tho stuff ami
Inflated from Gods green earth. You
tried it as We see The situation today
for so years: l have seen the young
| men go down to ruin. and l have seen
so much of il that l say to you some
one is responsible for the wrong. For
that reason I say let US object.
Why. they say, a thousand women
| the purpose of not reSubmitting this
! matter to the people. ! do not deny
that: l believe that those women are
honest in it. but they are mistaken
they know nothing abou. the effects
and the working of the prOhibtory
| liquor law. and | would not say one
word against them, because l believe
they are entirely sincere when they
sign these petitions. Eut let me tell you
there are 1900 or 10000 more women
who have not expressed an opinion
about this. You know how those things
come by petition. There il the Com
monwealth Of Massachusetts with her
Harvard college. and Connecticut with
her Yale. and don't you suppose the
| women of Massachusetts are just as
moral. have Just as sOrl ideas. have
just as much feeling tor the upbuildng
md the benefit of the young men of
tlrat commonwealth as the women of
Maine have?
She has local option in the common
wealth of Massachusetts. and take New
Hampshire ana Vermont. why. there
are 40 states il this Union that have
local ontion in ono yvay or 1OOth her. Has