The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1905-04-27

"l' oO"CL a lCoIuCIt Va w dUCl llIC
and widely known as temperance
speaker and worker, lived in Waldo
county when boy. He has beauti-
full home in Waterville, an extensive
library and his tireside is happy one.
He is an active and successful business
man, has the courage of his convictions,
and is held in high esteem wherever
known. The Maine Grand Lodge of
Good Templars at its recent session in
Portland elected him AS first represent
tative to the worlds session of the or
der in Belfast. Ireland August 1st
He went to Stockholm, Sweden. 1902,
as representative to the worlds session.
Mr.. Gowen is Grand Electoral Super
intendent of the Grand Lodge of
Maine, and it is hi, duty to look after
temperance legislation in this State.
In ian address at the session of the
Maine Good Templars in Portland Mr..
Gowen said, i'll part:
From my view point the incidents
of the greatest interest which took
place in our Legislature the past win
ter were, first, the overwhelming defeat
of resubmission; secondly, the passage
of the Sturgis bill. By vote Of 1Ol to
IS resubmission again met its Waterloo
in the House, while in the Senate the
vote stood IS to B. Two years ago the
vote stood for resubmission 46 in the
House and in the Senate. Following
close on the overthrow of 1esubmission
came the Sturgis bill, which is supple
mented by the Oaks bill, which puts
delinquent sheritfs, deputies and county
attorneys in danger of fine or imprison-
ment. These measures are OF far
reaching Importance to the State of
Maine and our grand old common
wealth, where Prohibition first saw day,
will now be swept along in regal en-
forcement movement by power
greater than itself.
The mills of God grind slowly
But they grind exceeding small
ly impressed with these new measures,
which promise not only to put stop
to the reign of lnSurgent SherltfS, but
also to bring about the absolute over
throw of the beverage liquor traffic in
Maine. What if Governor Cobb did
put the Sturgis bill through our Legis-
lature? Did he not do a good act, and
should he not be honored for it: AL
ready the Pencil plan, which was a
disgrace to Maine, has been smashed
into smithereenS and the vile rum
traffic now feels the determined grip of
the law as never before. All hail this
glorious work of reform. Let it spread
from city to city and from town to town.
until from the awful curse of rum shall.
all our State be freed.
May God bless the mayor OF my home
city of Waterville, Hon. Horace Purln-
ton, who is enforcing our law without
fear or favor. Never in the history of
Waterville was there such vigorous
reform touching the correct ideals of
life as we have begun. Men who ought
to be in better business run to me and
say, ~ on radical temperance men Will
Kill the Republican party and say
to them, Away with your party: we
are going straight forward in the grand
work of enforcing our Prohibitory Law,
and if the Republican party gets be-
tween us and the rum shops, it will
only suffer and ought to be killed"
While some of us may have honestly
differed as to this Sturgis bill, now that
it has become a law we must all be
loyal to the core and unite as one man
in upholdlng our Governor in his de-
Tense of our State against its worst foe,
the unlawful saloon; and the Good
Templars, also the W. c. 7. T., the
Civic League, and every other temper
ance organization in Maine must stand
as a unit against any future attempts
being made in our Legislature for re-
submission or license.
The great issue, however, in Maine
at this time IS simply this, who owns
the State, the few rum sellers or the
moral and Christian citizens? When a
State is governed by rum sellers, law
breakers and criminals then it can read
its history in the downfall of Rome,
Greece and Babylon. That citizen
of Maine is either a political or
moral coward who does not meet the
defiance of the liquor men and demon
strate the fact that the sober, indus
trious and intelligent citizens govern
the State of Maine.
Our Governor has just appointed
very able commission which the Stur-
gis bill calls for and without doubt it
will handle this matter all rig 1T, but on
the other hand if our people make it
political issue it will only result in an
effort being made for a future license
law in the home of Prohibition-God
pity the Republican party or any other
party that undertakes to make the law
political issue. Our people will stand
a good deal, but the politicians can
rest assured that there is one thing
they will not stand and that is any
modification of our Prehibitory Law,
or its repeal.
Some have already said that on &C
count of this Sturgls bill the Republi-
can party will be obliged to declare for
resubmission, or local option, OF license,
in their State platform in only two
years time. Now, what an absurd
idea! 1t can possibly do nothing of the
kind without being split asunder and
thousands of our people who took this
party seriously on this great issue
would simply accuse it of Gathering
this Sturgis bill to kill prohibition and
they would rise up in their wrath and
hurl it from power with violence even
greater than that used by Sampson with
the Jaw bone or David with his sling. l
am in receipt of letters from leading
Republicans and others which will bear
me out in this statement.
Her Pimples Gone.