The Goodland republic., 1906-01-12
rAHKs o. PRoHIRrrToN.
VoIney b. Cushing OF Maine says
Law Works Wen There.


I'VE have a commission OF three
members, appointed by the governor.
in Maine and they must attempt to
enforce the law IN ali places where
the local authorities have failed This
commission is directly responsible to
the governor 1t has the power Of
prosecuting. and can exercise the
right Of search and seizure"
In this manner VOlney B. Gushing,
Of Bangor, Ne. told OF the only sa-
Ifent point in which the prohibitOry
laws OF Kansas and Maine differ. 1Ir
Cushing is one OF the noted temper
ance advocates Of the United States.
He made two addresses in Topeka on
Sunday, one at the First Presbyterian
church and one at the Second Pres
byterian church in North Topeka
The law is working excellentIy,"
said Mr.. Cushing, and with this ad-
ditiOnaI help we are getting results"
Mr. Cushing does not believe that
Maine viii ever resubmit the law and
defeat it He thinks il has come TO
stay in Maine and Kansas, and that
Iowa viii soon join the ranks In his
lecture Mr.. Cushing said, in part:
You viii not find liquor signs in
Maine These outward symbols Of the
liquor traffic are absent from the
streets of Maine That is a good
thing A liquor sign suggests a drink
A man may be going along the street
with no thought OF a drink, he may
be thinking Of his family or Of his
business. but If he looks up and see
a sign old Kentucky Mountain Dew
or the Beer that Made Milwaukee
Famous or Wilson High Ball. it
makes his mouth water and perhaps
p in ~ur
suggestions are not seen in Maine and
that is a good thing, as far as il goes,
Throughout a very large part Of the
state there are no open saloons
There may be men selling secretly. but
no open places. We have had illicit
liquor shops in some cities and towns
They did not put out any signs, but
behind q restaurant or a pool room
sign there might be a bar where men
could buy liquor with more or less
freedom There may be a few places
Of that sort now, but the law is gen
orally enforced all over the common
wealth The last legislature author
lied the governor to appoint commits
siOners to enforce the liquor law in
any locality where officials fail TO do
their duty Any community in Maine
that persists in its rebellion against
the constitution and the laws is to be
cOerced by the central power Of the
state This is right Laws must be
enforced We have an illustration Of
this in Missouri. The local officials il
St Louis and Kansas City did not en-
force the laws against Sunday saloons
and race track gamblers, but Gov
ernOr Folk. with the power Of the
state behind him, closed the saloons
and put the gamblers on the run One
al g-S-- p 7e n
that the four or five governors who
are enforcing the laws against saloons
and oppressive combines are exceed
ingly popular with the people
Il want to make it perfectly clear
that a notification Of a prOhibitOTy
law is not peculiar to that kind Of
legislation, but is part Of a general
practice by which laws Objectionable
to powerful interests are quietly nulli-
fed for political or monetary reasons
License laws are not thoroughly en-
forced; men high in authority defy
law when it suits their purpose; Ordi-
nary officials and liquor sellers defy
law in license and in no license terri
tory; great railroad corporations defy
law and have a system Of bOOkkeep-
ing by which they deceive the inter
state commerce commission. There is
a degree of lawIessness in our cOun-
try that would not be tolerated in
Great Britain or in the Dominion Of
Canada I am sorry to say this, for
am an American citizen Ny an
cestOrs came to this country 250 years
ago, and have been here ever since |
But IawlesSneSs is a serious thing in |
our country. and there is danger in it |
When you hear that prohibition fails, |
remember that it is the administra- /
ton Of the law that fails, and that /
somebody is getting graft"
From Topeka State Journal