The Republican journal., 1906-04-12

Writing on enforcement at Bar Har-
Dor, to refute statements that that re-
sort had suffered and was in danger OF
being ruined financially because OF shut
ting down the lid on the liquor traffic,
Rev. S. L. Hanscom says:
1t cannot be that temperance people
who favor resubmisSion realize what 1t
would mean to open that question again:
1t would surely mean campaign OF
corruption, such as has never been car
ried on in our State. l do not doubt
that the constitution would be kept as
it is, but enforcement would be held up
for two wears, and the State would be
flooded with rum and corruption money,
and all to gain nothing but serious harm.
Should the Republican party declare
for resubmisSion at its next State con-
vention, believe it would be case OF
the blind trying to lead multitude who
have ewes, and can see, and the result
would surely be that, the blind would
be leader would fall into the ditch.
r.. l.. Grindle of Mt Desert, in let
ter to the Ellsworth American, takes
decided ground against the caucus plan
proposed by certain newspapers, and
saws this movement did not originate
among the people of the small places
but was started by resubmissionists in
the cities, and is really a move to have
agents from the cities invade the small
towns, equipped with rum and money
with which to Garry the caucuses." He
believes that the effect of the recent
city elections on Republicans in the
small towns is simply ''to intensity
their determination to fight for prohi-
bition. maintained and enforced" And
further:
If the Republican party were to prom.
Use reSubmiSSlon, hoping on account OF
such promise to make gains, it would
be simply paying an enormous price for
an uncertain quantity of very I'M
trustworthy article. l say paying an
enormous price. For | believe that for
every vote saved or gained on account
of this promise we would lose twice or
thrice that number. And believe that
the only safe, self-respecting and COM
nonsense course for our party to take
is to make a square, honest and agrees
sive fight for what it always has been
advocating.
The following is from letter signed
Sidney Stevens in the Bangor CONNER
cial:
When the law shall be thoroughly en-
forced-as it will be if its friends now
stand tirm-then, and not till then, will
come the proper time for resubmlsslon.
To retreat now would mean that the
Republican party in Maine would ac-
knowledge itself to be failure and it
would deservedly become laughing
stock for its opponents.
The people who made our laws are
not disguised with them. This cry OF
discontentment generally comes from
the rumselleTs or their friends.
1t is false alarm.
E. J. Brookings writes from Wash
ington, D. c., to the Gardiner Reporter
Journal that as a youngster, and even
later on, he was an ardent advocate OF
prohibition and that he voted for the
constitutional amendment. He has
now come to the conclusion that the
law, taking its general results and the
whole scope of its history, has been a
failure so far as the eradication of the
evils of drinking are concerned; but adj
mits that the moral effect OF it may
have been good, and that it may be
true that in small towns and villages
the law has resulted in soberer COM
munities and fewer examples of weak
ness on the part of humanity. But:
Set off against these good traits are
the facts that private drinking habits
and "speak easies" have become more
numerous, and, in consequence of the
stringency of the law, cheap and i'm
pure liquors and poisonous drugs pass
ing as medicines, have come into the
State and have been imbibed- The in
crease of the latter have been startling,
and fatalities from using them more
numerous and striking.
Mr.. Brookings remedy is local option
and high license. He says:
Taking things as we find them, with
no present prospect OF stamping out
the manufacture of the supposed or
acknowledged evil, what is the next
best proposition? Only three measures
seem to remain, viz: Common license,
local option and high license; or two, if
local option and high license are com
bined. Living as l have in Washing
ton nearly forty years, and seeing all
phases of this alleged evil and various
measures for suppressing or correcting
it. | candidly believe that local option,
with high license attached, is the best
known means extant.
r. N. Joscelyn, in letter to the Re-
porter-J ournal, takes exceptions to the
statements and conclusions of Mr..
Brookings. He says:
For three years it has been my privi-
lege to study the workings of the pro-
hibition law in Maine, as have stud
led the high license law in Minnesota
and western States, and the low license
law in Delaware. l know full well the
conditions in New York State and the
District of Columbia and in many of
the other States. In the last year l
have spent evenings gathering mate
rial to use on this subject in Portland
Biddeford, Bangor, Waterville, Lewis,
tons Skowhegan, Augusta, and many
other small towns. I have kept a list
! of the number of intoxicated people
that have met in these cities and have