The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-07

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reason, given WINS that thosvoteYs II, those
counties had sbecom disgusted with tile
and insircerlty Of Keptbltcat,
oillciais, ana had manifested their dig.
satisfaction ~ eiectlhs Democratic
!sherlfls.,. but Democratic aiieriffs Oh.
forced the law better than their predc.
cessors had done, ana tie Republicans
became alarmed. As 4 d consequences, In
tho convention 81 1904 they declared Wltli--
out evasion, that the party believed In
ii prohibitoryi ~. and III Tho rigid on on
sforcenent 81 IT, It was upon that plat.
form that Governor Cobb was no,Alra !t
and elected. II tx \ ,ss At: n M
the Legislature met, tho stu ilte'l
bill, so.calleds was passed which pro 'r'o''
vides for u comm iAsion composed. Of two 9
republicans and ono I'D Democrat, ~ ' Csc
duty Is t. SEQ that tho Law Is enforced sflI'
The governor pro Goods: mo sooner llnu
THE enforcement Commission begun It's us
work III some localities where the Inv l'1 ";
was openly dened that, certain c ''1 ties
were in an ,ipronr, and the downfall Of
the Republican party was freely prcdicte %
The Democratic party believed tit saw. its
golden opportunity. and loudly called q for
recruits gto support the PROPOSE lion, thai ll
those places which wanted llitlca ton Ion
should have 1t ~. Taint-henrted Rop,'f'-
leans forgot thelr plntforin, and be gan
10 question the wisdom Of attempting to
nut nvowcd political principles into prac-
tice The feeling OF doubt ana $lncor-
tainty spread oil ovor the State, and mt
urally enough, the sturgis law was hold
10 be. If not tho rcason,F ut lenst the
scapegont, for all tho woes Of tho Repl,b-
llcan party. 50 fur d ~ tual and known
results nre concerned, the d dissatisfaction
eliminated iii the spring elections. and
almost every man who, for one cause or
another, cherished d resentment against
the party masked 1t behind the sturgis
law, and contributed to Republ! pnnc. de a-
feat, 9ss a IL m 8y 48
The Governor then goes onto say that
the Issue Is now fairly Joined. S''Nulllnca-
ton OF tho law and all the corruption
that follows In its train mas made the
situation what e Is and, whatever tho
result Of tho fill elections may be- 81 !
confidently hope and believe that Maine
will conc. out OF the contest with q
strengthened regard for law and q do
Termination that 1t shall be respected and
obeycd.,f Tho Governor is liberal enough
to- say that there arc many who honestly
believe that evils growing out OF the use use
and abuse OF liquor Gun be regulated best
iby some form OF license, #nnd TINT It Is
wrong and absurd to question their sim
scorfty. ut is only a truism, Y he adds.
ITO say that In, the final analysis tho
people VIII have what they want.'
such is brief. synopsis Of Governor
Ecobb's straightforward address, The
statement that he IS opposed to prohibit
ton ana in favor Of local option IS con-
ttrtrytto the facts, and It Is also untrue
that lie is enforcing the prohibition law
in order to make 1t obnoxious. But the
Governor frankly admits that the law
has been so openly nullilied in many To-
7calities az to require the creation OF q
special commission to enforce It. lie ais, also
admits that the work Of tho commission
has been bitterly denounced in somo lo-
calities many cont tending that those, coun-
ties whicha5wanted to nulllfy the Y ls
should be permitted to do 50! TIc further
admits that ''nulllflcation5 Of the law la :
had a long reign IN Maine, I.
" It would appear therefore, that the Is
sue In the fall cleo lions will be not pro v
5hibition, but 3nullincatlon; not whether
the prohibitory law shall DO repealed but
whether 1t shall be enforced. It Is the
most interesting phase OF the prohibition
question we have ever met.