Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-12-15


Augusta, Me.-In a letter just issued
the members of the enforcement
commission, Waldo Pettengill Of Rum
ord Falls, Norman l.. Bassett OF Au-
yusta and Alfred H. Lang of Skowhe-
oan, Gov Cobb directed them to with
draw all the deputy commissioners
working under the so-called Sturgis law
annnlntad at tho laet eaGeinn- of tho laar--
lslature on Jan. in order that the new
sherifrs who will take Office on that day
will be given an opportunity to en-
force the prohibitOry law.
Gov. Cobb's letter says in part:
"Since the appointment and confirm
alton of the commission in April, 1905,
you have been satisfied that there has
been no occasion to put the law in op-
GRAFTON in any counties of the state eX-
cept the following, namely, Androscog-
gin Kennebec, Knox, Oxford and Saga
dahoc, and in this opinion, with full
knowledge of the facts, have concur
red. l believe, too, that the same rea-
sons that first prompted you to eXer-
else your authority in the above named
counties exist today and that your pres
ence there now is altogether justif-
able.
But on Jan. /, 1907, as a result Of
the September elections, every sheriff
elect must take his oath of office and
no one has any right to assume that
such sheriff-elect will be faithless to
the trust imposed upon him by the
votes of a majority of the citizens of
his county.
I'm three Of the five counties now re-
luiring your services, new sheriffs
nave been elected. In all fairness to
hem, and with full accord with what
conceive to be the real purpose and
spirit of the law, there can be no ques-
ion but that you should withdraw from
hose counties Jan. /, 1907, in order
that such sheriffs may have full op-
)ortunity to prove their intention and
tbility to enforce the laws.
In the two remaining counties the
Sheriffs have just been reelected, and
It may be orgued that there is no good
reason for believing that they would
,hange the course pursued by them at
the time the commission was created,
and the course that logically and fin
ally caused you to take action in those
counties. But in a sense they, too, are
new officials. They at least take new
| oath of Office, and in view of the pub
lie attention heretofore focused upon
The condition prevailing there. it may
not be expecting too much to believe
or hope that if you withdraw from
their counties also, they, too, will un-
dertake after Jan. l, 1907, to enforce
the prohibitory law with vigor and de-
termination Surely no harm can come
from affording to all sheriffs the same
opportunity to begin the new year un-
der precisely the same conditions.
81 am convinced, therefore, that in
all fairness to the officials in question.
and out of regard for this particular
law, it is for the best interests of the
state that you notify every deputy en-
forcement commissioner that his SER
vices will terminate Dec 81, 19 G. and
that his commission will be withdrawn.
advise and direct that this be done.
Beginning Jan. !, 1907, the sheriff
in every county in Maine will be the
master Of his own opportunity, and
it will be for him to demonstrate, as he
properly should, whether he possesses
both the desire and the capacity to en-
force laws of the state without aid or
interference.
'The enforcement commission itself
should be retained in full authority and
power, ready to act again as before,
should occasion require, for | believe
more firmly than ever that until some
better measure can be devised or until
our present prohibitory laws are
changed the law creating that commits
sion, designed as it was for no purpose
other than to prevent nullification, will
ultimately win its way and completely
justify its existence"