Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-29
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
Continued from Page One.)


OF conducting the subordinate agencies
OF this State, and that he would Join
hands with me, with the temperance
committee and with anyone else in cor
rectlng these evils.
AT that time. with an honest purpose
at heart, l consulted with the friends
OF the liquor commissioner of this
state; and consulted with the Presi-
dent of the Senate. consulted with my
friend, the senator from Oxford, and
me chairman Of the temperance COM
mittee, my associate and colleague
Senator Brown. Step by step we went
over this subject matter, looking to-
wards the correction of the evil Of the
subordinate agencies, and every one of
the proposed changes in the laws was
discussed; and, il am not mistaken, it
was while We were discussing this mat
ter that we came upon an ex-State Of
ficer. who had been an ex-county attor-
ney and who had studied this subject
thoughtfully and intelligently. and he
suggested the machinery of this law,
that is, the process Of labelling these
packages from the time they leave the
contractors place of business to the
time they are distributed to the con-
sumner in the State. His ideas were
adopted because they seemed wise and
in the interests of the decent conduct
Of this Office. The President of our Sen
ate said that we should cut out any
income to the municipalities. The mu
inequalities over this State as the sem
atOr from oxford told me,-SOme of
them were paying their running OK
pcnseS ont Of the income of their dram
shops. Was it right for us to deprive
private individual Of the privilege Of
doing liquor business, and establish
in municipalities liquor shops and that,
too, for the purpose of making money.
We thought not, and, acting upon the
suggestions of this State official, and
the suggestions Of the President of the
Senate and also at the behest Of the
temperance committee, we attempted
to formulate n law. What was the re-
suit? That law was drafted and sub
mitted to the friends of the State liz
nor commissioner, and for fear that
there would be, either directly or indi-
rectly. any reflection upon him. one of
the 1rst provisions Of this law was
made to provide beyond peradventure.
that mis- salary should be $500. He says.
and ] have reason to believe his state
ment, that that is all he has received
mi of the State of Maine for conduct
ing that department. Then, if we give
him what he is entitled to, and fix 1t
there, how Is it a reflection upon him,
especially as this law lessons his Ia
hor in that office. We went ahead
along the lines which were suggested.
before stated--and in the line of cor
recting the evils which the state liquor
commissioner admitted he could not
control. They were outside his jurisdic-
tion-outside of his power We pre-
scented the law here. first to the tenn
perance committee, which examined IT,
and a majority of that committee en-
dorsed the measure and proposed Ia"
and the minority yesterday IN the
House waived the rights ana saia
rather than let this condition exist IN
the State as it was, they would surren-
der and adopt this measure without
abolishing the liquor agency law.
What further? Before a Republican
caucus this matter was discussed anu
II received practically acquiescent aP-
rroyal What was next? without
question il was presented TO the senate
and received its two several readings
Then it was mOotcd abroad that II was
going to be killed in the House py us
friends.-that tho Democrats would OPP
nose it. and u members would pc Sc
cured from the Republican party 10
bo,t il What would then have been the
result? The Senate sustaining the Jaw
the House rcpudiating 1t. 1t would IAN
hetwcen the two branches. ana thcn thc
House adopting the measure OF hia-
iority of the temperance committee 10
wire it out of the state agency thcy
would then have that measure Drought
into the Senate and the Senate WOULD
refuse 10 agree with them. The state
1io,,or agency system then would stanu
IN its primeval condition which IS. ana
which YOU know as Republicans ana
which the President of the Senate
knows and the liquor commissioner
knows. is permeated with rotten
ness. 1t permits town agencies
to do what you deprived IN
dividuals of doing, and you would
thus practically endorse that system
That would have been the condition
If they had carried out their Sugg2S-
ton in the House but at that tine
three leading lobbyists, of TINS oppo-
sition, all of them ex-State officials
presented themselves and changed the
proposed tactics. one of them an OK
Speaker of the House OF Representa-
lives and another Il county attorney oil
a neighboring county and the third an
ex-county attorney from kennchec.
lobbyed for what? I.obbyed to prevent
this proposed law rom going through
the Senate and what excuse did they
give? What did they present? They
did not appear before the committee.
They did not appear before the menu
bcrs of the House and Senate and pre-
sent their arguments against this la"
but by inuendo, with secret nsinua-
lions they approached the members OF
this Legislature ard if il was possible
to touch member in weak spot. II
they could reach his prejudices. they
did it. And they have worked. member
by member, along that line. ! went to
each one oi them-no. | did not. ! want
to correct that statement. | went 10
two Of the parties composing that lob
by to inquire for their objections to the
measure They have been working here