Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1907-12-04
Correspondence.
Anarchy In Maine.

anarchy IN Maine.
NORTH PzNoBscor, Nov. rs, 1907.
To the Editor Of The American:
When read the report Of the mob Of
1900 people in the little city of Old Town
in the peaceful, Iaw-abiding State of
Maine, attacking officers OF the law in the
discharge Of their legal duties, crying out,
"lynch 'em," and pelting them with deadly
missiles, Twas shocked at the size and spir-
it OF this demonstration OF wanton and I'M
justifiable lawlessness. 1t seemed incred-
ible that so large proportion Of the in
habitants Of an ordinarily peaceful little
city should be SO infamed as to attempt
resistance to the enforcement OF law
which had been continuously enforced to q
greater or less extent for more than half q
century without exciting serious opposi-
tion in the State OF Maine.
We have heard OF lynching parties in
the South suddenly springing into ex-
istence to reek out vengeance on the per-
petrators of outrageous crimes that shock
civilization itself, and the press Of the
State, from one end to the other, has con-
demmed them in unmistakable language.
We have read OF the labor riots in our big
cities, when the cause Of labor, under hot
headed leaders, had taken violent turn to
remedy fancied or real wrongs. But who
ever dreamed that the beautiful, quiet
State OF Maine, SO widely populated by the
native builders OF our great republic,
should ever witness larger mob, proper
tionately, than ever gathered in any city in
the United States, violently attacking off,
GERS under State authority in their efforts
to enforce laws that are ingrained in the
statutes and constitution OF the State?
Gov. Cobb has been preaching against
notification, until he has got an instru-
ment in his own hands with which he in
tends to wipe out this deadly curse. But
here is case of anarchy, pure and simple,
and to an extent, practical anarchy-an
open, defiant resistance to State authority
mob that the local authorities had no
power to quell, besieging and defeating
State officers in the discharge Of their du-
ties and acting, no doubt, under special
instructions from State authorities.
What is the duty Of the governor now?
He knows it better than I. It seems to me
it is to go right on vigorously and rigor-
ously enforcing the law, il be has to ap-
point thousand deputies to do 1t, backed
by local police and the militia Of the
State of Maine.
Iopposed the passage Of the Sturgis bill
in the Legislature, with my humble ability,
against the advice of political friends, be-
lieving it would ultimately result a. set
back to the prohibitory law. Wise or I'M
wise, it is now law, and as such should re-
ceive the support Of every loyal citizen Of
Maine.
What is the immediate cause Of these
riotous, anarchical outbreaks against re-
spectacle citizens and officers of the law,
which began at Bar Harbor and was re-
peated in more bold and extensive man.
ner at Old Town, we will not attempt to
say. But it Is singular coincidence that
very soon after the bitter attack by Hon.
Louis Stearns OF Rev. Mr.. Prir gle in the
hall of representatives during the Chap
man trial for impeachment, Mr.. PrinRle
was attacked and roughly handled in the
streets of Bar Harbor.
1t also looked little bit like cause and
effect when, a few days following Judge
Stearns' demeaning Characterization Of
the Sturgis deputies in their work in Ban
gor, and his broad and almost seditionary
declaration that the prohibitory law was
against the will of the people, that Stur-
gis deputies were attacked by an over
whelming mob in the streets of Orono.
The rum element, with little bad liquor
working on their brains, when course is
championed by eminent legal counsel are
made to feel the swell OF public sentiment
behind them, and need little more to in
cite them to deeds of violence and blood
shed. If there be any class of our citi-
zens who should respect the law more
than others, it is that class of lawyers by
whom three fourths of the laws are made,
and whose proper business seems to be
justly to interpret and apply them to hu-
man affairs. H.