Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1907-01-09

expected that this whole question Will
be opened for debate by the members
Of this assembly and this debate will
be welcomed by all. At the present
time the Deputy Enforcement Com
missioners are withdrawn from all the
Counties. This course was simrl
an act of justice to the iacor Ing S :
IFS, and the insinuation that il V rs
prompted by any other motive might
have been withheld in all fairness I'M
til later date. II 1t becomes appar-
emit that the local officials intend to
permit or resume policy of non-en-
forcement and the services OF the
Deputy Commissioners are not again
brought into requisition. there will
then be ample opportunity for just
and timely criticism.
The essential features of the Stur-
gis law are clear and it Purposes Oh
vious. l ha re yet to hear any SOUND
argument IN behalf of notification N
law, and bu' few men have had the
temerity to openly advocate it. All
will agree L, the pro- osition that the
local officials should enforce the pro-
hibitory Lam in the first instance, but If
they fail to do this and it is known
that they save failed, the fact still
stands that the law is nullifed and
needs vinaication by some other
means. When this question was be-
fore the last Legislature there were
three ways by which the notification
of the prohibitory law could have been
prevented: First, by dutiful action of
the local officials; second, by the re-
peal of the prohibitory law itself in
volving resubmission and the adoption
of some method of license to regulate
the liquor traffic, and third by the au-
thorization and exercise Of powers
similar to those granted the Enforce
ment Commissioners under the Stur-
gis law The local officials could not
or would not act, prohibition continued
to be the policy of the State and a
trial of the Sturgis law was impera-
tive. | am attempting to discuss the
measure purely as means to prevent
notification, and believe that large
majority of the law-abiding citizens
of the State, irrespective of party, sub
stantially agree that the law was nee
essary and that it has justified it's
existence, The day Of open and easy
notification of the prohibitory law
has passed in Maine. Public senti-
ment and all the moral forces of the
State have been aroused and arrayed
against it, and 1t will never return.
With all the clamor against the ex
pense of the Sturgis law, with all the
outcry alleging political trickery, in
sincerity and cowardice on the part OF
its sponsors and its officials, | still
hold to the opinion that the people of
Maine believe that notification is In
finitely worse than any law which
oh 10 f,,J1xf
| submit that it is incumbent upon
every man who believes in the princi-
| pie Of law-anforcement as indispensa-
| BILE to the cause of good government
and good citizenship, to support the
| Sturgis law or to propose and support
| some other measure which will ad-
vance that cause as well.
| The attempt to secure a better en-
forcement of the prohibitory law by
| means of the Enforcement Commits.
sion has brought the resubmission
| question into such prominence that a
failure to refer to it in this address
would invite grave misunderstanding
The statement will stand unchal
lenged that speculation on the action
this Legislature may take in dealing
with resubmission is causing more
comment and exciting more interes,
than any other topic of public moment
in Maine. | enter upon brief dis
cusSion of this question with reiuc
lance, not because of the lack of con
victfons or an unwillingness to ex
| press them, but simply because of the
doubt in my mind as to my ability tt
| present some of it's phases without
violating the proprieties of an occa
sion upon which references to party
politics are neither expected nor de
\ sired.
Every thoughtful and minded
student of political conditions il
Maine must admit that there is a very
strong sentiment in favor of the prop
osition to give the voters an opportun
ity to express at the polls their opin
ion of the present prohibftory law
| While this sentiment may not be thai
of the majority now, 1t surely is held
by very large minority of our citi
zens, and the results of the September
! elections last year seem to furnish q
complete justification of this conclu
sion. 1t is true that the temperance
legislation on our Statute Books was
placed there during the domination
of one political party, and it is also
true that nearly every person opposed
to the prohibitory law and its en-
forcement favors resubmission. But
it may be asserted with equal truth
that belief in the prohfbitory law is
not confined to the adherents of either
Of the two great parties, and that
the desire for resubmission is not con.
fined to the enemies of that law.
| There are many men, earnest and sim
| cere in their advocacy and support OF
| temperance and enforced prohibition
who believe those principles will be
| jeopardized by their resubmission to
| the people under the only method by
which this can be accomplished at
| this time. To them the cause of pro-
hibition is of far greater Importance
than the success either of Republican
ism or Democracy, and to promote
and conserve that cause they organ
lied and maintained the Prohibition
party. But they cheerfully sacrificed
their own organization in behalf of
the greater principle, and allying
themselves with another party be-
IS e h.