Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-12

.HhS alter the first. for the offence O
single sale and a similar provision
III Sectlon ~ in the case OF common
aeiier WITH the general provision OF
'e'tion 81 requiring every trial justice.
recorder clerk and judge of a munici.
pdi or police court and every county
attorney having knowledge of 4 nravi
Gus conviction of any person accused
OF violating this chapter. in nernar,n,
o'hpialnts. warrants or indictments. 10
ahese such previous convictions there
on VITA the further provision in the
section that if such indictment is on
,ered III court no county attorney shall
iISinlSS or fail to prosecute if eyren,
~ d special order of said court w.
40 not undertake to state vbor condi-
IONS exist in the courts in other conn
Ties with respect to those ,,att.rs nc
we have not the figures from tho roo
ords.i but from the tabulations yvbio,,
we present it seems manifest tbat =,
change of policy would he pecossar, j.,
order to conform to the spirit and lot
Ter OF the prohibitory law.
Taking the counties in tho order in
winch the work was commenced thn
hrst Is Somerset county, where the first
seizure Was made June s. 1867. In this
county T-rior to our entry into The same
We had called upon the sheriff urpin =
mat the law be enforced h,,. unon
private investigation instituted bv
us 1t was found that There v,c ,hs.o
iu'e failure to enforce the law. if is
rue mat raids were made. hut thc,.
were not effective, and the sale of lioucr
was open and practically unrastrained.
~ one place. hotel, while our renrp-
O'''"'iNe was about the premises word
came That raid would be made bv
IN" sheriff or his deputies on the sue
ceealhG day. There was at the time y
Well-equipped bar running wide omen
during the following day, before the ar
rival of the deputies in the afterroo,
IN liCorS were removed, ard wheI}
the rald Was made nothing was foiInf
IN the bar room. \ small amount n.
liquor vas found in the room of one of
the guests in the hotel, which was seized
as the basis of 4 complaint. but the
selzur" vas manifestly of such q natur,
as would produce no result. 1t wa.
under such conditions that the depu-
tlcS We're set at work in this county
Inc tabulatiorS which extend to thu
close OF the September term. show tina.
tEe respondents in three search ana
SelZur" eases each paid $1J0. and cost,
III the lever court. Thirteen search and
SEIZURE cases We're appealed. of these
two were mol pressed. nine were con-
'lhucd. ana the remaining two werf
fined SD" and costs each. One of these
two. who pleaded guilty. paid his fine.
and The other case went to the law
court On exceptions after trial and
CONVICTION. One ease for aiding and
assisting in violating the prohibitory
law was continued or five nuisance
Asses bound over. no Indictment was
found against one. one was mol pressed
and three were continued
In AndroScoggin county work was
done by the enforcement deputies w,
10 Jan |. 1907. when it was discOn-
.inued by Your direction in order that
The law might be enforced by the sher-
ii if he decided to do so The last term
Of the supreme court held prior TO
January |. 1907, was on the third Tues
day of September. and in this county
we have dealt with cases originating
since that time. following them through
to the close of the term recently held IT.
'tllItllttI- DtIllS (llt' ldSi term itl lliS
year 1907.
Before again sending our deputies in
to AndrOScoggin county. as in other
eases we communicated with the sher
if. calling his attention to the condi
topS as we found them. Conditions had
become very bad. Although four depu-
ties had been appointed at the begin
ming o. tie year especially for the en-
forCement of the liquor law. it was
common knowledge that liquor was
sold freely in the city of Lewiston and
i'll certain other parts of the county.
This WAS commented uUon by the pub
lie press. ANA was tn" subject of gen
raj remark. We did not. however re-
~ upon common report We had a
special Investigation made. with the
r"sult thnt $50 places known to be Ii
luor shops were located. the names of
the rrCprietorS being given, with Il de-
'cription of the business. Our report al
o estimated that there were 80 other
'Idc-s which would ordinarily be called
;it"hen bar-roOms, where liquors were
nought and disposed of in small guam
ti.icS, and net known to be kept con-
SANITY on hand. At the time our re-
r'It Sf'Ncu tiliS tonulllon TO cSlSl, the
ihcrIif III response to our request tina
!" take measures TO enforce the law
published letter which was widely
read to the effect that no open shops
existed. Work was begun tho 2ith Of
1'in" Tho tabulation shows the cases
originated by our deputies since that
time Ep to the commencement of the
september term, and also. as has been
said before, the disposition Of the
'ascS which had been standing over
from their previous work. The tabula-
ton shows that there were 81 seizures
md search and seizure cases presented