Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-16

old party, III is III
days, and it was almost disgrace Tor
man to claim that he was Demo-
Crat 1t looks to me as though trey
were beginning to lose that confidence.
1t looks to me, from the complexion oil
this House, that you are fast losing
their respect. Now, if you want to cap
the climax. go ahead and force liquors
onto them ut the cost Of Sc a gallon ana
you drink yours at So a gallon. anu
perhaps in two years you viii 1nd
more common people in the halls OF
this House than you find today. CAP
plause)
MIR. PERKINS Of Alfred: Mr.. Speak
er. the gentleman from Auburn rs cor
rect in regard to the price charged Tor
whiskey at the Auburn agency. But
if YOU will consult the law you VIII
find that the people of Auburn through
their officers, have Il right to Tx thc
profit that these liquors shall be soid
for. If he has been oppressed by the
price affixed he has been oppressed by
the men that the people of Auburn nave
elected to office. They can fix the
amount of profit just as they please on
those liquors.
report was that | believed IN
the people having chahce
to regulate their own afalfs'
We believe if any community wants
iuuor sold in that community Tor
estimate purposes that there shall pc
lawful way for them to get it. The
tate liquor agency system perhaps IS
lot the very best thing, but It IS the
best thing we have got. We three men
signed that minority report IN order
o give the laboring man ana every
other man q chance to get in Il laW1 III
and honorable way liquor for medicinal
ma mechanical purposes. Tht is all
here is in the minority report.
Mr.. NEW BERT of Augusta: Mr..
Speaker, I drew the bill which is under
consideration to abolish the agency
system, and ] arm a member or the
emperance committee of this House
md signed the majority report. The
majority report is signed by Senator
Crown ard Representatives Waldron
rving. Pooler and myself. Senator
Mills signed neither report ] don't
hinh | 1nisquote him when ! say that
IN general principles he is opposed to
he agency system.
The statutes creating this agency
system are as fine as anything that
could be written, nothing better. Re-
emily judge of the supreme court
old me that the statues are as good
Is can be drawn. but the town ana
ity have departed from the statute
spirit and in lctter and we can
never Get back again. If we had
tgencies all over the State in some
hing like a general way, and if more
than IS towns Of the State awaited
themselves Of the privilege under this
aw, | think / might then have re
NAMED silent, buy the best argument !
ave for the adjustment of this SyS-
EN- is that all of our Municipalities in
The State Cf Maine only 16 scattered
throughout nine of the counties call
or this agency system There ar
even counties in this State that viii
'ot permit an agency within their Dor
lers. / wonder how they get along
rhe counties of AroOStook, PenobScot
'iscataquis, Hancock. Somerset, Waldo
nd York get along without one agency
itllin their borders, and they contain
,omc cities and towns Of considerable
Importance. They contain 100000 Of
population and those counties do not
,ave an agency within their limits.
ak about q chance to get liquors lC-
ally wonder whore my friend from
\lfrcd gets his liquor. Or where does
he gentleman from -troOstook count
70 to get his liquors, where does my
riend from Brooks so to set his whis
ey when he uses any? Does any man
ltfer in Maine tCGay for liquors"
Your Maine law las made privat"
ar room of practically every home in
|Jaine. If you get cut of liquors your
elf. 80 into your neighbours house, that
all.
The temperance committee did 4
GOD deal Of work in connection with
his matter This House was willing
. investigate this matter but there
as y combination in the Senate which
yIstS today having for its motto You
kin my dog ard l win skin your cat.
know why the honorable senators
rom Cumberland and York counties
we're opposed II this investigation.
now what the lobby was all around
his capitol for III this matter and thai
vas to head OFF this investigation.
Say that on general principles am in
favor of abolishing the state Office
when by its lobby and its paid attor-
leys il defeats the will Of this House
am in favor of abolishing it on other
grounds also. I believe the system is
rotten and full of dishonesty and graft
from the commissioner at it's heal
Town to the smallest seller in ou
towns; arl! ! am satisfied if this Leg
stature had appointed a committee
properly that by this time we should
have known this To be true. We had
before our committee no man against
This bill. We had before the commit
tee the manager OF the great Home at
ToguS. General Richards, who told us
and the gentleman from Brooks heard
it and ] cannot understand how q man
who champions temperance in the
state of Maine and who listened to
that story of General Richards could
ever go on record in this House againS,
a bill like thiS-ticncral Richards toil
us about the agency ut Chelsea which
was created there for the single plIr-
pose of selling rum to these poor oil
SOl.iierS in order that the taXnaycIs ~