Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-14

an increase of 800 per cent.
The opponents of resubmission have
argued that resubmission means the sa-
loon in Maine.
| | AM not speaking in the interests of
! saloons or in behalf of the liquor inter-
est | assume that the gentlemen to
whom / speak are sensible and practi-
cal men in touch with life. / maintain
that Maine has had the saloon and had
| it in its worst form, whether open or
| concealed, for il has been undirected,
unlimited and unrestrained. Who in
this House does not know that for so
| years the liqltor traffic in Maine has
/ found a most fertile field? Who does
| not know that the saloon has fiOurished
here? Who does not know that the Ii
quor traffic has been practically unre-
| strained: Who does not know that the
| saloon has been debauching influence
in our politics, a debaser Of the morals
Of our people and a stencil in our nos
tils Cor all these years?
| i will not take you into ancient his
| tory, but will call your attention to a
| state OF things which existed in Maine
| according to the very best authority
| in 1899. quote this record Of an earlier
| date because I know it is reliable. In
| 1903 Portland had 1872 liquor shops, or
| one to every 219 inhabitants: Lewiston
had 200; Augusta had 81. one to every
| 10 inhabitants; Gardiner a drinking
plare for every PA people; Waterville
had one to every 200 inhabitants; Rock
| land one to every III inhabitants: Ban
| gor had 1876. or one to every 100 inhab-
| itants Under the Massa chusetts laws
| saloons outside of Boston are limited
| to one to every 1000 inhabitant. In COM
parison with this limit compare these
| records of the cities of Maine in 1893. I
call TO YOUR attention certain other
| factS which tend to show that the sa-
| lOon IN Name Is not n novelty In 1905
| about July !, when the Sturgis commits
sion was in full swing and when Ii
quor dealers We're afraid, and hundreds
were giving up their United States Ii
censes. there were in Maine 1O51 Init
ec States liquor dealers licenses. or
| one 20 every zoe inha bitants. AT the
Same time the state of Vermont. under
i"cai option, had but 354, or one to ev
cry $50 inhabitants. North Dakota. a
piohlpitloh state. had United States
taVeS Tor every $40 persons. South d.
k0ta is local option state and Il boa
'he Ihlted states tax only to every 8s4
perS"hs. Kansas is prohibition. yet
hanSas had United States tax for ev-
.iE 81. Arkansas is local option, vet
Arkansas had only one such tay n a.,
i--o OF the population. With all its
iarse negro population the South is FAY
ahead of us in its handling of tho ,io,,an
traftic. For the - months coyerinr ~,
ah'Ve, Mississippi. a local option stafe
MA only Oil United States Iio,or H.
tehses' or one TO every 324O eople. Ken
.uchy' associated in our minds with
oiue grass and whiskey, makes rar
'etter showing than either North no
kota or Kansas.
again l believe the demand fir D.
submission is justified on the ground of
the inability of the State to enforce ~
prohlbitory law. The law has ne,.ar
peen enforced in Maine. II is no. ~,
forced today. We have had snaen,. 80,
periods of hysteria when oyar ;..;. ~
~ peopie nave demanded that officials
ouiu no longer wink at notification
ou' we nave had no enforcement Tho
- - ouidry law of 1867 died in infan-
~. Inc Sturgis law of 1905 has few sun
ana no friends. Yet if the moo
ha4ile pe1eVe IN prohibition. whv
~ opJect to enforcement ,
'ieS peheNe IN enforcement. wbv
49, ~ 'he Sturgis commissions In
% spdsnlodlc enforcement scandal
accompany the effort
,,ai, III city or country, people rebel |
,ierhtH 81. INVASION of their individual
80 "iiu iipeltles. They refuse 70
W.. guardianship thrust upon them
,,o.s mas so corrupted society in
80 as huiilhcatlon. On the other
LII. 'He people are irritated beyond
~ WIN prohibition enforced. Tho
h.eouS cltlzen takes il as a nor
soma' repuf II his druggist refuses r.
60 &C., nun pint OF alcohol or gin. Unit
,ieu, the prohibitory law is a menano
" sood order of society. Nullifica-
'ioi lhperlis our reputation as ,
o.d'e II invites perjury; it corrunts
o"u.ty and state officials. Yet enforo-
eh prohipition is tyranny. The stor,.
10 'o'u Oh an Irish hod-carrier VIII
ed'he INTO Portland last summer tn
pour man fell with his hod from a Civ
S'oiy orlck building. and struck on bis
iieiu on the pavement. When he came
~ niihseit ne was in the hospitaI ara
,rc pesan 10 move his lips as if tasting
ne ola II several times and then his
yves opened and he feeby said. IAN,
"nats IN me mouth?" The doctor ~
piled: I'VE have wet your Inns VII, |
Water Again he tasted and a look of
disgust grew on his bandaged face |
an water is it?" he murmured. an
'he name of hiven how many stories
lHust poor man fall in Maine till no
nave his bleeding lips wet with wan
drap of whiskey?" w
Ihat the law has not been enforced
unoer the Sturgis Commission is adj
united by everybody. If the intention
was honest, then somebody has failed
III MS duty. Why did no DEPUTIES 90
INTO Penobscot? Or who denies that
Blddeford and Bangor were omen ,
win 400 arrests for drunkenness in
the past Year. who dares to saw that
1'ahgor is not the Bangor of old? Can
II be said that prohibition is a success
III Bangor or Portland? The finished
gentleman who observed conditions of