Ellsworth American., 1907-04-03
STATE soLoNs.
Legislative News of Interest to Ham
cock County Readers.

4 luc bcNChty -thhi4 ASG hSA1euAC SOhAEAStSN
its deliberations Thursday evening at
10.47 O'Clock, the two presiding officers. by
| peculiar coincidence, letting their gavels
| fall at exactly the same instant. The
| final act came after the busiest and long
est Legislative day of the session, and a
day which was full of interest and I'M
portance.
| For the first time the two bodies were
! ask I'd to again pass upon measure which
had failed to receive the endorsement of
the chief executive This was in the pas
age of the bill to repeal the Sturgis law,
The Senate last Wednesday voted to re-
peal the Stnrgis law. The House had al
ready voted the same. Gov. Cobb vetoed
the bill, and both House and Senate failed
to pass it over the veto by the necessary
o-thirds vote, SO the Sturgis law re-
mains in force.
Before the vote on the governors veto
was taken in the House, Speaker Powers
called Representative Smith, of Patten, to
the chair, took the floor and made a vigor-
Gus speech in favor of the governors veto
and along the lines and policy, as he con-
tended, of the republi an party, which has
always remained steadfast to prohibitory
principles. He called attention to the fact
that the republican candidate for COVER
nor in 1895 received s2,50S votes, which
was in presidential year, and that two
years after in, what is usually termed an
off year, the republican candidate received
$500 votes or falling off of 2S,6O6. He
said:
s.If the Sturgis law had been in vogue at
that time this falling off would perhaps have
been attributable to that circumstance, but
there was Sturgis law at that time. In
1900 Gov. Hill received 7o,47o votes, and in the
next off year he got 6s,s54. Now Gov. Cobb
: in Iso, received s,9s2 votes, and last Septem-
Der 50, 427.
Now YOU know that the battle of last Sept
ember was enc Of the iercest that has been
waged in this State for years. and Governor
| Cobb was pitted against as good and infiuen-
tial a man as could be found in the democratic
party, and yet after this strenuous opposition
and in the face of many so-called obstacles,
Governor Cobb received more votes than either
OF his two predecessors. This would not seem
to indicate that the Sturgis law was very much
in disfavor with the people Of the State as a
whole. What is there that should cause the
republican party to fear defeat at the next
election? Don't you think the democratic
| party has got to hunt up some other issue
| than free rum? wish to say to you that in
| sustaining this veto you have no occasion to
| fear the results in two years from now.
| l think it has been stated in some paper
lately that 1 was formally democrat, as
d though that Yves special sin. Itremin6s me
F.. of story once heard up in Aroostoot county.
A man riding mule that was very
| thin and emaciated. He met man who said
: it was blamed smart mule, whereupon the
! fellow on the mule replied that the buzzards
. had him, but he got away. That's just my
case exactly. The cemocratic buzzards once
I had me, but got away.
| The republicans of this State in convention
assembled in Portland declared for the en-
/, foreement of the law, and against nullifica-
ton. Now what did Governor Cobb have to
! satisfy the people on the question of enforce
ment. Nothing but the Sturgis law. 1t has
besn said that one section of this State has
been visited and this or that section not Wis
ited by the Sturgis deputies.
y Now think the sturgis commissioners are
men of ability, good judgment, and conscien-
siousness in their purpose. 1t has been said
that the liquor law hIs not been enforced in
Bangor. Now we have just had hearing in
this house which brought out many OF the
conditions in that city, and either because OF
SYM pathy o, location, you practically and al
mcst unanimously freed the city from any
staj;. that may rest upon it. There are nc
better and law-abiding citizens than those
that live i'll augor. They are firm believers
in the enforcement Of the law, but perhaps
may ,ay hat politics may ct times, as it dee
in some other localities, warp their judgmen,
little.
Those who think they ought to vote against
the 5targis law viii be found two years hence
sitting down somewhere in a lonely spot, .
political wreck. I know some democrats
have said that the reteution of this sturai.
law was just what we wanted. But nvtioed
the other day in the House that all the demo
Gratis voted to repeal this law.
Now some. in their search for objection ma BILE
features of the law. have complained of tine
cost. 1t cost about $2s 900 to enforce the law
in the twenty-one months. Is that large
sum- We paid $500 o.oO0 to put down sIa,-
cry. But forty years of the best history tae
world has ever known has said it was not toa
much. When you have learned the value oi
one human life and the agony of one mothers
heart. | do not think you will say that the
paltry sum of s2s0oo is too much 10 pay to
+! prevent the nulliication ofsthe prohibitory
law. Let Us upaoid Iae governor in his stan
for the people"
The appropriation bills passed by
this legislature call for ss,34O, ,396.49 for
the year 1907 and S2,9i7, ,143 is Tor The
year 1908. The total ropriation for
the two years is Ss,2S7, ,53s97, an III .rease
OF y, 81. .3i5 II over that of two years ago.
| The resolve for an ameniment TO tn
constitution 80 that il the legislature so
orders speciii election may be called to
vote on any constitutional amend ment,
| instead OF Waiting for general election.
was given g passage with almost d unani-
nous endorsement in both branches.
| The resolve for an amendment to the
constitution giving the governor the
| power to remove sheriffs did NOT fare 80
| we'll Tha 4ouss gase II the com ,3ii u+
| of majority, but iailed 10 give tn IN