Evening journal., 1907-10-21

He vetoed repeal Of It by our Legis- |
lature. only last winter and is to-day
enforcing it faithfully Again he says
there is more liquor sold in Maine than
ever before. This is so notoriously alb
surd that everybody in Maine is shock
ed by such a monstrOus statement
Again he says that .s5 per cent of the
rum sellers of Maine vote the ticket of
the majority. Everybody in Maine will
laugh at such an absurd statement. It
is not worth answering. He says the
Maine law has not only injured our
state morally but IL has injured it f.
nancially. The absurdity Of these
statements can be seen by reference
to the records of pauperism on the
one hand the savings banks on the
other. He also says that in no state
in the union is there so little regard
for law. Do the criminal records Justify
such statement2 With all the above
absurd statements, the writer has
touched upon a grain of truth. First,
our courts have ruled that liquors in
the hands of an express company can
not be seized, and apparently new ex-
press companies have sprung up to do
a rum business. We will fix them later
on. He also speaks of corruption OF
officers. There is a grain of truth in
his statements, no doubt, but it is far
less than in license states. His accu-
sation Of wholesale corruption of
judges, sheriffs and police ought to
brand him as a calumniator and SLAM
derer and sink him beneath the con-
tempt Of every decent person in the
state. Now he says Ex-Governor Robie
told him that the Maine law had done
more to corrupt our state morally and
to harm it generally than all the rum
ever sold in it. He also says he thinks
this is the opinion Of every honest man
in the state.
He knows perfectly well that It Is not
so. He knows perfectly well that the
people Of Maine after trying Prohibi-
tion 30 years put it into the Constitu-
ton by vote of more than to / and
after trying il 20 years longer still up
hold it, Would he pretend to say that
all these people are dishonest? The re-
ligious socities, the temperance socie-
ties. the reform societies, in short every
help and improvement of mankind have
at their state conventions put them
selves on record as favoring Prohibi-
ton and opposing Resubmission and
License. Would this temperance man
say that every one of these men are
dishonest hypocrites? Then after all
his absurd statements how can we be-
lieve what he has said about what our
respectable and honorable ex- Governor
Robie said? .l
He speaks of the Sturgis Law as ap-
lpointing officers to do the work thai
sheriffs are sworn and paid for doing
as though it was an unheard-of thing
Most Of the states have a law appoint
ing officers subject to the direct orders
Of the governor.
What use is it to have an executiv,
If he don't have officers subject to hi:
orders to execute the law with? II,
speaks of sending copies of the Bidde-
ford Record. That paper is a truthful
Temperance paper in the same sense a.
this Mr. Smith is a truthful temperate,
man. am "A years old. / was borr
and always lived in this state of Maine
, II have lived in 6 different towns and
AAefN 1ohI ali GAACHolNt
} business.
have been in most of the towns anC
cities Of the state. yet IN more thar
fifty years since Prohibition has beer
the policy of the state I have nevel
seen rum sellers sign or open shop
1 have never seen a glass of liquo
sold in this state. In the medium an,
smaller towns the law is well execute,
and liquor is not sold. In the large
towns and cities the law is violate,
the same as the laws prohibiting broth
, els and gambling houses are violate,
both of WHICH at some time and il
some places have been licensed No
, body now proposes to license them be
! cause prohibition does not entirely pro
hibit them.
(Signed) B. c. JORDAN,
III Alfred, Maine
p. S.-Since writing the above 1 hav
a letter from Ex-Governor RObie sayin
q he never used the words attributed L