Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-08-20

ties in their present state platforms
pleged themselves to enforce the pro-
hibitory law while it continued law.
If this meant anything, it meant. first.
that they both recognized the neces-
sity. and, second, promised the devils
| ing of some means that would make
the end possible.
Gov. Cobb and the Republican major
ity in the Legislature took that prom
Use seriously. They proposed and en-
acted this law While the Democrats
opposed it's passage, they offered
nothing in it's stead. They have no
legitimate no moral right to complain
OF 1t now If their party platform
meant anything, it was pledge for
| some means that would secure this
end. an enforcement of the principle.
If it's form did not please them, fidel-
ity to the cause of the public. rather
than to the cause of future vote get
ting. demanded that they offer a sub
stitute then.
No ore was anxious to supercede the
local authorities That it was their
duty and their privilege to execute the
laws in their own jurisdiction has al
ways been recognized, and the State
machinery has never been set In mo-
ton until every other measure had
been resorted to In fact one of the
loudcst cries CT Democracy has been
that the Commission has been too slow
to act But this complaint comes with
ill-grace for those who would not have
it act at all. Our friends complain if
it does not act and complain if it does
act. True to their traditions, they
"deplOre' always. They complain Of
it's expense but I will show you that
for one county alone Democratic en-
forcement costs seventh of the en-
tire cost of the Sturgis law for the
state. ana in that county they get only
one-eighteenth Of the returns that the
Sturgis law gives there alone-and this
is on the assumption that that
eighteenth is given in good faith and
not as a hindrance to the State officers.
| How well the existence of some Stata
machinery has been justified, I think I
shall be able to demonstrate to you in
the closing part of these remarks, from
the conditions in Androscoggin county.
And 1 speak of that because 7 natur-
ally know more about it. When the
deputies came to Lewiston in 1905, they
found four deputy sherffs ostenSibly
employed for the enforcement of the
prohibtory law / might cite many
ugly rumors that We're afioat. Suffice
it to say that one of the first seizures
was made in building where one Of
these duputy sheriffs had resided for
months. The Sturgis deputies hauled
away liquors Of all kinds by jgger
!, loads.
Gentlemen, there has been much dis
cusson, and much of a very stringent
ard abusive character Of this question
of enforcement in general and of the
Sturgis law and the proposed constitu-
tional amendment in particular. Much
of it has been of a general nature and
some Of it has consisted of specific
charges. Mr.. Gardner asserted at the
: opening rally in Lewiston, that he
: knew of % open bar rooms in ROckland,
although he failed to state that Knox
county has had a complete list of
Democratic officials for years.
Mr.. McGllicuddy said the other
evening at Lisbon Falls, that 1.-The con-
ditions in the city of Lewiston as far
| as the scale Of liquors is concerned,
were never 50 bad as they are today
2 and that sit is a notorious fact that
any person who has the money can
I buy liquor in any quantity, he wishes,
1
commission to the contrary notwith-
: standing" And Mr. bennett. another
speaker on the same question, said,
. There's not more than 200 places SELL
+ ing whiskey there now and 1 can take
| You up there and prove it." Both OF
these gentlemen neglected to mention
the fact that Androscoggin county
has a Democratic sheriff with four
special liquor deputies drawing pay
constantly for seven days in the week.
and that the Democratic county at
torney is mayor of Lewiston with 2S
Democratic police officers.
These speakers and others complain
of conditions in Bangor and Biddeford
2 and Calais and Rumford Falls. In fact,
it seems to me that these criticisms, if
, well founded, prove too much. for so
far as true they demonstrate the alb
Y solute incapacity or unfitnesS of the
1 local officials to enforce the law, which
+ these men say should be enforced while
ii is law. And still they are opposed
r to giving the governor power to secure
l what they profess to want, by remov-
ing from office the men who permit
such conditions as Gardner says ex-
list in Knox county. and as McGilli-
, cuddy and bennett vouch for in Lew
, iston. The more strongly they put it,
the more forcbly they demonstrate the
undesirability Of gubernatorial candi-
, date who promises to enforce the law
without any machinery to do it with,
Now l am not going to juggle words
in a discussion of general charges that
no one can prove or dsprove. They
are easily made and frequently resort
ed to by persons who think that votes
can be gained by it. They are as fire.
qucntly grossly exaggerated. And it
sometimes happens that a single slip
by the speaker discloses the exaggera-
ton For instance. Mr.. McGillicuddy
in this Lisbon Falls address, stated
that the number of arrests for ntoxi-
cation in Lewiston in 1908. to the date
of his speech. had been 1896. An &C
tual count of the number put before
the court on that charge showed 4S3
This was a matter of gross exaggera-
, ton, or that Democratic police force
well, what is on officers duty when
he arrests a man?