The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-14
Declares They Govern Nation, and If Prohibition Is Impos. sible We Are Incapable of
 Governing Ourselves.
NEW FORM OF ANARCHY
Cites Declaration of Intention to vios late State Laws as Not Uncon- mon Exhibition of Red-
 Flng Work.

Attorney Matthew F. O'Brian, the prohibition candidate for gcvernor. occupied the pulpit at the evening service of the Congregational church in Branford center last night. It waa a Union service and on the platform with him were the pastors of the Con- gregational and Baptist churches. The edifce was well filled and 1t vas pronounced the largest gathering Branford has ever had.
 The meeting was in the interen of the no-license campaign which is be- ing conducted and Dr. Dewitt an- nounced that similar meetings were to be held every Sunday night till alec ton next month. Mir. O'Bren at the close of the service was asked to Eive Branford another date during the month and will probably speak in ths Town hall during the last week of the campaign.
 His remarks last night were we'll rs.l ceived and the audience showed its approval several times. He eaid that every argument made in favor of the l,uuor traffic as to-day conducted wasl so illogical that he could not under- stand why any one was deceived bYl them,
 If the grocers of tho state and na-l tion," said Mir. O'Brien. -should or.I garize and announce that they would not obey law, that they would dom-' lnate politics. that they would defeat officials for doing their duty when that duty interfered with their business and that they had the power to defy the will of the people I woul oppose the grocers or any other combination such as liquor men have.
 The liquor men by their claims declare that popular government is subservient to their wishes. The declaration that prohibition does not prohibit means that the will of the people is not supreme but the will of the individuals who sell liquor. The nineteen liquor dealers of BranfoYd declare that they can defy the wishep of the other $500 inhabitants when they say if you vote out the saloon that they will continue to sell. '-.
 Tn Washington last winter I heard the counsel for the combined liquor dealers of the United States de- clare that the government of the United States was not powerful enough to drive out the liquor busi- ness. which was In my opinion a declaration of war upon our form of government. When 1t Is admitted that any combination of men. engaged In any kind of business can defy the laws of the land then those men and that business become a menace to the people and must be summarily dealt with.
 If that Is true in reference to q business that supplies the needs of the people how much more Is 1t in the case of the saloon which produces in sanity, pauperisn and crime. There is not single redeeming feature about the saloon. It serves no useful purpose. It is menace to the peace. safety. health and morality of the state and yet 1t assumes to control
 the government of the state. It as-
 sumes to defy the laws and to intin1i-
 date and bribe the officials whose duty 1t is to enforce law. It Is the ren-
 devous of the thug. the gambler and the prostitute, and yet the apoloyista
 for the license system have the ax. dacity to say that we must continue to license the saloon because ths men engaged in the business can defy q prohibitory law.
 Can 1t be true that the people ara
 going to admit that they must bow to
 the will of the liquor interests and allow them to govern. If that be true then the liquor interests are our : masters and we are no longer a free
 people, and are incapable of self gov- ernment. a l The liquor dealers of Atlantic City { defled the governor of New Jersey and ; an attempt has been made on his life 3 because he executed the laws of that t state. In press dispatches sent out I last night I read that these same liauor dealers have voted that to day v they intend to violate the laws oi f New Jersey and sell liquor in spite o1 y the government and the law.
 i, (COntinued on Second Pare.)