Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-12

OF TINS Senate. 1t is NOT for the purnoso
OF screening the rumseller, but it is in
the interest of the great moral cues
ZION OF temperance. We believe we have
mad It tried for. so years and our younp
men are going down, down, down to
rum, because of the manner in which
you nave managed this prohibitory Ii
quor law, which makes drunkards of
the young men and hypocrites of them
IL Is time we talked plainly about
this matter. You know, Mr.. Republi-
can, when you get into a convention.
that you do not mean what Won saw
because you do not enforce the prohib-
tory liquor law--you cannot enforce
1t, because nine out of 10 Republican
pohticlans In the State would not dare
to enforce it for fear that it would
so out of power.
Let me say to you that the people
are taking hold of this thing and that
l believe in the people and am willing
10 trust them; and if they say, by a
vote OF this State. that they are not
IN favor of resubmission, l will say
that even that might create good
public sentiment
I was talking with Mrs. Stevens in
the House yesterday, and 1 said, if
your band of women of the Temper
ancc Union had gone right, out among
the people and taken the poor drunk
ard by the hand and tried to lift him
up to higher level and arouse in him
spark of manhood, that can be reach
ed by proper method in every man,
l believe that, in the first place, you
would create a public sentiment in IA
vor of this great moral question OF
temperance. l believe they are sincere
and that class of women, but the class
of men who spoke in the hall yesterday
know nothing about the practical
Workings CT the prohibitory liquor law
Their knowledge is theoretical And I
say, if they would go out among the
people of the crossroads and in the
country towns and take these fellows
by the hand and try to show them the
evils of intempcrance, talk to them at
their firesides and at their homes, that
it would do more good in one year than
the prohibitory liquor law has done in
tic 80 years in which it has been on
the statute book.
You have got to create a public SEN
timcnt among the people of this State
They have a right to vote on it. and
the vote last fall showed it; and you
will find in the near future a Legisla-
ture will give them that right. And
tell you. there will be a laundering at
the polls two years from now if you
refuse to give them the right to vote
upon this important question.
The great idea of keeping a Republi-
can form of government is in order to
get down to the people. I used
to read a quotation from the
Hon. James G. Blaine, in a
speech made years ago-that
eminent man whom we all love, whose
memory we love and respect. When
this question of resubmission came
here, the older members will recollect
that he was in favor of resubmission
and was in favor of taking it out of the
constitution, and he says: "The per-
petuity of any government is to keep
right down with the people," and l be-
licve with him. I believe as Governor
Bell of Vermont said-and he was al
ways Il radical prohibtionist all Of
his life up to that time-you know Yer
mont changed over to local option and
he went over with them. and he was
asked nhv he did it-"Why." he says,
Il do it because l can get a grander
measure of prohibition under local OPP
ton than under the prohibitcry liquor
law" Let me remind you that Presi-
dent Taft of the United States today
less than six months ago, wrote an ar
ticle in which he stated that he be-
lieved that local option was the best
manner and the best method for reg
i,, HE
7 claim that today represent in the
State of Maine temperance men who
are in favor of resubmitting this to the
people. Why not do it. 1t is not a
dead issue. 1t will never be buried un-
til the people vote upon it. IT has come
to stay and it will be knocking at your
doors. They will talk to you at the
polls two years from now If you DO
not give them that right before that
time. You know the Republican par
ty was almost frightened to death
when in the great Republican state of
Maine. they only. carried $500 votes. "A
slight change would have changed the
whole complexion of this matter in the
state today Still. you say. it Is
dead issue. Is it dead issue wheF
two wears ago this House was in favor
of res,,bmission and it was Only de-
feated by a few votes in the House:
Don't accuse us of being rummles.
ITpor the other hand we claim TO
stand here in behalf of the best ten:-
perance element in the State. ] stand
here TO plead to get away with the
hvpocrisy that teaches young men to
not obey the law and to not reverence
the law. Whv they have seen SC much
corrurtion-they have seen 50 much
insincerity and so much hypocrisy III
regard to this prohibitory liquor law
that like begets like and the young
men are acting in that way, showing
that they do not respect their laws on
account Of the hypocrisy practiced IN
re gard to the prohibitory liquor law
oe this state. You cannot prohih't. YOU
have tried it. You have got all the laws
un,n the book Then why longer con-
tinuc this farce? Let's settle 1t once
for good. Let the people vote upon II
aud then, if they reaftirm 1t. as you
ten us that they will, it will show that
the Republican sentiment is IN FAVOR
of If WHY not do it? Why say to the
.ov,Io of tho state, YOU are not capt.