Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-03

pay 1t. The man DeniHu HiiH pays
it, and does he stop selling rum
then? No. he keeps right on. 1t Is really
a licensing system and the only reason
it has been kept up in Maine is because
the people who control this State desire
different system from Portland and the
larger towns for the smaller ones. Inc
prohibitory law does not well apply TO
the larger towns. Every argument that
is made for judicial discretion is made
for local option and il the gentlemen
from Portland who have spoken here
were as frank and as honest as they like
to pretend to be they will tell you that
they want a filming system in order that
the judge Of their municipal court may
regulate by fine, assisted by the sher-
if and the county attorney. the rum
business Of Portland, in such a way
that it may yield political fruit. that
is all. (AppIause)
I have heard remarks made and slurs
made all over Maine about the Bangor
plan-the Portland papers have been full
of it. lived in Bangor for two years,
and I have a little pride in that city.
I do not believe 1 will see any repre-
sentative from the city Of Bangor stand
ing up on the floor of the House and
pleading for special legislation for local
rum selling in his constituency. We are
hearing today about the Portland plan
don't send anybody to Jail for selling
rum: one gentleman from Portland says,
because the poor innocent fellow is only
selling it to KEEP his family out of the
poorhouse-don't have Jail sentences. and
another member Of the Portland delega-
ton says because we cannot get a jury
in Cumberland county honest enough to
convict a man of rum selling. if he is
going to jail. For Heavens sake. read
that over when you got home and be
ashamed Of yourselves. (Applause.)
think it is probable that no one of
you has read the bill that you are dis
cussing, for there is not in it one SOL
itary word about anybody going to Jail,
not single word. If you believe that
all these sentences should be discre-
tionary, why weren't you honest enough
and square enough to put in bill TAX
ing land" out of the various sections Of
chapter % and putting in the word "or?'
Three days ago you let this bill go
through unanimously although one of
always been opposed to it. In the last
days of this Legislature you come in
and advocate a most iniquitous statute,
the most dishonest statute that ever was
written on the law books of any state in
the Union: and you come in under the
suise of wanting to enforce the law.
One gentleman said that the statute was
put on to secure enforcement. If it was,
the man who was trying to secure en-
forcement in that way was almighty
secret about letting the people know
what his purpose was. Some of us know
about that. 1t has been said here in
way to mislead. and one of the gentle
men ought to know it was misleading
because he is a lawyer-to send every
man convicted of selling rum to Jail
even though he may be boy accused of
his first offense. Is the gentleman en-
tirely unfamiliar with the power of the
judges with regard to probation? 1t
has been said that the punishment could
not be held over man if this law was
passed. Was the gentleman not ia
miliar with the power of the court to
order an indictment filed? This change
of the law does not take that away. Un-
der 1t the Judge has discretion and the
discretion he ought to have excepting
in one respect he cannot license a rum
seller to sell rum by filming him and that
is all the filming system ever was, was a
cheap license system. I say to YOU I
believe in all truth that when the Re-
publicans of this House asked US to give
them a substitute for the Sturgis law
that we by pledging ourselves, or the
most OF us. to support an amendment
that corrected or took away the filming
system to a great extent, and by pass
ing the other law you took it away AL
together giving you the best possible
substitute for the Sturgis law, I don't
say it is going to work well: I don't saw
the prohibitory law works WELL I don't
say that the law that is good for every
little town is good for Portland, for T
tell you believe in local option, but if
you are going to have a prohibitory law
have one without any fraud, have a sim
cere plan. The Portland papers and the
papers outside of Portland have heralded
Sheriff Pencil all over Maine as tbe
great nullifier. Why? Because he an
proved OF the system that the Republi-
can delegation from Portland have ar
eued Tor today on the floor of this
House. no more and no less. You live in
glass houses my friends, but you threw
stones at him, didn't you? And TODAY
you have lifted the curtain and let us
look into the glass house. (Applause,
You may refuse to pass this law if yo,,
IKE. If you do, the refusal will rest
where it belongs, on the shoulders of the
men who have tried probation i'm every
county in the State of Maine. If vo,,
meant it. you will pass this law: if yo,,
didn't mean it, YOU will refuse to pass
it. (Applause)
Mr.. ROUNDS of Portland: Mr.
Speaker, the gentleman from Rockland
mas spoken about low license IF yo,,
pass that Jail sentence as a law Won
VIII nave a lower license than the Ii.
cense is today. Counties won't get one
cent of fines but the man who goes To
jail VIII be paid just the same and the
county is only supporting a man and
gcttlng nothing in the way of fine. He
speaks about the gentleman from Port
land being silent when the bill was
passed. | was not in the House when
1t was passed to be engrossed If had