Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-26


so far as possible to avoid being Ianoh
cd at; and I am inclined to think tha.
my section Of tho country at any rat.
would he obliged to laugh at us If M.
were to take the position that fiji.
register of deeds Of Cumberland conn
ty, who had received $4,000 out of NJ.
office and by the Legislature of 1a,-
was reduced to the paitry sum Of s9,no
q year, was suffering a hardsnin ~
such an extent that he came btro.o
this Legislature and we relieved hin.
and established precedent that any,
official in office at that time was on
titled to similar relief. We must 70
member, as we vote on this Question
that it is not this-question alone ybich
we are deciding. We are dacid,r.
whether every official who was in ~
fee in 1906, whose salary was in am,
way changed, is entitled to such "a
lief. If this resolve is passed, cyerr
official then in Office is entitled to ~
lief by the next Legislature. I ask thu.
when the vote is taken, it be taken
by the yeas and nays.
The question being put upon the mn.
tat,
postponed. the yeas and NAYS were or
dcred and the vote being had resulted
as follows: Those voting yea wora.
Messrs. Boynton. Donigan. Gowen
HoWes, Irving. Kellogg, Lowe. MINI
Ken. Shaw. Smith, Theriault nn
Those voting nay We're: Messrs Paw.
ter Colcord, Eaton, Emery, Hamilton
Hastings, Hill. Looney, Macomhar
Minott, Mullen, Osgood, REYNOLDS
Staples. Walker, Warren, Wheeler
Wyman OS).
So the motion to indefinitely nost-
pone was lost.
On motion by Mr.. Wheeler Of Cun.
berland, the resolve thereupon took
its second reading ana was passed to
be cngroSSed.
On motion by Mr.. Staples of Knox
Senate Document No. D. IAN Act IN
repeal Chapter 80 of the Laws of 100,
entitled 'An Act to provide for the
better enforcement of the laws against
the sale and manufacture of intoxicat
ing Liquors." was taken from the IA.
bic. :. p" ,it r.,
Mr.. STAPLES of Knox: Mr.. presi.
dent, j move to substitute the minority
report for the majority report of the
committee ON temperance.
Four years ago in this BODY there
was a bill passed, after niue Il discus.
sioi., known as the Sturgis bill. At
that time l discussed the matter Very
fully as you will see by the Legisla-
tive Record Of that year | was the
only person in this Senate at that time
who voted against that bill The bill
came before the Senate two years ago
after it ha1 been tried for two years.
and | found the Senate changing by
a large vote-a majority vote in favor
Of repeal Of the Sturgis law. After it
had been tried in this State for two
years, the people of this State. be-
love by large proportion of Them
of the voters outside of the Legisla-
ture-Who in the House and Senate
repealed what | then called, and what
I now believe to be, an unconsttu-
tional, wicked, obnoxious law. And I
believe today that | voice the senti-
ment of seven eighthS of the voters of
this State when | stand here and ask
for its repeal at this time. | do not
stand here for any rum element in the
State of Maine. but for the Temperance
element. ! do not stand here alone for
The Democratic party, but for good
poi ton of the Republican party of this
State, when l say that l am in favor
of the repeal of that law. l cannot see
that it stands any different today from
What 1t did two years ago. Why is this
change that we see at this session Of
he. "a ,,.hc hnf iac nv
large vote repealed it two years ago?
The people upon this question have
gone mad. We find prohibition cortor-
tionists all over the State of Maine ad-
vOcating measures for the enforcement
OF the liquor law who are doing more
INJURY to the cause of temperance than
they can conceive of. They are people
who have 70 idea of the practical
working of the prohiibtory liquor law.
There is no conservative man in the
State of Maine who does not believe
in temperance. Relieving in temper
alice, We say to these contortionists
that they are doing a great deal of in
jury to the temperance element of the
State. | believe it to be contrary TO
our form of government and un-Amer-
lean. | believe in the inherent rights
of the common people and never, so
long as | am able to lift my arm and
to talk, will | ever consent that the
rights of the people shall be leopard
izCd and taken from them to please the
prohibition contortionistS and fanatics
of Maine. ..ri9l"
Those whom the Gods wish to de-
stroE, they first make mad" I never
SAW that so)applicable as find it now
To the, prohibition element of Maine
deny that the law prohibits. The pub
lie sentiment is, what we want to get
at and I am stronger today in favor oil
the repeal of that law than | was two
years ago. The best element of the
State are saying that these drastic
laws shall not be put upon our statue
book | think that some who voted for
that bill, which was in the Senate day
before yesterday, on sober SECOND
thought would vote the other way. You
have given those people the right 10
remove county attorneys. | said t"o
years ago that ! believed it to be uh-
constitutional. These contortiorists go
to the Governor and he appoints
county attorney to supersede man
elected by the people of Somerset couh'
ty in the performance of his duties pe