Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-02


second question which wish 10 ieaNe
with you is: rs there anything fair or
lust in obliging any county where the
people have elected a man VINO IS hVihs
up to the oath of his office where the
presence of the Sturgis deputies or dep
uty enforcement commissioners ar" not
needed but where the SheiI1 ana the
deputy sheritfs are doing all in their pow
er to enforce the prohibitory law-I ask
you, is there any thing fair or just in
ob!iging that county to assist in defray-
ing the expenses Of the operation or
those commissioners in some other couh-
ty?" Upon your answers to those pues-
lions will depend the fate Of this bill.
think it is an eminently fair proposition.
and 1 am willing to leave it now to the
good Judgment of the members of this
House.
Mr.. LIBBY of Amity: Mr. Speaker
l want 20 say as member OF the tenn
perance committee that the committee
thought very favorably Of the meas
ure, and / think we voted by quite q
| majority that it ought to pass; and
after some consideration it was thought
by some that perhaps by having this
amendment put on TO the bill that il
might EaVc a tendency to defeat the
SturgiS law altogether. and so | think
it was voted in the committee ought
not to pass But ]. for one. believe
that there is a good deal Of merit in
this hill | have always believed 50
from the very first | believe if we
retain the Sturgis law that this will
have tendency to make the shcriffS
il the different counties do their duty
and 1t will be up to the people to sec
whether their sheriff does not do his
duty so that they won't have to pay
the bills. They will make their sheriff
do his duty ! think it would be a
great thing to have this become a
| law.
Mr.. HERSEY of HOulton Mr.
Speaker: l believe that the bill adyo-
Gated by the gentleman from Sullivan
ought to pass through this Legisla-
ture, whether you believe in enforcing
the prohibitory law in the way and
manner outlined by the previous Leg
islatures, called the Sturgis law. or
not. We have got the Sturgis bill for
two years; there is no question about
that. l hoped that the Eaton resolve
would be passed that l might vote with
the rest of the House for the repeal of
the S.urgis law. But it was decreed
otherwise, that the Governor should
not have any authority given to him
to remove sheriff. Now, | am glad
that the Sturgis bill remains in that
case, for il does give the Governor
some authority over the sheriffs 1t
sends in the Sturgis commissioners
where he does not do his duty, and if
anything. it seems to me. would induce
him TO do his duty it would be the
presence of the Sturgis commissioners:
and If that does not, then / think the
bill offered by the gentleman from Sui
Ivan will do it. We don't have the
Sturgis commissioners in nv county.
ana l hope we never will have them
but my people do object to being ask
ed to pay the bills of the Sturgis com
mlSSlcnerS in some other counties
where they don't enforce the laws: and
can readily see that in some counties
where the sheriff doesn't do his dutv
ana doesn't enforce the law, and if is
known That the Sturgis commissioners
ar" sent IN there by the Governor. and
theN are coming in there and going to
work there at the expense of that conn
", there is going to be an almighty
hustling on the part of the county com
'nissioners; ard they are going to ca,I
upon inc Sheriif and they are going
10 nave Il little private talk with the
Sherl1 anu ask him if he is going to
put the county to all the expense of
inc Stursls deputies or is he going tn
20 on ana DO something 1t seems to
l'e thdt IN that way YOU can mako
'he Sturgls law work and do some good
''E' thihk the only way YOU can do
~ ty accepting the bill which is Of
iereo py the gentleman from Sullivan
ana am heartily in favor of it.
Mr.. PETERS of Ellsworth NJ.
Speaker: want to saw that the rr;,,
ciple of this bill appeals to mo 70 ho
right. If my county or any o+har oo,,
~ has to call in outside holm ~ -,
force the law, whether Il ;s tho 1;e.,
~" OF any other law, we are willing
10 pay for it. If other counties .,o
opliSed to do that and call in the Stu
gis commissioners. we don't Ill =.
nave 10 help pay for that. and T GOV
. ,.. "sree with the gentleman from
Amlty (Mr. Libby and the gentlarnor
iioi'i Iiooi'oh tMr. Hersey, that it will
nave very wholesome and restra;nine
~, upon 1he county officials, and
that is where | have ,I,,o 'io
the law should be ENFORCED fro., , 'eo
|.quarters. And l certain,y ~;
tne county treasurer is to be mt il,
danger that the county officials vii,
get active I believe there will he lass
danger OF our being bothered WITH
these commissioners of the Sturgis law
II we should pass this measure tham
otherwise; and l also believe that tba
efficiency Of the machinery. the ,ooa,
county machinery in the enforcement
of the law will be greatly increasaa
ana and certainly am in favor of the
bill. "a Inc