Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-31
this. House as unanimously as it did this

this. House as unanimously as it did this
morning.
The Jail sentence is better enforcer
OF prohibition than the Sturgis law or
any other constitutional amendment or
any statutory amendment which could
have been proposed here. My memory
| is longer than that of some gentlemen
of this House, although I am not
very old, but I remember that en-
forcement in Maine, pretty nearly
real and actual enforcement the
nearest Maine ever had. began
two years before the Sturgis law was
ever dreamed of. 1 remember down in
Cumberland county man by the name
of Pierson was elected sheriff in that
county, and he needed neither Sturgis
deputies. constitutional amendments or
statutory amendments to enable him
to do his duty. I remember that over
In Penobscot county when Chief
Justice WiSwell, one of the grandest
men Maine ever saw or ever will see,
announced from the bench the policy
of the supreme court of Maine, to give
jail sentences in liquor cases, and that
the rumSellerS Of Bangor came nearer
to going out of business than they ever
have at any time since-jail sentences
al over the State of Maine for a little
while up to the time when one or two
of the justices of the supreme court
| lost their courage because men of too
much wealth and influence got. into the
| trap that was laid for them, and then
that thing subsidized. But so long as
jail sentences were put forth from the
supreme court of this State, SO long
as the municipal judges did their duties,
and so long as Judge Peters of Ellis
worth did his duty, so long as the peo-
pie of the State shows their sheriffs
knowing that all the responsibility laid
upon them you got pretty decent en-
| forcement in Maine for a couple of
years, and all of us know it. I know
something Of what happened in the
courts CT Maine for several years. And
now they ask for substitute for the
Sturgis law. We have given it to you
this morning, we voted for it, we that
started it, a.d we were only too glad
20 do it. The first substitute proposed
here was to amend the Constitution so
as to change the tenure of Office of
| sheriffs. Gentlemen, it takes three
parties to enforce the law: 1t takes
| the sheriff, it takes the county attor-
! ney and it takes the courts. And in
| the two propositions made here, one
to give the power to impeach county
attorneys and the other giving the
Governor power to remove sheriffs
| would amount to nothing unless you
| gave somebody the power over SEN
| fencing. We have tried to do that.
Would the gentlemen here suggest
changing the tenure of office of the
| judges? And yet 1 have never known
a serious proposal before a Maine Leg
islature to impeach sheriff or a coun-
ty attorney, but you men VINO sat here
two years ago that you had a judge
before you whose actions had been
such as to cause a serious case to be
considered against him. You don't
want to go to changing your funda-
mental law to meet a crisis which is
purely and solely a political crisis.
There is no crisis in this State. and
you may vote to repeal the Sturgis
law or not to repeal it just as YOU
wish.
AS 1 look upon the faces of my Re-
publican friends here, I wonder that
any of them could refrain from smiling
when the gentleman from Aroostook
suggested that we stood for rum 1
never have made much pretence of be-
ing a temperance man, and I think
more of myself because I have not
done 50; and I dare say in this House
that if ] had that one drink, and only
one. I should be careful how I passed
1t up to about nine -tenths of the Re-
publican members of this House.
daughter and applause). l am Just
about tired of this hypocrisy. We can
pass laws without indulging in it, We
can pass laws without indulging in
stump speeches. and I realize that 1
have gone little bit in that direction
this morning. but 1 know that some
OF my Republican friends will pardon
me for l have not dore it before this
winter. Let Us take this measure as
it is repeal it or send it to the Senate
and see what they will do with it
clean and square, or else vote not to
repeal it and keep still about substi-
tuteS and machinery and enforcement
and all that Oft-repeated stuff which
may sound we'll among certain bodies
but sounds poorly among a body Of in
telligent men. (Applause).
Mr.. DAVIES of Yarmouth: Mr..
Speaker: 1 have been very much edi-
fled and entertained by the remarks of
the gentleman on the other side. like
very many things that were insinuated
on the platform which was laid down
by the gentleman from Ellsworth. |
have been very much entertained by
the remarks made by the gentleman
from Waterville and I am glad that he
corrected the gentleman from Ellis
worth on one particular. in that he said
there was no crisis. In that sentiment
l most heartily endorse his words. I
desire to say to him there is 10 hole,
so far as l can see into which the Re
publican party has been placed or in
which they find themselves at the pres
ent time.
Mr.. PATTANGALL: Have they
filled it up?
Mr.. DAVIES: They have never gone
into it. Now. we must remember that
there was an election not so very many
months ago in which the Republican
party made certain pledges. A great
many of us were elected upon those
specific pledges, and it was tacitly I'M
derstood by the majority of the electors
hiY,G