Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-26
sellers az criminals. in a certain sense,
educatcs. the people in favor of tenn

SelieTS as CRIMINALS, IN certain sense,
educates the people in favor of tenn
perance. $50. ,~.. .,-.
/ believe, as ! said, in prohibition.
believe in enacting laws, not for the
purpose of catching votes, but for the
purpose If discriminating the traffic.
II believe, that what we want in this
State is not more law, but more en-
forcement. The prohibitory law is a
State law; and, in theory, as have be-
fore. said, it should be enforced from
one end of the State to the other-in
those counties which do not believe in
it. And being a STATE law. the ma
chinery to enforce it should be wide
! all over the State in it's effect.
The reason that we have had such
an important enforcement of the law
! is that, being States law, it has been
left to localities to secure its enforce
ment. And, in my judgment, until the
Governor Of the State is armed with
the necessary powers to perform his
constitutional duty-until the executive
officers are held responsible to him, and
he to the people for the enforcement
OF the law. we will never have prohi-
bition in the legal or in the moral ac-
ceptation Of the term.
4 With the assistance of the minority
} i'll this Legislature, which is really
when it came to the last analysis, in
favor Of the open saloon and in favor
Of nullifieation-with the assistance of
! that minority, the Eaton amendment,
which in my Judgment is the best
proposed amendment to our laws and
our Constitution yet devised for the
purpose of securing the enforcement of
the law-with assistance of that mi
/ nority, that amendment was defeated
Now, there not being any proper law
: to give the Executive the power to
| enforce the law, ] ask my friend from
Knox. and l ask the gentlemen who
y are opposed to the law, what should
be done when the Executive is salts
fled that in one, or two, or three-or
large number of the counties of the
} State the law is nullified and is being
shamefully violated? What should be
: done? Echo answers, what?
In my judgment, inasmuch as we
cannot secure an amendment, arming
/ the Executive with the power to re-
: move recreant officials, the next best
5 thing to do is to keep upon the statute
! books. and enforce it, a law like the
} Sturgis law. 1 know there are some
!, objections to the .Sturgis law; but ]
tell you, gentlemeh of the Senate (and
/ have given this matter careful con-
| sideration) the objection to the Sturgis
5 law comes from the violators of the
l law. 1t comes from those sections OF
. the State where the law has been nulli-
fed, and where, as far as this law is
l concerned, we have had anarchy; and
SO it is from those sections of the State
where the law has been shamelessly
t violated, and where it has been en-
forced under the Sturgis law, that we
: have objections to the law. In other
, words. the objections to the law are
, the strongest possible arguments tc
be brought in favor of it.
In my Judgment the Sturgis law is
the only rational and radical piece of
legislation we have had in the last %
, years; and it is the only law upon the
statute books which saves us from
Anarchy and notification; and because,
gentlemen of the Senate, I am in IA
, vor of an honest and impartial en-
forcement of the prohibitory law from
one end of the State to the other-be-
cause I do not believe in enacting a
! law for the purpose of catching the
temperance vote, and then violating
it for the purpose Of catching the liq-
our Vote-because I believe that in the
E ory and in practice this is the best law
for the extirpation of the liquor traf-
: fic. I am in favor of the Sturgis law
and shall vote against it's repeal.
Mr.. STAPLES: Will the senator per-
nit question?
Mr.. LOONEY: I will answer it if I
can.
i Mr.. STABLES: The Sturgis law has
! been upon the statute books for four
years Don't you know that since the
change of your administration, in the
; county of Cumberland, that in the city
e of Portland. in the last six months,
e there have been more arrests for
e drunkenness than at any time in the
! last four years?
. Mr.. LOONEY: know that the law is
2 better enforced than it has been for
$ years. And 1 have it from the mayor
j of Rock.and, that since the SturSis
i deputies have gone into Rockland there
' has been more enforcement and honest
Y enforcement of the law than they have
e had for the last rs years.
Mr.. STAPLES: I beg to say that
), that is absolutely untrue, whoever
e said it. We have had the best enforce
l ment of the law by our sheriffs that
I we have ever had. When the SturSls
Commission was there they wouldn't
2 do anything. But I don't blame them
f for that.
l Mr.. LOONEY: The report of the
a Sturgis Commission shows that for the
: las. five years the rum traffic has been
: carried on scandalously in the city OF
4 Rockland, and that in that city they
practically had free rum.
: Mr.. STAPLES: Mr.. President, re-
/ sent that aspersion upon the people OF
: 1.-THE city of Rockland, whoever that
man might be, whether it be Stur-
, ris commissioner or whoever he may
, be. il is absolutely and unquallttedly
2 untrue. And I want to say in behalf
g of that county that there are Republl-
t cans that will agree with me. as well
as Democrats, that we have enforced
< that law. and the county attorney, who
/ is a Democrat, has paid in more funds
v according to the population of the
: county, into the county treasury, than
: any other county in the state of Maine.
II SJr JOONEY: The senator from