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

'nae y could be handled in the. best nos
s.s,e way believe today that il the
MonipAe0ry law, was wiped from the
DOCKS that YOU would have less
urunkenness in the. State of Maine.
1nis IS great moral question. and
one mat Affects, the household and the
nresloes. our sons and our neiebbors
ana society in every way. Shall we he
50 recreant as to keep this thine in
poAacs? do not believe YOU will do
H. The Republican Party, in caucus as
| semoied here this very winter declared
that the Sturgis Law was bad law and
you nave said it time and time again:
and, while you do not in your ulatform
pronise to repeal, you tacitly promised
Tue Voters you would do So
leading member of the House when
sney were discussing the Eaton Amend
ment said that the Sturgis Law. was a
PAD law and that they wanted to get
something else in place Of it, and that if
| you could find something else-this is a
ialr construction of what he said-that
| would please the prohibition cortortion-
| Isl, then You would repeal the Sturgis
1,aw. If it is a bad law are you going
to wait to get something else?
1>saw the light of day when standing
here alone four years ago. And two
years ago 1 saw new light dawning
upon the minds of my Republican
friends, and they Joined with me and we
did not shed tears of agony and distress,
but OF exultation and gratitude and Joy.
and smile beamed upon the faces of
the Senators because they could get rid
Of that terrible purifying corpse
| I believe the majority of the people
IN Maine are in favor Of repeating that
law, and it will not take you a great
while. it seems to me. to find something
that is good deal better. I believe the
people are demanding it at our hands
and that there will be trouble in the
| party unless you repeal it.
l believe that the sheriffs of the coun-
ties should not be insulted. I should
| not blame the Sheriffs of our county so
much if they were a little slow in per-
forming their duties, on this matter or
any other, if three or four men should
come into the county and undertake to
take away from them the rights which
the constitution gives them. Let every
county manage its own affairs in it's
own way. They have the referendum
behind them in each county, and if the
| sheriffs do not do their duty, the people
will turn these men out and put others
in. This matter depends upon the NOR
al sentiment of the people. The great
| danger to the State of Maine today is
| because of the inactivity of the common
voter. 1t is hard work to get him to the
polls because you have taken his rights
out of his hands, and he has no hand in
the making of the laws of the State.
Do not understand me that I am OPP
posed to temperance l would have it
in every household. The future of the
State depends upon enthusing the COM
mon men in the workshop and on the
farm. Do not take from the people
their rights.
Mr.. LOONEY of Cumberland: Mr..
| President: am always pleased to listen
to the entertaining and interesting adj
dresses of the Senator from Knox. In
discussing the prohibitory law. he is
always at his best For the last quar-
ter of a century, on the stump on the
platform and in the Legislature, he has
dashed the law against the licensed sa-
loon with all the resources of his rich
and variegated vocabulary. Some men
have wearied in their efforts to repeal
this law, but not so with him.
thine writes no wrinkles on his azure
brow" Like Tennyson's brook, "Some
may come and some may go, but he
goes on forever" I regret to say, how
ever, that, while his addresses mani
fest great ability. they do not also
show logical consistency. No man in
Maine has denounced the prohibitory
| law in more scorching terms than he
has According to him, it has created
| and has been the fruitful mother OF
perjury, hypocrisy and all manner OF
crime. According to him, it's enforce
| nent has been monumental farce
and according to him, the executive
officers throughout the State. whose
| duty it is to enforce the law, have
| shamelessly and scandalOusly omitted
| to perform their constitutional duties
| Imagine then, my surprise, some three
| weeks ago, when the Eaton resolve was
| before the Senate, to hear my frleno
| from Knox, with calm and unrufiled
| front. assure the Senate that the law
was being vigorously and lmpartlall!
| enforced from one end of the State
to the other Imagine my surprise when
he also assured us that the officers
| whose duty it was and is to enforce
| the law, were enforcing the law with
fidelity and with due regard to theii
oaths.
The senator from Knox has been the
| exponent of the common people OF
| Maine. He has assured us time and
time again that he loves the common
| people as he does the apple of his eye
that il is his desire at all times to APP
| neal to them for their opinion when
matters of great Importance and mo-
ment come before us. And he has as
s,lred us that the referendum and
r!ebescites arc the most important rae
tors in our legislation. Imagine then
nv surprise, when this same Eaton
amendment was before the Senate, 10
hear my friend from Knox denounce
in the most unmeasured terms the
propositiou To submit that amendment
to the people TO: their consideration
In other words. the senator from knos
denounces today what he advocated
Yesterday. and denounced yesterday
what he advocates today. 1t IS GER
tainly very amusing to watch his syra-