Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-11-16
Letter Box.
The Folly Of Local Option.

The Folly OF Local OPe'on.
There. l., naturally difference in the
people of different towns. Some
towns will be largely Democratic
others largely Republican. some VIII
be church going people; others VII
scarcely have any religious meetihI
within their limits. some VIII take
great interest in schools; others VIII
only raise what money the law com
pels them to raise for educational pur-
poses. Some towns provide decent
and comforta Bile home for their pau
pcrs: others provide only what the law
compcls Some take great interest
in good roads; others, do only what
the law compels them to.
WHY not recognize all these dlifer-
cnccs and enact u general local option
law. and let each town manage us
avn local affairs without interfcr-
cncc by~ihe State? II town doesh
want to pay out money to support
schools, why should the state step IN
and compel them to do so? IL the
sentiment of the town is against pay
ing out money to support pauperH'
how could State law compel such
suDDort be executed? If the sentl-
mcnt Of the town is against raising
money to maintain highways. how can
the State law compel it be enacted
If we could have such a general local
ontion law. men who like their money
better than they do education, the
comfortable support of paupers or
good roads. would naturally gravtate
toward such towns as raise very littlc,
il any, money for those purposes, TIL
the majority would never any year
vote to raise money for schools, roads
or paupers.
Ii local option is good 70 suppress
the crime of the liquor traffic, why not
to suppress prostitution: Can any
person give any possible reason why
we should haveS local option law to
regulate the liquor traffic that will not
apply with equal force in favor Of
local option to suppress this kindred
evil? Suppose We should try it.
probably every town in county by
larger or smaller majorities would vote
l"Eo" How natural and easy it
| would be for evil disposed persons in
the whole county to concentrate in the
town or city giving the smallest NO
iajority, and subsequent years make
| il Yes" majority. Wouldn't III"
town soon become such a sink or
| iniquity that every decent person
would be glad To move out of it?
Wouldn't the Yes" vote soon become
practically unanimous on all vices and
crimes the liquor traffic, gambling,
prostitution. highway robbery, horse
stealing, etc? Wouldn't every form
of disorder and violence flourish under
the protection of the law:
Perhaps you will say that such an
arrangement would purify the rest Of
the county. Would it make the resi-
| Of the county better or worse? IN
| these days Of trolley cars. automobiles,
bicycles. etc, wouldn't the easily
tempted persons. all over the county
rather go away from home and he
protected by the law in their vices?
Wouldn't they become worse than
ever? ID We want one or more such
sinks Of iniGuity in every county in
| the State?
But perhaps it may be said. we don't
propose to do any such thing. We
! don't propose to make possible the Ii
ccnSc OF anything hut the saloon Why
| do YOU propoSa to allow the towns to
| license this worst and most deStruc
| tive crime in the whole list: this 'gi
Eantic crime of crimes" and apply
State wide prohibition to all the rest ?
| Can YOU state the reasons why? We
would like to have YOU state them
We would like to see them spread out
before us.
suppose we do as YOU say, cOnfine
| our talk to the saloon alone, the ''gi
nt fri
proposes to let each town vote each
year whether it will license or pro-
hibit the saloon. We will suppose the
vote is to be taken in Saco and Biddc- |
ford. The river only, separates
them. across which there are several
bridges. Is it possible to get a fair
vote in either town? The people in
each VIII say if We vote dry. the other
side of the river will vote wet and
they will get all the license money and
we shall get none.
We know perfectly we'll that the !
open saloon will increase our taxes
more than the licenses will amount to.
but If the other side of the river votes
wet. our people will drink lust as
much as they would if we sold and
they will get all the license money and
we get none, and our taxes will be in !
creased on account of drunkenness
and disturbance the same as if the
saloons were at our end of the
bridges. If our people are to get all
the liquor they want just across the
bridge we have got to have the
drnhkcnncSS anyway. We NAV as
wen vote wet. and get our part of the
license money. Isn't it plain to see
that men who are in favor of State |
"lde prohibition. would for these
reasons, vote wet
Inc same conditions exist in Lewis
TON and Auburn, Bangor and Brewer
ana other towns All our cities will
say 1T is no use for us to vote DRY.
III we do, all our rumsellcrs will move
INTO an adjoining small town and vote
wet. and set up their shops and nay