Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-30
Questions for the Voters.

persistent of all the truStS-the liquor
trust? With money to fund the
campaign and flood the mails with
anti prohibition literature the Demo-
Gratis opened the fight in Maine early.
with good prospects of making
years ago. But they blundered early,
| got ratified, became desperate and
finally ruined their chances by throw
ing aside all subterfuge and coming
out openly for anything that would
win votes against prohibition and the
Republican party.
This free license appeal has assured
ly won the votes of certain element
Ian element that argues: IF We could
wouldn't have to get full when we did
find little liquor"
| The writer heard an hour of this
sort of conversation in the smoker
of an electric car the other day, where
a group of local option converts were
| 'discussing politics, The points they
made were not technically expert on
any great issue before the State or
nation, One did declare and stunned
alton
| How bout this meat business? Here
we be payin' 80 cents a pound
for beef an the beef trust shippin
the same grade to Europe an sellin
it for 20 cents. The beef trust trans
ported 500 billion dollars worth of
| beef an mutton to Europe last year
an We can't afford to eat it,"
"oThats So agreed another. after
much beer we could buy if we had
open bars and beef at about 10 cents a
pound"
| A third repeated the Democratic
leaders cheap retort to the evidence
furnished of the States prosperous
condition: "Hain't no tax collector
been chasing me round to pay back
anything-dont pay nothin' but poll
tax anyhow an amt got any kids to
draw school money"
Huh, That talk about towns gittin'
money back is all moonshine. That's
"a Republican trick-the Colonel an
Beane an all the bunch says So" put
in a heretofore silent one.
The first had by this time evolved
lanother telling argument. 1t was
this: I'VE can't be no worse off-lets
TRY whack at the other party.
Mebbe we wouldn't have to sneak
round in the alleys to get drink
then"
That is the element to which the
Democracy is appealing with its re-
submission promises-the only prom
Uses it has made in the campaign ex-
cept to smash all the good results Re-
publicans have brought about. The
scheme of the Democratic campaign
| amounted to u plot-to hammer loudly
lof extravaganza. using every method
to give that appearance to the voter
VINO has no means of refuting or YER
flying their claims; in every way pos
sible to hold up and delay any matter
of expense to come before the State
Hinckley's bridge at Pishon's ferry,
for instance-and at the same time
circulate a brand of literature and a
bar-room- whisper tip of better things
to come in the way of easy drink
ables.
The talk of extravaganza has been
met and disposed of by Republican
asking: We'll. if you win as you say
YOU will. what are you going to do?
How will you reduce the State ex-
penses-as you have done in Augusta
and other places by increasing the
bonded Indebtedness thousands of dol
lars year? Are you going to reduce
the tax rate by such methods as you
have adopted in Lewiston and Andres
| coggin? Are you planning to save ex
| pense TO towns and cities in taxes by
| a rum revenue Do you propose to
| exchange the revenue from the taxa
| ton of legitimate business to a revenue
derived from liquor licenses and pay
for running the State by taking the
shoes from the feet of our children"
| These are some of the questions the
| intelligent people of Maine are asking.
| Probably never in the history of
| Maine We're there so many well-fed.
well-clothed and well-schooled child
| rem as today And the plot of Dem
| ocracy is to exchange this condition
| of things for one of easy liquor buy
! ing which prevailed before the Re-
| publican party and the loyal woman
| hood of Maine began hunting the drink
viper from our borders.
Will you vote for the pure home, the
| schools. the noble institutions? Or.
| will you vote with the degraded and
| iIliterate who want free rum more
| <b,,, tba., ,ropt IN hiIityc