The Republican journal., 1910-10-20
What Caused The Change?

To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL:
Now that the smoke of battle has clear
ed away we can more clearly discern
what were the more direct causes that led
to the results of the September election.
The s.outs. - who are under no response
bility. can look wise and criticise the
''ins,'' without saying anything very
definite, or making any positive charges,
or any emphatic promises. Such things
will often have more influence with the
superficial voter than arguments that
have some foundation. One thing that
had quite bearing in the campaign was
the Sturgis law. There is much misun-
Outstanding in regard to the working Of
the Sturgis law in the minds Of many.
There are but two classes of people who
can object to this law. One class object
to it on account of the expense, and the
other class because it interferes with
their selling rum, or buying rum. AS re-
CARDS the expense, it costs less than IA
cents for each inhabitant to maintain the
Sturgis law, and it is mighty mean
man indeed that would kick at that ex-
pense towards keeping the State clean.
There is no doubt that we have saved
more than that in crime and poverty and
what would have been paid for liquor if
the law had not been enforced. AS re-
CARDS those who wish to handle liquor,
nothing can be said that is too severe.
When God has pronounced His curse
upon it, man can add nothing to the re-
Duke. A class that God has pronounced
unfit for the kingdom of heaven, surely
is not fit company for decent people to
associate with here below. There was
an absolute necessity for the Sturgis
law, or something equally as stringent.
Many of the sheriffs of both parties en-
tirely ignored their oaths Of Office and
were as guilty of perjury as any officer
could be. We have all heard hundreds
of our best citizens make the same state
ment, and while outwardly they treated
these officers with respect, in their
hearts they held them in contempt.
Nothing too severe can be said Of an in
dividual that will perjure himself just to
cater to a rumseller. One excuse they
make is that public opinion did not de-
mand the enforcement of the law. They
took an oath to uphold the law, and not
public opinion, and no man unless he
wanted to buy rum or sell rum objected
to its enforcement, and those were the
ones the law was made to run against.
Waldo county is proud that her sheriffs
were honorable enough to enforce the
law. 1t stands to the disgrace and
shame Of the officials that they were
ever called to the help of any county.
This county is not called upon to pay the
expenses Of any Sturgis deputies, for
none have ever been needed here.
Whenever a person is incompetent to
manage his own affairs he is placed
under guardianship. So it was but
just and right to apply this well estab-
lished principle of law to our sherifs,
when they proved themselves incapable
through their dishonesty to faithfully
manage the affairs of the office, to put
honest men over them to do the work
which they were neglecting. The old
complaint was that prohibition did not
prohibit. Prohibition enforced, must
prohibit The fact was, dishonest Of
fcials could make more catering to rum
sellers than they could by regarding their
oath of Office. When the Sturgis law
was set to work they found fault because
it did prohibit. 1t has teeth, and those
teeth went to the very vitals. And when
the law did the work it was intended to
the liquor dealers and their friends rails
ed the cry of the great expense. said
it cost less than 1-2 cents for each per-
son; the fact is it cost less 1-2 cents
each, for the corporations &c. pay near.
ly two-thirds of the taxes and the indi-
viduals and their property pay about
one-third. If in some cases the Sturgis
law failed to give satisfaction it was be-
cause the municipal or other judges sid
ed with the rum sellers and let the of
tenders off with fine Now the judges
have no discretion in the matter The
laws were amended in 1909 in the case of
liquor nuisance and in the case of illegal
possession or sale, so that they now read
''fine and Imprisonment" So when a
judge fails to give Jail sentence it is
quite conclusive that he is in sympathy
with the rum seller rather than with the
decent law-abiding citizens. 1t is pleas
ant to know that there is municipal
judge that is above suspicion. believe
that Judge Maher of kennebec county
has sent more rumsellers to Jail in pro-
portion to the cases heard than any other
man in the State. W.. hear nothing but
praise for him on every hand, while for
any one of those judges who are letting
them off with fine we hear nothing
but deserved contempt 1t cannot be
that they have any idea how little respect
people have for them; if they did they
, would never dare to so outrage public
opinion. So for those who objected to