The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-08-24
Pro-License Misrepresentation

To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL: The
Biddeford Record, Portland Argus and
Waterville Sentinel are publishing quota
lions from Gov Wilson of New Jersey,
VIM J. Bryan, ex-Gov. Cobb, and Judge
Hall of Augusta, as condemning prohibi-
ton and supporting local option. None
of these alleged utterances are dated,
but an expression in one of them shows
that the event referred to was q years
ago Three of these quotations were
accompanied by large cartoons of the
authors, and one of those newspapers
prints several of these misleading quota
tons daily. Instead of these garbled
and misquoted utterances, let US have
the exact and dated statements of these
four men.
Governor Woodrow Wilson of New
Jersey said on August l, 1911: 'It dis
tresses me that such use should be made
of my views with regard to New Jersey,
by the Waterville Morning Sentinel. :"
On July 6, 1911, he wrote to E. W. Grogan
of Byers, Texas: 81 believe that for
some States Statewide prohibition is
possible and desirable, because of their
| relative homogeneity, while for others I
think that Statewide prohibition is not
practicable. | have no reason to doubt
from what know of the circumstances
that Statewide prohibition is both prac-
ticable and desirable in Texas
William j. Bryan, exploited by the
Portland Argus as advocating local op-
ton and opposing prohibition q years
ago, said on May 26, 1911: ga saloon is
a nuisance; its influence for evil cannot
here be confined to the building in which
it is conducted any more than can odors
of a slaughter house be confined to the
block in which it is located" "Any
unit, however small or large, should be
permitted to rid itself of the saloon, or
place restrictions upon the sale of liquor,
according to the will of the majority
the larger unit controlling the smaller
whenever the larger unit desires greater
restrictions
Ex-Gov. Cobb, persistently misrepre-
sented by this license trio as being op-
posed to prohibition, said on July Is, 1911
he did not remember making the state
ment they quote, and added: $50 far as
my personal views and proposed action
are concerned, or may be of interest,
intend to vote in September for the re.
tention of the prohibitory amendment
and shall do this because believe that &
vote to that end is the best contribution
can make to the moral, social ale
economic welfare of Maine"
Judge Oliver C. Hall, on April 26, 1911
said Tin the same utterance from which
his garbled and misquoted statement.
were taken): 81 am more firmly con
WINGED than ever that absolute prohibi
ton of the sale of Intoxicating liquors
excepting for purposes regarded by the
people as necessary, is right. There cal
be no other logical conclusion "Any
thing short of the absolute prohibition
j NY law VI So INDUSTRIOUS d pubic eVll IL
utterly inconsistent with the purpose ane
aims of civilized soclety-its moral we'll
being"
The turpitude of these misrepresenta
lions specially appears in the Biddefort
Records use of Judge Halls utterance
which is adapted by wrestling it from The
context, emitting words at the beginning
and end of the sentence and supplying
seven words which were not there.
The Argus has quoted ME as saying
81 do not believe in bringing these pro
fessional reformers to Maine to preacl
prohibition or temperance, and to tell III
what we should do | never uttered
word of that statement. Their repre-
sensations that l criticized some of tn
temperance speakers from outside o
Maine and that there is disagreement il
the Civic League are equally false.
H. N. PRINGLE.