Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-05
A "Broa Minded" Friend of License

arguments he mas aDSofDeu boh' ''o
organizations literature. and seems
wholly incompetent to go beyond that
which is being widely circulated by
the rum press of Maine a the present
time. Among other things, this writer
saws: what is local option" and goes
on to answer himself, as follows; 1t
means having liquor to drink where
public sentiment is for it. and not hav
ing it where public sentiment is
against it, If any town or city wants
liquor sold, or does not want it sold, it
votes accordingly. and any city or
town can say where, by whom. and
under what conditions liquor shall be
sold. and make such other rules and
regulations as its citizens think best |
This is local option.
Local option is nothing of the sort |
Local option is the perfected arrange
ment of INSCRIPTIONS outside interests
who not only defy and violate all 9TH
er laws of a state or community where
they gain a foothold, but who soon
take the control OF the legislators from
the people local option law means
having liquor to drink where public
sentiment is against it. If any town
or city wants liquor sold. or does not
want it sold, it votes accordingly. and
then the liquor trust goes ahead and
violates it's laws. rules and regula-
tions, where and when it pleases. and
the people who have voted are help
less.
The writer goes on to say: Under
the prohibitory law, instead of the
residents of a place saying who shall
sell and where as under local option.
things are different. but liquor is sold"
1t is very true that things are differ
ent under the prohibitory law than un-
der local option. because under prohib-
itory law communities have only to
contend with the Illicit traffic which
goes on under constant menace of the
law; while under local option they
have the legalized places, plus the ILL
cit ones.
Again the writer says: Il think it is
time for all thinking prohibitionists
and all law-abiding citizens to want
some other remedy, for the prohibition
remedy. after its long trial. has proved
failure. and if we are not narrow
minded, we should want to try some
other way
our broad minded" friend seems not
TO be broad minded enough to discover
the difference between what he is
pleased to term (parrot-like, after the
rum trust) prohibitions so years of
failure" and the thousand and more
years of failure and curse of liquor
selling The intelligence of the world
stands aghast at the failure to control
the liquor evil. For generations the
worlds greatest leaders have been
fighting it. and yet it goes on, and in
every community where it gains
foothold, under the approved plan of
the great liquor manufacturing insti-
tutions. there it increases day by day
and all its influences and forces are
combined to extend its territory. No
method of combating the evil yet de-
vised has been so successful in check
ing its progress as has the prohibition
law in Maine. The Pine Tree State
has proved beacon light for the rest
OF the world, for half a century. and
the broad minded" gentlemen who
continue to assail the Maine law. but
show their disregard of moral purpose.
their ignorance of predestined advance
and their opposition to the laws of
God and better manhood; are but APP
ing the manners and quoting the words
that are given them by Old Split Hoof
himself, disguised as the National
Wholesale Liquor Dealers Association
and the Wholesale Brewers Associa-
ton of the United States Some men
are prone to plume themselves upon
their broad mindedness when they can
see across glass of liquor and read
clearly the instructions and regua-
tions laid down for them by the, rum
trust
Our broad minded" friend conclud-
ed his letter with the following. which
looks suspiciously natural to anyone
having the reading of the up to- date
rum trust literature. He says: Local
option. / believe will do much to stop
pocket peddling and the selling of
/, liquor by unprincipled people who are
willing TO sell to boy or girl and will
put the selling of liquor into the hands
Of better principied people, and under
public notice. and SO less harm will be
done to young men, and thus Maine
would pc better governed State, and
thsffc5e better State in which to
live"
Tha ,neainp sentence OF our broad