Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-20
Harmony and Truth.

Editor, Kennebec Journal
win you kindly publish the en-
closed open letter?
To the Biddeford Record:
In your recent editorial entitled
Not in Harmony" your statements
are mot in harmony" with each 9TH
er, and they are certainly not in
harmony with what / recognize to
be truth.
You state, THE saloon can't be
crushed by any process. 1t never has
been and never will be by prohibitory
laws. The saloon can, however, be
regulated by law. Local option Ii
Cense provides the best regulation yet
devised
Your remarks are a clever evasion
of the point at issue. and to an un-
thinking mind would bear semblance
of truth. The truth is that NO FORM
OF LAW in itself accomplishes any
thing. 1t is OBEDIENCE TO OR
ENFORCEMENT OF LAW that rem
ders safe and prosperous and happy
our homes and our nation.
While you adhere strictly to the
truth in the FORM of your remark,
iyop convey an impression entirely
contrary to the real facts. The exact
truth is that THE PROHIBITORY
LAW PROPERLY ENFORCED WILL
EXCLUDE THE SALOON FROM
THE STATE OF MAINE. If it were
Your intention to state that the pro-
hibitory laws will never be enforced
because they never have been, YOU are
again in error. because THEY HAVE
| BEEN ENFORCED AND WILLING
| LY OBEYED except in isolated cases
| where people of criminal instincts
have broken the law and incurred
penalty which in some instances has
not been inflicted. Because some
law breakers have through bribery or
the ties of family or friendship evad
ed the penalty, you have no logical
ground for argument that law break
| ing is the rule rather than the ex-
ception.
The right thinking people of Maine
do want the saloon. They do not
| want to have anything TO do with IT.
They do not want any saloon here to
| crush, neither do they wish to be
crushed by the saloon, or To have
| those whom they love and are try
| ing to guard from evil crushed BY
| it If there are no saloons IN the
| State. there win be no saloons TO re-
| auire regulation, and no expense MIL
| be incurred by the tax payers in
/ fruitless attempt to regulate them,
| Neither viii saloons then have an oP-
| portunity to regulate in Whatever
way they choose. the morals OF the
| Inhabitants of the State. Maine
fathers and mothers prefer to reg
| ulate" the morals of their own chill
/ dren through their love for and IN
| stipctive desire TO protect them; ana,
IF they. are God fearing, Godioying
| parents. they may be depended upon
| to instill into their children's minds on
lily such principles as, If Needed, VIII
| bring honor and prosperity TO those
| children. And even II true knowledge
| of God has been, through their own
| carelessness and disregard of its I'M
| portance neglected by the parents,
they are nevertheless surer judges and
| more sincere advocates of principles
| that will result in their children's hap
| piness and true welfare than would be
offered to them by any liquor seller.
| Regulation" is a form of law as
| truly as prohibition" and If one form
| of law cannot be enforced, another
| form cannot unless it is made TO suit
| the criminals.
| The saloon CANNOT be regulated,
| because permitting it's existence is en-
| trusting the fulfilment of the law TO
/ the lawless If law abiding citizens
CANNOT enforce the law, licensed
| law-breakers WILL not. And when
| there is no law to enforce, and none
| who desire to enforce it, what be-
| comes of the people who should be pro-
teeted but are instead left to the dis-
posal of evil minded people until such
time as a willing observance of what
| is right and just by all renders the eX-
istence or non-eXistence of laws i'm
material because the people of their
own volition do right?
The enforcement of prohibitory laws
| (Which IS POSSIBLE despite your be-
lief to the contrary will prevent the
| establishment of saloons. and. where
| the law is broken by their Illegal es-
tablishment. will enable the proper au-
thorities, BACKED BY THE AU-
THoRITY OF THE STATE, to close
| such Illegal saloons and punish the
| offenders.
Upon the snpposition that crime can
not be controlled. to legalize the crime
itself is neither law nor justice; and
the theory put forth as a principle OF
| government is one that we'll may ex-
cite the ridicule of the lawmakers of
any country.
AN ADVOCATE OF REASON.