Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-08
PROHIBITION AND LABOR.
A Fair and Full Presentation of Facts by Mr..
Thomas ]. Lyons, Former Labor
Commissioner of Maine.

ply. YES, ORGANIZED LABOR ~
ON RECORD AS BEING IN FAVOR
OF REPEATING THE PROHlBl-
TORY LAW, BUT WHO MADE THE
RECORD, AND HOW WAS 1T
MADE2 About the time that the ac-
tive campaign against the law began
there appeared upon the scene a paper
under the title OF Maine Labor Ad-
| Vccate" The name deserves a better
! fate, and | have good reasons Tor be-
licving that the paper is masquerading
under false colors, fer instead of ad-
vocatine measures that have for their
object the uplifting of labor, it's edi-
torial and other space is used for the
benefit of the greatest enemy labor
| has TO contend against, the liquor in
terests.
This paper claims to be indorsed by
/ organized labor, but ii would be in
teresting TO know WHEN. WHERE
AND BY WHOM THE INDORSEa
MENT WAS GIVEN. The Advocate
also claims to be the official organ of
the Maine State Branch of the A. F.
of l.. 1 hesitate to question this tran
saction because i am not sure how
many it takes to constitute the Maine
state Branch when franchises Of this
kind are to be disposed of. Do
| KNOW THAT NO SUCH TITLE WAS
, CONFERRED BY THE C0NVEN-
ITIoN AND THE AUTHORITY Is
NOT DELEGATED To ANYONE
ELSE. The officers of the state Branch
| should demand that the use of this
official title be discontinued or explain
to the different unions of the state why
! they do not do SO.
l was very much interested in read
Ing in the Advocate of the degra ding
working conditions that exist in Ban
gor Laboring men working for SI00
and Sl.25 per day of nine hours, and
this the Advocate says. under prehi-
bition. This is d sample of the argu-
ments that are being advanced as a
reason why laboring men should vote
against the prohibitory law. Bangor,
where II IS admitted the saloons are do
ing business as openly and unrestriet-
ed rs in any licensed place in the coun-
try. This certainly is a boom for
Bangor and the labor organizations of
that city. What an object lesson for
Workingmen; open saloons without
number and wages S1.0O and SIPS per
day. This is a sample of the prosper
itv wofkingmen can expect to enjoy
under regulated liquor business. Lord
deliver US from such conditions
Another argument advanced by the
Advocate is in regard TO children
Narking in the mills, this too is
charged to prohibition! have no
doubt but what there are children
working in the mills. and | know that
an investigation will reveal the fact
that they are not there on account of
prohibition. nor. in many cases, as the
children of widowed mothers or To help
support other orphaned children
younger than themselves No. in too
many cases it is because of drunken
! fathers WHO give to the rum sellers
the earnings that should go TO buy food
and clothing for the mothers and chill
dren, and too often they squandor not
only their own earnings, but the pit
lance earned by their children as well.
The remedy the official organ .tdvo-
Gates for this unnatural condition is
! license. open saloons, SO that this spec-
inien Of humanity can have better IL
| quor. regulated by the referendum
\ great dead CT stress is laid upon
! the initiative and referendum. bat as
a matter Of fact the RESOLUTION
THAT WAS INTRODUCED. CON
SIDERED AND REPORTED To THE
CONVENTION BY THE COMMITTEE
| ON RESOLUTIONS DID NOT HAVE
| EITHER THE WORD INITIATIVE,
| OR REFERENDUM IN IT 1t read:
| Resolved. That we favor the repeal
of the prohibition amendment so that
the way may be left open for the enact
ment of such laws that will remedy
! the unsatisfactory conditions that now
exist" Ii was not until about the
time that the vote was to be taken that
a delegate suggested that the words.
under the referendum be added to the
resolution which was done. and this is
how it got there. So it appears that
| the promoters of the resolution did not
have the high regard for the corrective,
/ Influences of the referendum that de-
Veloped later. 1t has also been said
that the issue of license or no license
was not mentioned in the resolution
| While this may be technically true. [
do not think that anyone with average
lporeeptive powers would have to study
| tie resolution a great while before they
would discover that it was not drawn
in the interest of prohibition.
| If there was any doubt about the
meaning and intent of the resolution.
! il was dispelled ny the language of the
arguments that were used in the dis
cussion. The Cigarnakers had five
delegates in the convention, every one
of their local unions in the state being
represented. one of these delegates is
an officer of the Cigarmakers' Union.
HE came from Boston and without
/ doubt spoke with authority for his
union HE SAID THAT HE WAS IN
II STRUCTED BY HIS ORGANIZA-
#lpION To OPPOSE PROHIBITION At
tENERY OPPORTUNITY "Prohibi-
uon," said he. is detrimental to the eli
garmakers That should be taken into
consideration Because of prohibition
the Cigarmakers' Union has lost from
5000 TO 100 members. Under license
law our members prosper therefore we
want YOU to take the prohibitory law.
a miserable failure. out Of the book the
same as in other states" The aist of
this argument was. and ther we're
others a 1ono the same line that Wit In