The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-08-31
Blood Hurnors
The Saloon Element in Politics

To THE EDITOR OF The JOURNAL: Constitu-
tional Prohibition has done more to rid this
State of the saloon element in politics than all
other laws combined. 1t is, in fact, the only
known remedy for the saloon evil in politics.
Not Insufficient, but the best ever tried.
If a majority of our people vote to strike
this great moral force out of our constitution
a liquor license party will Immediately spring
up in this State with its natural political
headquarters in the saloons.
liquor saloon is most natural place for
loafers, semi loafers and schemers to congre-
gate and talk politics. 1t is the place where
1.-THE boys" decide to vote for Tim and Mike
and O'Lord, because they will put up plenty
of good stuff" on election day. They all want
to vote for one of "our min"
As about ten per cent of the voters is gen.
orally sufficient to swing an election from one
party to another it is not difficult for an or
ganized saloon element to control politics.
If the rum element wins in this election the
very next election will be straight open fight
for license law, and every member of the
next legislature will be elected or rejected
solely on the ground of license or no license.
An out and out fight between license and pro-
hibition will always be on in every election
thereafter,
AS the constitution now stands it is no use
to elect a rummy to the legislature, and the
rum element has no interest in combining for
that purpose. But let down the constitutional
bars and there is no end and no limit to rum
in politics. All the license States are suffer-
ing from this curse, with the rum element SO
strongly intrenched in the licensed saloons
that the remedy is beyond reach.
Unlawful dives collect about them only
low class who have very little influence in pol
itics and the sneaking conduct necessary to
avoid the officers of the law is not good at
mosphere in which to talk over and plan poll
tics.
The high license saloon that brings together,
under political protection, safety and respect
ability, men of money and influence is an ideal
place to talk up and plan effective political
campaigns. The high license saloon is the
natural hotbed of political corruption, and
every voter should understand what he is vot-
ing for when he is asked to vote this great
moral force out of our constitution.
So long as every man can buy from the ad-
joining States all the liquor he wants, and the
express companies are ready and anxious to
bring it, it is useless to pretend or deny that
any rummy in this State has any shortage in
his supplies, and it is no use to pretend that
he is more decent or sober under Constitution
al prohibition than he would be under high
license or free rum. Prohibition leads the
more decent element to drink their liquor at
home and in seclusion, and keeps the dirtier
class more or less in hiding.
If Congress ever becomes decent enough to
grant some protection to prohibition States,
by enacting such interstate commerce laws
as will forbid, under penalty, all express COM
panies or other carriers from carrying liquors
into prohibition States, except such liquors as
are ordered by duly authorized liquor agents,
and to transport none into license States ex-
cept to duly authorized licensed dealers, some
progress might be made in closing up the
dives, both in the license AMI prohibition
States
The rummy express business is responsible
for about all the discredit cast upon our pro-
but in spite of this great handicap,
constitutional prohibition has made Maine the
cleanest State in the Union, politically and
morally, and vote to repeal it means vote
to put the saloon element into Maine politics.
c. S. GRIFFIN
Kingman, Me.