The Republican journal., 1911-02-02
The Vote on Resubmission.
An Eloquent Letter from Frank w. Gowen.

To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL. If
our present legislature is to give US re-
submission, and it is claimed this is what
it intends to do, and we are to have
special election on one of the greatest
questions which confronts the people of
Maine, then certainly our citizens must
begin to bestlr themselves to action and
organize every school district in the State
against any repeal of our temperance
laws. Literature must be distributed,
State, county and town committees or
gained to arrange for public meetings
IN schoolhGuses, halls and churches, the
ladies of the W. C. 7. U. should arrange
to be represented at the polls, to serve
hot coffee and plead with our people to
vote to retain the prohibitory laws in cur
constitution; in other words, we temper
ance people have got to go into this cam
paign with every ounce of energy and
enthusiasm of which we are capable, and
If each and every man and womna who
is in any way interested to retain our
prohibitory laws will do this. there won t
be any question whatever about the re-
suits.
1t is easy for man to do things if
given a chance in life. but the world APP
pauds a man who makes his own chance
Tor success in life. 1t is easy for us tenn
perance workers to tell what ought to be
done, but the world will only applaud our
results. Napoleon assembled the Alps sill
ent and thoughtful, but he was not alone.
Being accompanied by powerful army
of well disciplined soldiers, as he was, he
drove the Austrian army out of Italy in
despair. So our temperance workers or
leaders like Rev. Messrs. Berry, Pringle,
Owen, Mrs. Stevens and others can't do
all the work in our coming temperance
campaign alone, but they will need the
help and assistance of every man and
woman who believes in good government
and that the hope, or rather the welfare,
of our State lies in the moral, social and
intellectual elevation of our people, 1t
! is unnecessary for me to take up space
in touching upon the evils flowing from
strong drink The criminal results of
the liquor traffic are not denied and it
lands to-day a criminal without a de.
fe nder.
Then why is this wicked and vile traffic
not overthrown? Simply because our
Christian and moral people care more for
party than they do for the great cause
of God and humanity. When the time
comes that there is more Christ-like
sympathy for those who suffer from
strong drink, and determination on the
part of the people to vote down every
thing that pollutes, then the liquor traf-
| fc, which is the greatest foe to civiliza-
ton, will be destroyed for all time, as
was the slave traffic in our land.
But speaking of our work in Maine, |
will say have addressed quite num-
Der of public meetings during the late
fall and early winter, and find consider
able interest among our people to hold
fast to the great principles of prohibi-
ton, and during my business travels
over the State l have met good many
men who have said to me that, while
they were not total abstainers, yet they
were opposed to opening up our State to
any license system and also to the open
rumshops in our cities, villages and
towns. During our talk have Impress
ed upon these men this fact, that total
abstinence is an individual matter while
the saloon is a question of government,
and there is reason why this class of our
citizens should now stand with the tenn
perance forces in retaining prohibition as
the settled policy of the State.
Truly, Maine presents a battlefield of
vital interest to every lover of humanity
and to those who desire to see here, in
this life, the intellectual and physical
ueVeloplIleHI Ol our people, linen let US,
as citizens of the grand old State of
Maine, which first flung to the breeze
the white and pure banner of prohibition
in all the world, pledge ourselves anew
in a vow of eternal vengeance upon the
rum traffic, which floods our State and
nation with so much misery and crime.
As l travel over the rugged hills and
mountains of our commonwealth and
meet the multitudes of noble men and
women who are working to keep Maine
in the prohibition column, can only say
"God bless every one of them in their
earnestness and zeal for great cause. -
For over half century the State of
Maine has been famous in all parts of the
civilized world as the home of prohibi-
ton, and earnestly hope and pray that
our State may never go back on its tenn
perance record. The State of Maine
oh, how love thee, and when die let
me be buried beneath thy dear OLD pines
Oh, stately green-robed pines of Maine,
Thy sunlit lakes Of shining waves,
Thy happy homes upon our hills,
God grant may never again be cursed