Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-18
Dishonest Methods.

upon is simply choice between IL
eense or prohibition as policy. He
denies this and says that the real is
sue for the voters of the State to de-
termine is whether or not useless
and unnecessary amendment to our
State constitution shall remain in the
constitution.
Granted that the issue is not a
choice between license and prohibit
ton, Mr.. Mortland cannot deny that
the issue is between prohibition and
just as much of an advance toward
license as it is possible to bring about
at one move by the Democratic party,
urged on by the liquor interests. Just
how useless this amendment to our
State constitution is was shown last
winter when it stood between the peo-
pie of Maine and tie licensed saloon,
which Mr.. Mortland gives his readers
TO understand is not the object of the
Demorum assault upon the law.
Even the Hon. d. n. Mortland stoops
10 the same idiotic denuneiation Of all
those who oppose the liquor traffic and
repeats the arguments that have been
presented by the henchmen of the Rum
Trust everywhere in all recent years
He denounces the "olamorists for pro-
hibitory legislation and says they
dodge the issue, that they avoid it be-
cause they can state no valid reason
why such a provision was ever incor
porated into our constitution, or give
any reason why ii should be permitted
to remain He says :hey (these clam
orists") know that if this amendment
to our constitution should be voted
up or down, it would not affect the
statutory prohibitory laws. and unless
some Legislature hereafter should re-
peal the same such laws would be as
effective as they ever were.
How Enthusiastically downright dis
honest and pointless withal is this
stereotyped announcement that reInov-
ing the prohibitory amendment from
the constitution makes no progress
toward the conditions which the Rum
Trust consider ideal, If the liquor in
terests and the Democratic leaders of
Maine do not consider that they are
making progress toward the much
wanted license system; if conditions
are in no way changed so far as the
prohihitory law is concerned, why all
this fuss to remove the law from the
constitution? That is the most appar-
ent of all the dishonest, unreliable and
Intentionally misleading arguments of
the Rum Trust and its henchmen. Mr..
Mortland knows as well as do kenne-
bee Journal readers know, that it is
the intention of Democratic leaders in
league with Rum Trust agents and
from the statutes just as rapidly as
legal proceedings will allow. after the
law shall have been removed from the
constitution. This repeated declaration
that taking the amendment from the
constitution does not change the stat
utory law is as dishonorable as steal
ing. For MIR. Mortland or any other
man to play over this old Rum Trust
record on the Democratic graphophone
shows that they have no argument.
Disguise it all they may and twist
it as they will, there is no other pos
sible conception of the intentions of
the Democratic leaders of Maine and
the liquor interests outside of Maine.
than to do away with Maine laws as
rapidly as possible for the purpose of
increasing the liquor traffic and per-
feeting a more efficient control of the
elements which are banded in crime
and which the open saloon serves ss
a constant recruiting place. That is
what they are after, and be the man
Governor Plaisted or the Hon. D. N
Mortland, who gives expression to
such as the interview widely copied
in a Hearst yellow journal or the let
ter referred to above. they are work.
ing for the same common end
After the terrible scenes at Newark,
Ohio, on July 8. 1910. the most gifted
magazine writers in the country were
sent to Newark to study conditions
past and present, and to make plain
to the world the causes which had led
up to the terrible tragedies of that
summer day. Ray Stannard Baker was
one of these, and he writes so inter-
estingly of social life in the city OF
Newark for half a century previous
TO the rioting that his article in the
American Magazine for April, The
Thin Crust Of Civilization, is intense
~ fascinating. After describing the
wonderful natural resources Of New
ark and the surrounding country, such
axprai gas. extensive coal depos-