Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-06
WaterviIIe's Disgusting Demonstration.

WaterviIIes Disgusting Demonstration
The people of Maine may thank
Heaven for the presence of honest men
| in every crisis! In the midst of the
deceit and moral depravity prevalent
I in the attempt to seat the Rum Trust
King in Maine. the attitude of men
who cannot be bought by liquor inter
est dollars nor swayoi by political de-
sires. means far NOR than We are
now able to estimate
| We have in mind tie object lesson
/ in the two counties Of Eennebec and
Somerset. In the former IS Waterville,
one of the prettiest, naturally cleanest
and best cities in Maine. 1t is the
home of the Democratic machine in
this state. There live Johnson, Pat
tangdll. Jones and Davis, and others
who are high in the counsels and in
| formulating the policies Of the party
and administration. And 1t is there
that these leaders have seen fit TO
demonstrate what they are pleased to
| term the weakness of the prohibitory
law" they are not only giving, every
day and every hour, Il demonstration
of lack of enforcement. but they are
making it obvious to every resident Of
that city that it is the policy of the
party 10 encourage and aid the rum
sellers and liquor interests as Well as
all of the buns and rummies of that
district to disregard and violate the
law in the most disgusting and dis
graceful manner.
y Waterville man, who does not
claim to be prehibitionist, who does
not intend to vote No" and who be-
lieves in giving every man his full
opportunity to secure alcoholic bever-
ages if he so desires, declares that
there are 400 places i'll the city OF Wa
teryilIe where intoxieants can be pro-
cured at the present time. This man
has spent his life there. has been ac
lively engaged i'll business and in poll
tics, has for years known of eondi-
tons there as Well as today, and an
nounees himself as thoroughly disgust
ed with this transparent attempt TO
fool the voters into voting against the
law because of disgusting conditions
made possible under the law.
This man declares that in the wide
open days of ten or dozen years ago
no one ever thought of placing the
number Of drinking-holes in Water
vile at above 40-or 30 at the outside.
Now he is convinced that there are 400
With friends, the other day. he count
ed 1903 places in one section of the city
and many of these places showing
the confidence and brazcnness of as.
surance
This demonstration is proving too
much for the elasticity of the public
gullibility. The most dense can see
the hand of politics and weight Of
Rum Trust dollars. A showing of the
failure of the law to prohibit is being
made. but it is overshown and public
disgust and disapproval follows.
This man makes the sharp point that
if Waterville conditions at the pres
ent time, the demonstration at Port
land before the Republican city mar
shall took affairs in hand, and the
Hanks fair showing of what Democ-
|racy considers as ideal for the State
of Maine, is an indication of what is
to come all over Maine, it stands the
people of Maine in hand to see 10 it
that they are not allowed the privilege
of establishing license, wide open sa-
looms, disregard of the provisions gov
eIning or pretending to govern the sa-
loon system, open and brazen defiance
of the law which they would create.
end all the disgusting, deplorable CON
ditions consequent upon such a sys-
TEN.
SO transparent and obvious have be-
come the violations of law in the home
OF Dictator Pattangall, who is accused
| of devotng the States time as attor-
ncy general to promoting the interests
of the license league, that honest Dem
ocrats. both there and in adjoining
counties, are yoicing their disapproval
| and disgust. Sheriff Mooers Of Somer-
| set county, went down to Watervilie
the other day. and expressed himself
| in plain terms concerning the disrepu-
| table method adopted by Democratic
| leaders to prove that black is white.
He told them that he was ashamed
and Disguised with the manner in
which they were betraying the public
confdence and violating the promises
which they made to the people before
election last year He reminded them
lof the manner in which they had gone
lup and down the State, pledging them
selves to economy and honest enforce
ment Of the law He pointed out to
them their absolute disregard of these
/