Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-25


lieye there is more graft connected with
the licensing of saloons than In all other
municipal department: lccmbjned III
there is to be any option at all, it should
be between prohibition and the right to
sell without license fee, by any one. who
conforms to III. regulations governing
the sale, so that the poorest man may
have the same opportunity as the one
who can pay II large SUN for license
judging frem tile best information / can
obtain the prohibitory laws of maine are
not violated any worse than the license
laws of Massachusetts. New York. or
Ohio, believe the sale OF alcoholic -
quors as beverage is wrong in principle
and therefore should be prohibited.-i<
u. Gray, Banker, Madison. July Is. 1911.
After having lived in Maine for over
80 years. under both license and prohibit
tory laws, ] do not hesitate 10 say that
believe prohibition is far better for the
cause of temperance and tae genera in
terests of our state than license in amy
form. To my own knowledge there has
been, and is less than tenth of drunk
enness and It's attendant evils, since the
enactment of prohibtory laws, than
there Was under license, before that time.
Even the failure of officers of the laws to
perform their sworn duties, has not
afforded opportunities for one tithe of
the liquor traffic that was formerly the
bape of both the country towns and the
cities of Maine. Now ii is confined al
most entirely to our larger manufacture
ing towns and cities | trust, and believe
that a decisive no" vote on Sept. 18th
viii retain the prohibitory amendment in
Our State constitutional. W. LORD,
T~inc Mfg. Co. kennebunk, July L. 1911.
litlYe lived III the city Of Portland
very" many years under the prohibition
law and from ebsefvanees of the work
of license states in other communities
and the contrast of conditions in those
places with those in this city. | believe
that. prohibition is the best method of
controlling the liquor traffic While | am
strictly in favor Of temperance, | will not
say that prohibition entirely stops the
sale of liquor because We all know that
it does not. but ! do firmly believe that
the prohbitory law does prohibit to
great extent and that We're licensed laws
introduced in this State the amount of
Intoxicating liquor sold and consumed
and the amount of drunkenness would oe
;-teatiy increased / do not think that
1he sale of intoxicating liquors, which is
productive of nothing but evil results.
should b. sanctioned by the state and
placed on par with other universally
recognized legitimate, upright respectable
bustnfas-Geo. T. Springer. Jeweler,
Portland. July Il, 1911.
l have not the time to give. nor you
the time to read all the reasons that [
have for believing that the present pro-
libitorss law should be retained. but will
give the one reason that occurs 10 me
first There are I'm this thriving manufac-
turing town of 900 population, upwards
OF haifa dozen actual or reputed Illicit
lcuor sellers, probably not larger pro-
PORTION than there are in other towns of
like size. Advocates o. license point to
this and say that it shows the fallacy of
prohibition. If prohibition was over
thrown and license put in its place,
and if the town should vote TO license
several saloons. but portion of these
Illicit sellers. if any would be licensed.
No person acquainted with the conditions
and the habits of these Illicit sellers be-
lieves, for moment that any one Of
them would retire from tue business for
the reason that he was not licensed. We
would have the licensed saloons plus the
unlicensed dives.-Geo T. Hun. Editor
Eastern Gazette. Dexter, July Is. 1911.
THE principle of prohibition of the sa-
loon In Maine should most certainly be
retained ! believe this, because by busi-
ness requires my travelling from place to
place. l.. have noticed the condition in
my OVID city since the saloons have been
allowed to sell liquor. / have
seen groups of young men under
- years of age hanging around rum shops
not knowing what they were saying and
only waiting for someone to say, Let's
have another drink" | can see great
differences. No crowds full of booze
hanging around but people going quietly
about their business. sober. one pros
porous business man told me within a
month that lie came to Maine because
there We're no saloons; for he used to
spend 500 of his wages for liquor |
have no doubt that u large portion of the
working class would spend a large part
of their wages for liquor. if we should
have saloons open ana handy for them.
going and coming from their work, which
would directly affect the butcher and
grocer Being wholesaler my business
would suffer. ] shall vote for the reten-
ton of the prohibtory amendment
Arthur L, Craig Commercial Traveller,
Portland. July Is. 1911
firmly believe in prohibition and the
efficacy of the prohiBitory law as the best
method of controlling the liquor traffic.
l do not believe in the sale of liquor in
any form | believe it's use is harmful
and destructive to the individual to the
home and to the community. There has
never been anything of good resulted
from the licensed saloon and nothing of
good can ever be produced by an insti-
tutioH1 which is conducive to nothing out
evil Influences and which is repugnant to
the church and to all who are striving
for the uplift of humanity and the ad-
vaneement of Christian morals. believe
that 1.-THE sale of Intoxicating liquors is
wholly wrong and that as such 1t should
never. be licensed, sanctioned or protected
by the law of the State any more than
anysotlier crimes which the law prohibits!
Our present prohibitory law was placed
in the constitution by the people over a
half century ago and l believe 1t should