Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-15
Somerset Prohibitions; Cumberland
License.

ton of PROHIBITION EXISTS. The
towns and villages are free from sucf
scenes as are reported from Other
quarters of the State. and the citizens
are devoting themselves to their Vari
Gus callings In sober and dignified
manner, a credit to themselves and the
State, and at the same time casting
their influence beyond the borders OF
the county for moral welfare and the
upholding of prohibitory and other
laws
That is prohibition,
IN PORTLAND, state of IL
CENSE EXISTS. The Portland
Press says that in spite of law
which officials are especially en-
Joined to enforce, the law is openly
and VIGOROUSLY violated No effort
is made toward enforcing the statute
forbidding the sale of Intoxicating
liquors. Rum shops are doing bust
ness on every hand. There is no
pretense al concealment. The bust
ness is conducted almost AS freely as
a sale of groceries and dry goods.
Saloons are thronged with customers.
Scenes on the street. in certain quar-
tiers, are seandalous. Drunkenness
and brawling are frequent and in
creasing, as the police records show.
The public ways are infested with
idlers, beggars and intoxicated men.
In some instances, as ii has been stat
ed and not denied, members of the
police force have been stationed in the
vicinity of places where the Illegal
traffic was conducted, not to suppress
il or interfere with ii in any way. but
in a way to assist it, that is, to keep
the sidewalks clear and the crowds
moving. Meanwhile. the sheriff, the
mayor and the chief of police. are
silent and inactive. They do not lift
finger TO enforce the law. and when
asked why these things are so, the
sheriff and mayor smile and decline to
answer"
That is licensed
Ii means that the officials appointed
OF elected by the people, and who have
taken the oath of office to carry out
the laws of the State, have taken the
law into their own hands
These officials of Cumberland coun-
ty, where the Democratic party is now
giving an exact demonstration of Ii
eense conditions, are the license board
in defiance of the law and in violation
OF their oaths of office, and are show
ing to the people of Maine the differ
ence between prohibition and license.
Somerset eounty's sheriff and other
officers are demonstrating to the peo-
pie of Maine that prohibition does pro-
hibit, when the officers elected carry
out the provisions of the law, as they
swear to do when they accept the
charge and the remuneration from the
State.
Somerset county at the present
time is prohibition county. Cum
berland county, just now is a license
county to all intents and purposes,
except that the fees for allowing such
conditions TO exist are not going into
- nf he
We are convinced (and we have reason
to believe that large element of the
population of Cumberland and other
counties agree with us) that, the
money which would be derived by the
county under license law is going
INTO the pockets of officials who are
betfaying their constituents and yio-
iatfng their oaths in allowing such
conditions to exist.
II such officials are not receiving nav
fof their inactivity. then it is d
political move on the part of leading
Democratic officials for purpose, in
the fight over the prohlbitory amend
ment of the constitution.
Why such officials should deem II
advisable to give an exact imitation of
conditions under a license law in Cum
beriand county and, at the same time.
demonstrate the effectiveness of the
law in Somerset county, would be
more than we could understand were
IT not for the fact that there are
Democrats in office who will not pros-
titute the office and violate their
oaths.
We believe that Sheriff Mooers OF
Somerset county will continue to en-
force the law, and that if Cumberland
county had sheriff OF the same char
acter as the Somerset sheriff the
Portland papers would have no occa-
sion 10 bring such an Indictment
. gainsf their city.
We have been criticized for suggest
ing. as we did the other day, that the
present conditions In Portland were
brought about presumably under OF.
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