Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-11

i{them selves. Ninety-four esta dish
ments, including IL hotels, are H.
censed to sell Intoxicating liquors. ano
the hotels especially have been the
cause of much public scandal during
recent years. TWO or three of these
"hotels" are really such, while all OF
them exist largely by their Sunday
| traffic in intoxicating liquors when
| the saloons are closed and the men
| havI. most leisure for drinking. Sew
| eral months ago. on Sunday (between
| the hours of A. VI. and 9 p. Nj over
a thousand men We're counted as they
! went into a "hotel," which had no
DrODer facilities for furnishing meals
| and only a few rooms for lodging.
/ other "hetels" Were found which had
| no cooking apparatus in order, whose
| cook was always sick when called
| for. and whose menu" consisted of a
small quantity of pigs feet, old ham.
dried beef and nlouldy cheese. The
! Sunday dinner" consisted of a small
sandwich that had served many an
other customer and was dry and hard.
Several of the hotels gained bad
reputation as houses of assigna ton.
Bottled liquor was sold by these ho-
tells openly, on Sundays and legal holt
days, to be drunk off the premises
The police board sought to stlie eriti-
cism by its arbitrary acts and the Ii
ouOr laws Were declared to be served
better in the breach than in their
enforcement
In the spring of 1906. an aroused
public sentiment finally demanded the
removal of the board of police by the
mayor, after a hearing which revealed
sad state OF affairs. new board
was appointed without much I'M
proVement two of whose three mem
bers were removed IN the autumn of
1907. The two new appointments did
nct satisfy the hold-over member.
who Immediately resigned and an en-
tirnIy new board was appointed This
board, in turn. was removed after a
long hearing by the mayor (who was
both plaintiff and judge in the early
summer of 1863 The superior court.
to which the removed officials in these
three cases of removal by three diff
ferent MAYORS from 1906 10 1909, had
a appealed in this last ease refused to
support the action of the mayor. and
the present board of police was re-
instated. Five different officials served
in the brief interregnum in 1909, ow-
ing to the fact that two Of the last
appointees resigned after
brief service.
The net result of all these hearings.
charges and eountereharges. and the
removal of three different police
boards by three mayors in three
years, is that the screen law is we'll
enforced. and the number of hotel Ii
censes has been reduced slightly and
the liquor laws are not 50 openly vio-
lated. The hotels" are still more or
less Of a scandal. and some of them,
made careful by the numerous inves-
again begin To grow care
less and will grow more SO until pub
lie opinion is again aroused by their
fragrant violation of the law.
Mr.. Henry H. Faxon twho wrote
the preface to the, Laws of Massa-
eIiusetts in relation to intoxicating IL
luors) was doubtless correct when he
said that by n thorough enforcement
1f the laws IS per cent. of the rum
shops of the commonwealth can be
closed" A study of the crimes. the
health conditions of the charitable
md reformatory institutions in Low
I'll, reveals clearly that intemperanee
IS a great evil. and that the licensed
liquor establishments are unmitigated
suisances. The worst feature, per-
1aps is the utter lawlessneSs Of the
so-called hotels which do their
.hief business on Sundays and holi-
LAYS. seeming to obey the letter of
he law by setting a small sandwich
before the bibulous guest who does
1ot resort thither for either food or
odging. In all of these "hotels" the
Sunday dining room attracts scores
If the thirsty who are given to drink.
while but few guests resort for either
food or drink to hotel dining rooms.
The present board requested the '.ho-
tef' proprietors to close their Sun
lay dining rooms from 10 to IL O'Clock
IN Sunday, while the devout attend
ID church. It has been publicly
charged that the police force, other
wise efficient. has eyes, but, in VIC
ation of the liquor laws. sees not,
" lille the brewers and wholesalers APP
portion the licenses and the city cleo
ton frequently turns on the appoint
ment of the police commissioner.
But the conditions are such
that it seems difficult for the board
to enforce the laws with the brewers
and wholesalers pulling the political
string. the 1875 to $50 applicants clam
oring for the "a licenses. and the pub
lie Indifferent or careless until aroused
to some sudden spasm of reform by
the intolerable conditions.
These saloons and hotels bring IN
their train the brothel and gambling
den. the only escape from which is
an awakened public sentiment which
will vote for "no-license" in Lowell.
wear after year and enforce the vote
in the letter and spirit. The saloon.
the brothel and the gambling den.
seze men and women as they seek
to satisfy their natural desires for
refreshment and excitement in He
ultimate ways. These places are
usually poorly ventilated. are often
unsanitary. become breeders Of dis
case and disaster. and should be a.
tirely eliminated by an aroused puhii"
conscience.