Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-25
Editor S Letter Box
Inconsistency of Well Known Men.


Inconsistency of Well Known Men.
Editor kennebec Journal:
| heartily endorse your criticism of
Mr. Gardner and of Lyman Abbott,
When MIR. Gardner was Master of the
State Grange he was emphatic in his
condemnation of resubmissiop The,.
he did 1t because resubmission was
unpopular among the farmers and in
order to hold office man must he on
the popular side. Now Mr.. Gardner
has got into politics, and resubmission
is popular in his party, hence he must
uphold it, | do not believe he has re-
eeived any more light on the subject
then he had when State Master, but
the point of view is different What
would do lie the Grange will not do in
politics, hence Gardner says he has
known for years that liquor was sold.
and never took any measure to stop 1t.
Ii is said that the partaker Is as bad
as the thief. | wonder if this will ap-
ply to those who have knowledge of
the sale of liquor, that they are as had
as the one that sells it If they took no
measure to stop it. / will say that l
never knew of a case of the sale of IL
quor or cider that | did not take meas
ure tc stop it and always succeeded.
and If Mr.. Gardner does not do the
same he has no right to complain
that the sale of liquor is not stopped.
TIE Savior used to call such people
hypocrites and do not suppose things
would look any different to Him now
than they did then
All the trouble now is that there are
so many men % that dare not act up
to what they pretend in their princi-
pies Some will say: Il do not want
| to complain of my neighbor" | never
| khew that rumsellcr came under the
definition Of a "neighbor" and [ do
| not believe that any decent man will
| be proud to call one his neighbor
| Lyman Abbott lives in an at
| mosphere of license: both parties In
| his state are pledged to license Prob
| ably the largest payt of the informa-
| ton that he gets of conditions in
| Maine. he gets from the enemies of
| prohibition. If he happens to colpe TO
| Maine he stops one night at a hotel
that sells liquor on the sly" and they
| tell him that 1t is as bad here as it
| is in New York In an editorial in
| the Outlook" April, 1910. DR. Abbott
| said that liquor was a public source
of poverty. disease and crime" What
| can we think of a man that wants to
license that which he admits is the
greatest cause of the worlds three
| greatest burdens
| Or. Abbott is one Of the few men OF
| his profession that is mistaken Just
as a few ministers were mistaken
| about slavery so years ago. And he
will not have TO live many years be-
| fore he will be as strong an advocate
| of prohibition as a large majority of
our clergymen are. One could not
| find 4 minister after the war that
| would call slavery divine institu-
| ton" Neither cen we find one In 10
years from now that will uphold IL
cense. It does seem strange that
preacher of the gospel can be so in
consistent as to uphold what God has
most emphatically condemned. For He
says; Cursed be he that giveth his
neighbor drink
our big men are not infallible any
| more than the little ones. A few 5'ears
ago President Elliot WAS denouneing
prohibition. Now he says total absti-
hence is the only thing. Let me quote
from an editorial in the outlook of
Oct. q. 1910. to show that DR.. Abbott
can be as inconsistent as the little
man:
The sympathies of the Outlook are
with free trade. We need not fear la
Dor competition with Christendem. In
sorle cases American wages would
fall. in other cases American man1fac-
lures would cease Oriental wages
would rise a little; American wages
would fall a great deal The Outlook
believes that America has no more I'M
portant task than to convert wage
earners into profit sharers; that il
can do this (sic) only by increasing
large wages and shortened hours"
Consistent is IL not? We believe in
free trade: free trade lowers wages.
slightly in some cases, largely in 9TH
ers; and it will destroy some kinds OF
| manufactures. but Americas greatest
task is to create large wages, which
cannot be done under free trade.
This is about as consistent as it Is to
try to inoculate temperance and So
briefly in a nation by placing free rum
and cnticing liquor advertisements be-
fore the youth of the land.
C. E. SMITH. Thorndike.