Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-11-03

organ which supports the doctrine t
the liquor interests, has denounee
conditions in Androscoggin count
with scarcely less vigor than tn
Journal. 1t demands cleansing e
civic conditions but believes the laN
cannot be enforced and hence shout
he replaced by so-called law pre-
pared and urged en- communities b.
the liquor interests. The Suns poliu
cal friends grin sardonieally and reit
erate that the people do not wan
the law enforced
From the pulpits of Androscogein
| Cumberland. Kennebec. Penobseot
and other counties come protests
/ against prevailing disregard Of law
and demand fer investigation ant
punishment of officials County an
municipal incumbents derisively re-
tort, the people do not want the la"
enforced
In the oranges the rural citizens
of Maine are voicing their disgust at
the administration persistent abuse
of the confidence of the people. The
administration ironically answers:
eThe people do not want the law en-
| forced"
The ". C. T. T., the civic League
the Y. NJ. c. A, the Christian En-
deavor. the educators, fiVe-siXths OF
the press of the state. and a large
majority of the law-abiding, liberty
loving. honest. intelligent citizenship
of Maine; these, all, express their re-
pugnanee at the brazen betrayal of
the popular hope and desire fer bet
ter things. And the Democratic lead
ers sarcastically encourage their
hencnmen and tools with; The peo-
pie do not want the law enforced"
Who are THE PEOPLE" in the
minds of the Democratic leaders and
officials who refuse to obey the law?
One must conclude that their no.
ton of the people" is of those classes
who predominate in the most wretched
sections of the cities and larger
towns; those persons who come from
foreign lands or from American cities
where the liquor interests frame the
laws and regulate" traffic in their
merchandise and human happiness,
that class of citizens who have no
moral responsibilities, pay little or no
taxes but whose vote is valuable and
purchasabe by the liquor interests
cheap politicians and few others who
have selfish motives or have been mis-
led.
When he was mayor oe Augusta
Governor Plaisted told the writer that
what the State of Maine most needed
was political overturn to cleanse its
politics He declared that the gener-
alton of absolute control by the Re
publican party had led to abuses and
ignoring of the laws intent that were
becoming intelerable. He declared
that the Republican administration
had gone on from good to bad. from
bad TO worse until it was simply rot
ten. Yet" he acknowledged. the
G. O. p. in Maine is not half so bad
as l should have expected ii TO be
after so long a reign. l am surprised
that it is not worse; the Democratic
party would have been unfit to live
after 80 years control
On the strength of such logic, and
his promises of better conditions un-
der the sweep of a new broom. the
people of Maine elected Republican
servants to stay at home, and re-
placed them with new officials pledged
to clean administration. business eff
ficiency and economy.
In one short year the Democratic
administration has outstripped even
the worst notification ever charged
against Republican officials in the
Pine Tree State. Not only the pro-
hibitory law has been made mockery,
but all the laws restraining vice and
immortality have been ignored by Ger
tain officials. And the disregard OF
legal provision to guard against crime
has not ended even there; il has eX-
tended to those statutes calculated to
prohibit graft, cheating and public
robbery.
The Secretary of State himself has
openly, deliberately and persistentiy
violated the law guarding the public
funds by prohibiting a public official
from participating. directly OF indi-
rectly, in any of the proceeds from a
State contract.
In the face of all these unanswer
able indictments the Democratic lead
ers and multiplying officials say:
'The people do not want the Law
| enforced"
POINTED PARAGRAPHS.