Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-28
THE LAW DEFENDED.
The Disproved Logic of Good Man
Who Was Mistaken.

iston SUM- once said: Those who are
not willing to remove prohibition from
the constitution show a lack of con
fidence in the people of whom they are
themselves a part" In this FIR But
Ter was mistaken. The real truth is
that "fhose who are not willing to re
move prohibition from the constitu
ton show a lack of confidence in
some people of whom they are them
selves not part" NO REAL GOOD
WILL COME TO MAINE BY RE
MOVING ANY OF IT'S SAFE
GUARDS No tie is stronger than its
weakest thread. and the liquor drinker
er bestows upon the liquor seller all
the money he possesses. the tie between
them breaks, and the liquor dealer has
what he wants ethe mans money! and
the liquor drinker has what he does
not want (misery of all kinds, and an
unsatisfied thirst for drink which he
has not the means to quench, and
which is never satisfied)
Neither FIR. Butler nor any other
man could truthfully claim that less Ii
quor will be sold under license than
under the constitution of the State OF
Maine as it now stands. FIR Butler
Sdlt lilt NlutSliuIl Is not soldll We
have prohibition, or not =" but the IN
MEDIATE question is Shall prohibi-
ton remain in the constitution or
not?" IF PROHIBITION REMAINS
IN THE CONSTITUTION, WE
SHALL BE MORE LIKELY TO
HAVE PROHIBITION THAN II
PROHIBITION Is TAKEN FROM
THE CONSTITUTION II prohibition
is taken from the constitution, we all
know very well that the ensuing re-
suit if not the IMMEDIATE result
will be the legaliZed sale of liquor in
the state of Maine, and the eonse-
quent legalzed commission Of many
atrocious deeds that would be aNefted
If the sale of liquor is prohibited and
the law enforced. If what is known
To have ruined many lives is not sane
toned by people who are deemed re
spectacle. (and Who because of their
self -believed-in responsibility and the
reputation for responsibility conceded
them by others. have an influence oVe-
the lives Of others) many who nov
are living good, pure lives will not be
ruined by having flowers streWn over
the pit into which they will fall TN
less snatched away from it by those
who better know the danger than do
they themselves
FIR Butler asked IF the majority is
not lit to deal With the question, what
assurance have we that the minority
is more fit?' A school teacher is
minority of one educating and better
ing class of from ten or less to one
hundred or more, and his or her minor
ity is an overwhelming majority be-
cause he or she has the sanction of the
law. In the same way, those who ask
for prohibition do so because God,
though one, is a majority because OF
His higher education and ideals and
power. AS to legaliZing the sale of
Intoxicating liquor we have no better
test of its value from religious
standpoint, than that given us by the
Saviour, to judge by the fruits or
known results of liquor. When you
see two men who have both drunk to
excess talking with each other intelli-
gently kindly. and unselfishly, YOU
may be sure that the power of God
has neutralized the poisonous effect OF
the liquor; and, when a man has pow
or enough over himself never to drink
| to excess, you may know that the pow
spirit which enables a man To retain
his mental and moral qualities at
their best. has some place in him.
But when you see man who deilD-
eratelv weakens the noblest portion of
the body which God has given him,
his mind, or one who is weakened by
| outside influences, or by acquired
weakness of control over his thirst,
4 q
| MERCY FROM YOUR GOD, Do NOT
| TEMPT HIM TO DRINK OR PER
| NIT OTHERS To DO so, BUT Use
| YOUR GOD-GIVEN POWER, YOUR
INTELLECT, AND YOUR GOD
GIVEN SPIRIT OF HUMANITY To-
| WARD OTHERS, TO HELP HIM RE
| COVER HIS STRENGTH TO RE
| GAIN HIS LF-CONTROL, AND
| SELF RESPECT, AND, WITH 1T,
/ THE RENEWAL. OF GODS SPIRIT
I WITHIN HIM WHICH HE pos
| SESSED IN ALL IT'S PURITY
! VIXEN AN INNOCENT CHILD.
| FIR. Butler said Eternal vigilance
| is the price of liberty" Very true.
| but there are various kinds of liberty.
| A liberty to be locked up in cell as
/ a criminal through drink is not Kind
| of liberty any thinking man Graves.
| Neither is a liberty to become sufil-
4 GENTLY intoxicated to injure ones self
| OF others desirable. Two methods oil
| avoiding this are suggested. one is,
| to throw away the laws so no man can
! he locked up from drink, and another
/ is to throw away the drink so no man
| need be locked up through liquor
| effects The difference in the value oil
1 the two methods is that when the
! laws are thrown aside the MAN Is
| RUINED whether he is locked up or
| not and when the DRINK Is
| LOCKED UP INSTEAD OF Til h
| MAN, the man is left free and unln-
! iured We do not see how anyone
| can deny this fact. IF THERE IL
| NO LIQUOR TO DRINK THE MAN
| WILL NOT GET DRUNK.
| If THERE IS LIQUOR, and the
! law permits its sale and man gets
| drunk. he is likely to be more drunk
| and oftener drunk than when the la"
| forbids it.
| If the effects of liquor were good
no one would DENY its sale at any