Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-04
Editor S Letter Box
Ways of LOOKING at It.

opiilC t'iiAte99 ltoit JItSlleHL iIODCIlS VI
Colby said in recent Introductory re-
marks at a meeting in Waterville ad-
dressed by Mrs. E. M. Lambert. He
is reported as saying: Il nave lived in
Waterville 20 years. and I
give you my word that | don't know
place where i could go. or where /
could direct stranger to go, to get
liquor. There is no doubt but that il
is for sale here but don't know where
l could direct a stranger
Now do not in the least doubt the
truth of his statement Il may have
been equally true OF all who listened
to him; but | doubt the, wisdom of it
just the same. The men on the street,
the young men under his care, the out
of town people, those who read that
statement doubtless said. ~ es. proba-
bly, President Roberts doesn't know,
but we do" Now why doesn't he
know 1T is because he belongs to a
different social order than the people
I mentioned. saying nothing about the
class who drinks? Is there no way for
man of influence and DOW er who be-
longs to the higher social order, to
learn of actual conditions How can
he make his influence count with the
ones who need it most, unless he does
know actual conditions thoroughly?
Now we are six miles from town and
l do not know, yet ! have undoubted
information of places in Waterville
where liquor is sold. the names of men
who are pocket peddlers. and of one
mother of boys and girls, who keeps a
kitchen par-room. President Roberts
or YOU or l probably could not buy
liquor at any of those places. yet to
state that fact is not meeting the is
sue before us. If it is still true thar
any man who wants liquor has no
trouble in obtaining it, if drunkenness
IS on the increase IN our State if our
present law is poorly enforced. then
1t seems to me that these are reasons
We should consider, and learn how to
meet and conquer actual conditions.
| heartily agree with President Rob-
erts when he says. prohibition at its
worst is better than license at its
best also when he says, Il like the
idea of the liquor traffic being driven
into a corner"
That is all right but he should have
gone farther than that. He should
nave said, let us create a public SEN
timent that will drive it even from the
corners. and let us have such a reyi-
val of temperance, such demand for
enforcement, that our officers will no.
dare to nulify the law. | believe this
could be done by men among men. in
fuencing them to the exercise of eiti-
zenship in the interest of good gov
eminent and clean municipal life
Speaking of course, if it is true, as it
Is claimed, that any man who really
wants liquor can get it th5re, | think
we have pretty broad and dirty cor
ner still To clean. If there is no hone
of better days, then what are we
working for? l believe that along with
an effort for retaining our present law
should go a demand for better eondi-
tons. 1t has long seemed to me that
some of our best temperance workers
III their public addresses, minimize the
evils of present conditions. by telling
how much worse they would be urder
license.
l think it is lodging the issue when
we are told that there are no omen
bars in Maine" The common peopla
are not convinced by such arguments
nor by President Roberts statement
that he would rather a young man
would go to dive than a gilded sa-
loon"
We have been told by-our leaders for
several years that we were not going
to have resubmission. yet sentiment In
ITS favor has steadily inerea sed until
now 1T is here. 1 believe we should
race the possibility of defeat in Sen
TENDER. "A campaign of public adj
dresses in churches to people already
in favor of prohibition, will hardly
save US our Jaw. President Roberts
said again Political conditions have
been ideal to what they would be II
the organized liquor interests had n
hand in the business" Does he mean
to say that the organized houor inter
ests have no hand in present political
conditions in Maine in regard to null
fication of our prohibitory law? Then
God pity us if they ever do.
Would it not be wiser methods to Sc
cure in this campaign an exposure of
existing evils, including The present
methods of the liquor traffic in Maine
especially in the line of influencing
legislation and creating public senti-
ment, and give these findings the wild
est publicity at the same time institu-
tlhs rally for general reform?
Ii we should lose our prohibitory
law, who would be TO blame? A man
SAID to me recently IF it is lost IL
VIII be lost by those who ere ready to
sell their vote to the highest bidder"
Is that true, do you think? If il is.
now can temperance people possibly
heip IT. l am not ready to admit that
unrlghtousness pre'lominates in our
state l believe that if our law is lost
II VIII be through the lethargy and in-
dli1erence of some of our best men.
They either do not see the necessity
Tor action on their part, or else they
are IDLY waiting for the ''other fellow"
10 take the lead Most good men would
De Wiling to put their influence on tho
flght side if some one else would lead
OH 1t is remarkable what a retiring
disposition some men have when it
comes to the work of reform.
What we need is a league of a hun
dred men in every city in Maine to
work for publicity Of actual conditions
and for reform