Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-15

nS HquOFs, are anu shall be forever
prohibited. Except however that the
sale and keeping for sale Of such lia-
uors for medicinal and mechanical
purposes and the arts. and the sale
and Keeping for sale OF cider. maye
be permitted under such regulations IS
the Legislature may provide The
Legislature, shall enact laws with suit
able penalties for the suppression of
the manufacture, sale and Keeping for
sale of Intoxicating liquors with the
exceptions herein specified" That is
Amendment to the Constitution of
Maine. The resolve before us pro-
vides for an amendment to the Con-
'stitution by abrogating and annulling
the 26th amendment adopted on the
eighth day of September, in the year
of our Lord, one thousand eight hum
dred and cighty-four relating TO the
manufacture ana sale Of Intoxicating
liquor.
Resolve. two thirds of both houses
or the Legislature coneurring, that the
toilowing amendment to the Constitu-
tlon oil the state be proposed. viz"
|. Tile Twenty sixth Amendment t.
The Constitution accepted or the eighth
lay "f "cptcn brr. in the year Of our
Lord, one tiousanu eight hundred and
eielEy-four. tlatii,g ;c Jlie nIanufac-
ture and sale If Intoxicating liquors,
is hereby ahrusated and annuli.d.'
Tkis resolve says, ty the way. the
Invent sixth Amendment" don't
know wnat that means; I assume ii
may he a clerical error. have always
known tais - the Fifth Amendment.
This Is tie situation. Mr. President
ana gentlemen, We are confront cd
here with n defiritc proposition to
| abrogatc and annul o certain amend
menf to tae Constitution of Maine.
We have known .his question 50 lont;
under tie title OF "Pesubtissinn, -
and have %roUfn SO familiar with the
! t1an5 argu ncntS fer ard against it,
! that We haze strayed a little, in my
| iudg1ren,, from the precise qceation
| tht ronfronts us. If this egislaturc
passes this rr;:nlvr in the form pre-
sented by the committee, then the
Legislature by tWo-thirts vote SOL
| eHnly ;le1lorcs that this amentlmo mt
! should be abrcgattd end aunulleG.
/ Whatever way he said here in argu-
| ment %, tie part OF any member OF
this Sci ate o: House in defining his
| position. tG" fact remains that il
This resolve unqualified by any other
statement. oaesrs TIE Legislature. 1t
| will He construed in the campaign
| II this state. and IL will be so herald
| I'd the nay following its passage. all
! over th's country and evervwhere. tha
people viii bc iniormed that the Leg
islature of Maine has recommended the
aunnhneat Of the prohibitorv amend
ment Of TIE State OF Maine
| Now. air. President, the legislative
| sit la;ion here as view it is this
| We have in this Legislature reflect
| ing the sentiment i'll this State. three
| groups of men; thfee views upon this
question. We hace first, the men in
| the Legislature. who like the senator
| from Knox. helievc that the prohib-
| itory amendment to the Constitution
| should he arnull.l and some other
method substituted. Those men con-
! sisteptly favor resubIIiission. We nave
| Il secorC group Of men in this Leg
| isiature who believe in the prohib
itory law; WHO believe that it should
remain N the Constitution, but who
| honestly believe that the best method
| fo- retaining it in tile Constitution fol
| mslring its enforcement is to resub-
| nit the question and allow the peoplt
to vote uIon H. We have in tbs
third place Il group of men Who ar
opposed to annul;ns the amendment
| AM are opposed IL resubmisSlon. be-
! cause, in their opinion. the people
| # the State do not want the amend
! ment arnullcd. and to resubmit it to
| them wolld b. i,erely To subject them
! % the ror. OF campaign that we all
know would end soon.
| At this stage Of the proceedings IL
is not com. .setent u offer ally amend l.
nent to this resolve, and the President
woul3 douLtless rule. If an amend
mant vas offered, that until some re-
port cf he committee We're accepted,
the resolve could not be amended. But
for tic sake of discussing the aues-
tion at once, win now read an
amendment ] wish TO offer to the re-
solve. assuming that the majority re-
port is accepted. ] shall offer II fof
tie purpose of giving each OF those
three groups oe men a Chance to rec
ord their especial IDEAS:
..iTVhcreas We believe il the rrin-
ciple of prohibition as cnb"ci"t III
tie so called Prohihitory Amendment
to the Constitution. and Yet recoe-
nize among the people OF Milne u
le,nand for the privilege Of voting up
On this question.
Therefore. .ur the purpose vi SN-
ing the voters of Mainc an opp"r-
tuoitv 70 register their opinion apoh
The question Of constitutional proiiiol-
tion, be it,"
Now. gentlemen, + submit that thar
amendment emboGies the view Of those
men in this Legisla ture. whether DEM
ocrats or Republicans, who favor re-
submission for the purpose of haVlhS
vote upon the question, but Who pe-
live in retaining the law in the Con-
stitution I submit, also, that it may
fairly represent the views OF those OF
us who oppose resubmission, beeaGse
from our noint of view. ii resuolnis-
sion is to pass this Legislature at all,
il ought to pass in this form. and not
in the form of a distinct. unqualified
proposition for the abregation Of the
safnendment. soy to YOU. gentlemen,
who favor rcsubmission for tie pur-
pose Of re-afirming the law. who be-
lievr in the enforcement of the law