Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-11
is LIQUOR SELLING A CRIME?
How Shall 1t Be Suppressed? Alfred
Man Presents UnansWerable Loaic,

How Shall It Be Suppressed? Alfred
Man Presents unanswerable Logic.
What is crime2. Webster's Dictionary
says "A violati6m of law. divine or hu-
man" The standard Dictionary saws
AN act that subjects the doer to legal
punishment"
is Liquor Selling a crime according to
above definitions? The Scripture says.
Woe INTO him that giveth his neighbor
drink" l believe that the law of every
one of the United States Furnishes in
some form. the seller of intoxicating liq-
uor The same may be said of many OF
the civilized countries in the world. VIII
any one in the business or out. claim
that selling intoxicating liquor is not 4
crime?
If it is a crime is Ii like other crimes?
There seem TO be. two classes of crimes
In the first class. like liquor selling
adultery and prostitution. the victim
and the criminal unite in concealng the
crime. In the other class, the victim
usually helps to expose and punish the
criminal. The law treats both classes of
criminals alike 1t may be said that the
rumseller would not hurt anyone if he
kept away from him. The same may be
| said of the gambler and the prostitute.
but the law does not recognize any diff
ference. 1t Furnishes the gambler and
| the prostitute the same as the thief and
| the robber Now if rumseling is a
crime why should it not be treated like
other crimes?
We have a long list of crimes-murder,
theft, arson, highway robbery, gambling
and many others-and the law treats
them all alike. We don't hear anything
about moral suasion, legal suasion, pro-
| hibition, local option, high license, low
| license Bangor plan, or Pencil plan
What should we think of a speaker or
writer who should persist in discussing
| the question as to whether 1t is best TO
suppress murder, theft, highway robbery,
| or gambling by prohibition or by license?
| Shouldn't we call him crank? Every
| one would say that he was a candidate
| for the Insane asylum. So far as l know,
no single person in the whole United
States favors or thinks of favoring Ii
| eense, high or low, of any crime in the
whole list of crime known to our laws
| except rumselling. AS far as the crimes
| just mentioned are concerned every one
| of the hundred million persons in the
United States are prohibitionists. There
| is not one single advocate of license. II
| we should say to this one hundred mil
| lion persons, every one of whom is SO
positive that prohibition is the right way
| to suppress every crime, except one,
| why are you so prejudieed in favor OF
| prohibition? Don't you know that prohi-
bition don't prohibit? Don't you know
| that during the past year 1915 murders
/ were committed in this country
| What is worse still, the number is In
creasing. The number the year before
was 800 less than last year. and what is
| worse still only one in Sc of the murder
ers was capitally punished.
| Just think how much lying, hypocrisy,
| corruption and expense there must be
connected with such a prohibitory law.
Just think, also, how SO much non-en-
| forcement brings all law into contempt.
| The whole world has in all the past tried
| to suppress murder by prohibition, and
vet see the result Eight thousand nine
hundred and seventy-five murders in the
| United States alone, and only one in y
| capitaIly punished. Wouldn't it be better
| to repeal the law prohibiting murder and
| try high license? We have been trying
prohibition for all time on all crimes eX-
eept rumselling and how does il work?
We have more than 10000 persons in
prison all the time and more than 500 600
persons are committed to prison every
year. Just think of the hypocrisy, lying.
deception and expense. and still crime
does not decrease. Statistics prove that
only one out of rs or 80 murderers are
eapitally punished and it is probable that
more than one out of the same number
of other criminals ever get into jail.
If so there are more than 100000 Grim
inals in this country most of whom are
never punished Surely prohibition does
not prohibit Isn't it time we try high
license. local option, or something to stop
so much crime2 No advocate of the IL
cense of the liquor traffic can object to
the above reasoning, because il is the
very reasoning they have been repeat
ing over and over until we are tired and
sick of it. Prohibition does not prohibit
Prohibition cannot be enforced Law vio-
lated every day. hypocrisy, lying. corrup-
ton, unfaithful officers, reinforcement
brings all law into contempt. NO friend
of the saloon, and no person sympathiz-
ing with the saloon. can bring any pos
sible reason why the saloon should not
be licensed that will not apply with equal
force In favor of licensing these other
crimes. Can any person in all the world
give any possible rea son why all the peo-
pie in this country are continually talk
ing about prohibition, local option, high
license, low license. in connection with
this gigantic crime of crimes, but never
mention these in connect.on with other
crimes of the same kind and of equal
magnitude?
q. c. JORDAN.