Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-24
Editor S Letter Box

The inaugural address OF Governor
| Plaisted is, to say the least. one of the
sevcrest arraignments OF our Prohbitory
law ever delivered by any Of our chief
magistrates. lie goes much farther in
| his condemnation of the great principles
OF Prohibition than even Governor Wells.
| who Is remembered as cur rum governor.
| In his message to the Maine Legislature
| in 1856 Judge Wells Took strong ground
against the Pruhibitory law, then only Il
statute law, and denounced 1t because as
| he claimed 1t was at war with the very
element of civil liberty, but unlike our
present governor he had no feelings of
| disgust for the laws and did not claim,
as Governor plaisted claims, that 1t Is a
| law of hypocrisy and corruption. Gov
ernor Wells and his rum Legislature
steadily repealed all our temperance
| laws as our present Legislature is has
| tening to do. If possible. through result
mission and placed the state under IL
cense. but his triumph over the temper
ance forcers was hollow and short-lived
Alarmed at the dreadful increase of in
temperance and crime under license our
people voted Governor Wells and his
party from power. And now this same
old Democratic party in full control poll
tically Of our State affairs. will try to
trample US under foot again.
What stupendous political folly on the
part of the Democratic party Its posi-
tion on the rum question will bring about
the overthrow of Governor Plaisted as in
the case of Governor Wells and his party
over so years ago.
cfa vi I highly. 90
spect in many ways. and his party should
understand that this great victory in our
late political contest was not won Oh the
rum issue. but rather on other issues
vital to the highest interest of the State,
Wasn't there, / would like to ask. some
force in the party's campaign talk about
the State House ring. the increased state
expenses. the favor of our railroads TO
the state officials and members of our
Legislature as to free passes, the high
cost of living and their vigorous asser-
tons in our late campaign. that our
State treasury had been depleted and our
commonwealth on the verge of bank
rnptcy? Thousands of Republicans. a
large number of them strong temperance
men who had never voted for the Demo
Gratis before in their lives. voted to MAKE
Plaisted governor because they honestly
thought that the time had come for
change of political affairs in our State,
but if the Democrats believe that thous-
ands of our citizens whose votes last
September placed lem in power IN
Maine will now turn their backs upon thu
great principles of Prohibition and kiss
the feet of the unholy rum traffic they
hat-n ,nIn 10 he t,Isn .f nir
lives. desire to refer to some of the old
Kennebec county towns and compare
then. in rum days and now under pro-
hibition. Take the town of Readteld.
where was reared that grand man Hon
Lot N. Morrill,, WHO branded the liquor
traffic on the floor of the United States
Senate as the Gigantic crime of crimes.
and we find that under license and free
rum that town had seven open rum shops
at which were sold COO gallons of rum
annually, while today under prohibition
there is not drop Of liquor sold in Read
field for beverage purposes. The town of
Clinton had eight open rum shops under
license and free rum, but today under pro-
hibition ii has no open rum shops. Take
the town of Albion, which gave to the
world Elijah Lovejoy, the first abolition
martyr. who regarded the liquor traffic
as well as the slave traffic as twin relic
of bafbarism and We find it had six open
rum shops, while today under prohibit
tlon there are none. The town of Wayne.
named in honor of one of the most gal
liant soldiers that ever led men to battle.
had eight open rum shops and 40 notori-
Gus drunkards, but today under prohibi-
ha, Hn, ..l,. ii
no drunkards. The greater portion of
our farms were mortgaged and sold for
rum debts, but today under prohibition
over 50 per cent. of Names 600OO farms
are owned by the sober and industrious
men who till them. Whereas in the old
rum days in Maine the books of the gro
Ger in town after town showed that 333is
of all charges were for rum and whis-
key: today under prohibition there are
no such charges because our prohibitory
law has destroyed the distillery and
brewery and banished the wide open sa-
looms from our villages and towns, thus
removing the opportunity and temptation
to drink.
Our Governor has considerable to say
in his message about the rights of the
people and no one I am sure will ques-
ton his sincerity in this matter any more
than that of Burke whom Macaulay de-
clared was the greatest man since Mil
ton." when he thundered forth in the
House of Commons with all his eloquence
for the rights of the people in the Ameri-
can Colonies but would like to ask our
Governor what ne thinks liquor dealers
and their allies care about the people
of Natn &c ,iJ 80
our hateful prohibitory law If possible
through resubmission. SO they can sell
rum in Maine and get rich in this awful
business.
FRANK W. GOWEN.
Waterville. JAM 23, 1910.
uN,rEc 0c vLE noCcc