Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-24
THREE GRAND TEMPERANCE
ADDRESSES BY DIR. CRAFTS.
Irefutable Arguments and Proofs That the
Prohibitory Amendment Should Be Re-
tanned in Maine COnstitutiOn--Tea
Audiences Endorse Speaker.

/ time in TINS country and other ands,
fer y years past. He has mace 1t
a point To go TIE rounds of the ga
looms in most of the Is cities month
which he is accustomed Ia visit, and
gave The following reasons why Maine
should vote a no" heard around the
world on September II. to the pro-
posal to repeal its constitutional pro-
hi itien.
First. putting prohibition into the peo-
pies own law. the constitution. is in ae-
cord with the greatest world movement
of the age, that which is to modify the
House Of Lords in England because of
their despotic action in the interest of the
liquor dealers. in whose business they
own many stocks. 1t is the same move
ment that has given China the last of
the civilized nations. a parliament has
shown itself in insurgency in this coun-
try. whose great fundamental principle
is that matters which are likely to be
corruptly death with in legislatures, be-
cause of the vast brihes that vested in
terests can pay. should be put where the
people can control them=either in the
constitution. if the matter be one that is
well settled, or, if newer proposition. IN
the referendum
The talk in this State about not trust
ing the people, misses the mark. Every
thing which the people cannot trust to
iegisla lures and corrupt Hobbies, should be
securely fixed in the peoples own law.
and no other can change it.
Another reason for voting no is one
given by leading New England sena-
tor at Washington. that the New Eng
land people are not going to proclaim
themselves to the world as having been
darn fools for so years The young vot
err who is about to cast his first vote
against prohibition may we'll consider
that 60 years in State like Maine, of
settled policy, means something.
Another reason for voting not given by
prominent Maine congressman is that
the people, and often the better politi
clans of Maine, do not wish to have the
liquor question put where it can be
taken up every year by the Boston liquor
dealers and become the ineessant domi-
mating question in every years cam
paign
Another reason given by young man
of Portland who has noted the many vio-
lations of law at that point is that he
want prohibition repealed. and he thinks
it is pretty safe to find out what the
liquor dealers want and then go the other
way. The main argument. apparently.
relied upon for repeal is that there are
many speakeasies in the state. but it
has recently been shown in Congress. by
Congressman Miller of Kansas. that there
are more speakeasies in the one high
license state of New Jersey than in both
Kansas and Maine
The theoretic argument that a liquor
dealer with a thousand dollar license Will
not allow speakeasy. falls to the
ground. No man has prosecuted a speak
easy simply because he lives in a glass
house as a lawbreaKer and cannot afford
to throw stones Those who think it
conclusive proof against prohibition that
they can name certain places where ille-
gal liquor is sold win do we'll to try
another hunt and to find model law
abiding saloon, and now that the model
license league of liquor dealers confesses
that saloons are mostly lawless they will
find that there is not one model licensed
saloon that they can show for all their
work.
The great point in prohibition is that
it refuses to give legal standing on its
principle streets to men who make it
their business from morning until night
to induce others to drink. 1t is absurd
to say that as much liquor can be sold
in back alleys attics and cellars as in
the best shops now occupied by better
business. The man who believes diligent-
~ worked by the liquor dealers that
ry than in license IS certainly a hopeless
case. That involves a belief that the
liquor dealers are such philanthropists
and so anxious to be law abiding that
they would rather pay license and sell
less liquor than now