Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1911-09-08
WAY DOWN IN MAINE.

WAY DOW y In MAINE.
Editor Wardwell Of the Pembna Pho
ncer- Express, one of the old-timcrS i'll
the state, comments on the coming pro
hibition election in Maine as follows:
This writer is a native of the old
state of Maine and is naturally much
interested in the contest now going on
there between the liquor interests and
the prohibition people and which will
be decided at the polls OH the llth of
September.
Prohibition has been a law in that
state for more than scvcntyfivc years.
There have been votes on the subject at
various times but the last time we
think. about fifteen years ago, it was
put in constitution by large major
ity. The fight at the present time is
to get it out of the constitution. The
statute law. which is in force to ear
~ out the provisions of the constitu-
ton. is not and never has been so dras
tic as that of North Dakota, as it
leaves it with the Judge at his option
to impose Imprisonment as well as fines
for infractions. The Maine law says
Z" fine or imprisonment, - while our
law says fine and imprisonment The
result of that law is that imprisonment
for illegal selling in Maine is rare, the
penalty being usually fine. Out here
we. know what that difference means
Saloon people are perfectly willing to
pay fines, in lieu of license, but "the
Jail is no place for gentleman.
There has, however, been a remark
able change in the old state during the
last fifty years. The population has
been changing, its business has been
changing, so that motives are very diff
ferent than they were in olden times.
Shipbuilding, fishing and farming were
the business of the people then, while
the northern part of the state was not
developed, being pine country in
which numbering was the principal in
dustry. Shipbuilding and fishing are
now but history and the lumber is
about all gone. The coast has become
a series of summer resident hotels. cot
tages and other resorts for the people
of the big cities little farther south.
The lake region in the northern part of
the state is also the summer home of
thousands Of fishermen and hunters,
who come to escape the heat of the
city and enjoy the recreations afforded.
The state has also increased largely
in its factories of all sorts of cotton
and WOODEN goods. and manufactures of
the same, owing to its many fine water
powers. 49,
In those. former years, summer tour
lists made hut small item in the years
business, while the factory hands were
to large extent of the native born.
Today, summer boarders are one of
Maine S most valuable assets, while the
factories are full of Greeks and Ital-
ians and other foreigners.
1t is this change that is doing the
most to make opposition to the old pro-
hibition laws of Maine. The summer
boarders who come from places where
there are no prohibition laws want their
wines, beers and stronger liquors and
the landlords and boarding house keep
ers want to sell it to them, while in
the factory towns and cities the foreign
element there all want free liquor. Pro-
hibition would prevent some of these
summer guests from coming to Maine
and other branches of business would
suffer that cater to the wants in other
directions. In the rural districts there
is no real change in sentiment. They
are opposed to any change in the laws
except to make them stronger.
There IS only one argument used in
the present camt align there as,',s; .ro.
hihition, as indeed It i. the only argu-
ment left for the liquor people, to wit I.
that the prohibition Law canno; be en-
forced, therefore it is better to license
it and control it in that way.
We have said this much, that North
Dakota people may understand that if
Maine goes against prohibition on Sep
TENDER 18th that it is not the cold
State Of Maine' that has done it, but
a "new State of Maine.'