Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-04-28

anee will supply the thirsty in Maine
if every saloon be closed. II is very
evident that the drink habit is an evil
requiring more than the sheriff and
police officer to extirpate The agency
of law must be used of course, but is
worse than futile if the more effective
moral agencies are neglected
A prominent temperance advocate
recently declared in an address, that
the consumption of Intoxicating liquors
in this country has increased in a
generation from five gallons to 29 gal
Ions per capita. This is rather dis
eouraging if true although the esti-
mate is not limited to Maine. 1t
seems clear that the law is but a one
armed protector of the people against
the great destroyer" Evidently too
much reliance has beer placed upon it
to the hurt of temperance progress
to the almost total neglect of moral
and educational agencies of reform
Forty years ago there was a strong
and helpful temperance sentiment per-
vading the State. There were at least
three active and Statewide total alb
stnence societies. They included an
immense army of pledged men and
scores of local societies. This kind of
work has nearly ceased There is an
active woman's society, but MEN are
in far greater need of the pledge
They and not women furnish the prof
its of the grogshops. They are the
other party To every sale and swift
to protect the seller The traffic will
never stop until the number of buyers
is leSsened and that cannot be effected
by law alone. Legal must be supple
mented by more active moral means
to make either reasonably effective.
With a strong abstinence sentiment
and enough officials of character and
adequately paid for their services,
much may be done to break up the
traffic in this state, but reliance on
law alone. or mainly. under present
conditions will continue disappointing
AS to the penalties Jail or fine, d
Jail sentence is a more effective de-
terrent in some cases than a fine It
depends upon the character and cir
cumstances of the party and the evil
dence. There can be no question how
ever that the certainty of imprison-
ment makes prosecution and conviction
to the higher class demand for Ii
quors more uncertain. In no class of
prosecutions is it so necessary that
the court should have discretion as to
sentences.
I'm the last Is years some 20 or more
| liquor sellers have been driven out Of
| the business in Kennebec county
| through prosecutions and stiff penal
| ties, as I have reason to believe. But
| in many if not most instances they
have had successors either at the old
stand or near it, who are not so sem
sitive as to the nature of the penalty
and are willing to assume the risk of
| conviction. They go cheerfully to jail
and at some subsequent term of court
a new party is presented" as the
| proprietor of the saloon of the late
| jailed proprietor Sellers may come
and sellers may go, but the rum flows
| on forever, like the brook of Tenny-
| sons lyric. With others q stiff fine
with a Jail alternative is equally eff
| fective 1t also has the advantage oil
reimbursing the county treasury in
| part at least for the direct and in.
direct costs and loss effected through
the liquor traffic. Most men who nov
descend to rumselling are not sensi
tive about a few months in jail. They
part with their liberty for 30 or s.
days with less compunction than will
their money. Hence a stiff fine il
nuisance convictions with a long iai
sentence in case of nom payment, Il
the most effectual penalty when APP
piled to them. For this reason it wa.
a mistake to amend the nuisance stat
ute by reducing the alternative sen
tence 20 80 days. 1t was wisely re
| peaIed by the recent Legislature.
Very few native Americans are nov
in the LIQUOR business in Kennebe
county. French Canadians and Greek
are the principal offenders. The ay
erage immigrant in search of libert
regards the denial of the sale of bee
or stronger liquor as an oppressio
greater than any lie has fled from an,
seems to think himself justified i