Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-23

had for SO many years been domi
nant in Maine to drink lemonade or
Sunday school picnics and 100 per cent
whiskey at the Augusta House while
here attending the Legislature.
Certain men have gotten onto a
pedestal and drawn draperies about
them and have seemed better than
| others said he.
This question was not settled last
fall" continued Mr. Newbert, land ii
| will not be settled until it is settled
| right. a campaign of education is
| needed that the people of this State
| may understand both sides of this
| question thoroughly. Ii was a drawn
| battle. last fall, when the Yes vote
| carried eight of the 10 counties and
| all of the cities but one. This is a
| question of great economic and moral
| Importance as well as political. The
| Republican party fed too long on pro-
| hibition and now the people have been
aroused. The young men are not rail-
! lying around the Republican standard
as in the former days and the old slo-
gan has lost much of its force.
| This question is woven into the
| very fibre of our life. You can't dodge
SO used to the long continued multi
| fication of the law that it is often diff
| ficult to arouse a realization of it's i'm
portance / know of nothing so in
| furious for our young men as that
they should grow up under this multi
| fication.
They say rum is being sold in
Maine-there is, a great deal of it no
hut -t,In -,
where it has not been sold before now
doing business The Sturgis law gave
the people of this State a chance to
| enforce this law if they had so de-
sired. but did they like it? Didn't
that law cause political revolution in
Maine? AS the Governor has said.
What shall we have now. Shall it be
another Sturgis law or notification or
shall we take neither
Il am glad that the people OF Au-
gusta have allowed me to occupy the
seat of little Joseph Williamson for
a few days, SO / may have the oppor-
tunity of helping settle this question
in a way / have dreamed of for the
past Is years. New lines of cleavage
are being drawn and | believe the
people will rise up and demand a So
luton of this great problem that has
honesty and sincerity behind it.
IF 81 per cent. of the legal voters in
the country towns want the same law
that the cities have they will have a
right to it, continued Mr. Newbert. No
Legislature can force license upon YOU
if you do not want it. 1t is up to your
people.
Il believe that if this bill should be-
come a part of your constitution you
would have more actual prohibition in
Maine than you have ever had before
for so years.
1.-The little Capital City of Augusta
has it's problems which you men of the
countryside do not have to face | ask
your support, not to help the Democrat
ie party, but to help the people of the
Maine cities to handle this traffic in the
manner that is best.
1.-The people of Unity Plantation are
living under different conditions from
those which confront the people of Lew
iston. l cannot think of Lewiston IN
any possible sense of the term being pro-
hibition territory
Il have a volume here in my hand
that tells more truths about you people
or Maine than does the Bible. don't
believe any of you men have ever read
it. This book covers the liquor situation
in Maine and was prepared by leading
educators and philanthropists of the
country.
THE Investigations made by this COM
mittee show that they found in Lewiston
200 places and in Augusta 81 places where
liquor was sold openly. 1t also tells
of conditions as they existed in Rock
land, Hallowell. Gardiner ana other
Maine cities Thank God we haven't the
same conditions in Augusta as we had
in 1893 under Governor Cleaves, as when
this book was written. The book tells
things that / can't tell you here 1t
tells of the kind of temperance per-
Torrance that was given at the Augusta
House during session of the Legisla-
ture
II hold no brief for the liquor inter-
ests; the Democratic party holds no
brief for the liquor interests of the
country, Notwithstanding statements
that have been made to the contrary |
give way to no man on this floor in my
regard for law and order I have boys
and girls of my own. yet men ask how |
dare bring UP my children under license.
boys and build colleges in Massachu-
sets? Are we wiser and better and do
We know more here in Maine than in all
the rest of New England? All the other
New England states have tried the pro-
hibition farce and have taken it from
the statute books.
Il wish this law might have a passage
and that it might be submitted 10 the
vote of the people in order that it might
help us TO solve our liquor problem"
Mr.. Hersey's Reply.
Il have been to two sessions and
this one in this Legislature of Maine
and one of the most pleasant recol-
lections of life will be the associations
and the friendships l have formed
here" said Rep. Ira G.. Hersey of Houl-
ton in opening. Il call you who have
been here with me to witness that in
all that | have said and done | have
been frank and plain. | believe and
have said that the Democrats and the
Republicans are not SO different in the
mass. Both are led by politicians. but
when you get down to the men of the
Legislature YOU will fine them plain
honest fellows.
I