Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-25

Stenographic Reports Of Friday and Saturday Ses-
sions Of the Senate and House Of Representatives

| Bangor ard takes fine in rum cases,
and then comes down here and sends
/ then! Up on the hill?" There are times
when even | stop talking. and
stopped right there. 1t was too much
| of an argument for me.
| This prohibitory law has made per
Jurors of sherins, county attorneys
ard judges, and that is why I am for
the recall of Judges | want some of
them to so way back and sit down. 1t
has begctten disrespect for all law.
| The very fact that a man viii go IN
/ and commit perjury about drinking
fur. places that man where he viii
swear your life or mine away. He has
lost al sanctity for the oath. There Is
no protection in the homes of this
country. today, for the evil effects of
rum. There is no protection for even
the rum seller, and | do not argue that
he ought to have any. But / know
some rum sellers who are human, and
if wanted to get $50 for q poor widow,
and to get the real money. l should
go among that class of men and get
800 while ] was getting 10 cents from
some other man.
once visited James Hoag in dur
ance vile. He said to me: Mayor, [
am going to tell YOU something that
as God is my judge is true. That [
have sold rum everybody knows, but
the man who sent me in here to serve
my time / refused to sell rum to and
he told me squarely that if l didn't
sell him rum he would go before the
grand jury, and here l am" There is
al So laa
boy. or for lie rum seller. It is a
terrible condition froln my standpoint.
They tell us that the majority of the
people want enforcement. and they
cry out against Governor Plaisted be-
cause he has not played some OF the
hypocrisy of some of his predecessors.
Governor PIaisted could have sat in
his chair and written an appeal to
the sheriffs to enforce the law, but he
could not have forced a single sheriff
to go about the business of enforcing
the law, and it would have had no
more effect that what Governor Cobb
did, and he came to the conclusion
that free rum is better than the pres
ent condition.
At one time / was foolish enough
10 tdhS Lie IiblllludlIbit III StANI liz
thought | didn't want 1t. my wife
thought / didn't want it. and the
public decided later on that l ought
not to have it. ] stood in the Belfast
Opera house, where standing room
was at a premium, and was foolish
enough to tell them the truth. Ne man
can handle this stuff and expect to
get anywhere, and tell the truth about
it. if he is catering for the rum or
prohibition vote l stood up in the
Opera house and when the question
was propounded: What will you do
if elected for sheriff? VIII you en-
force the law" / said: 7 will, TO the
best of my ability. l will make this
place as dry as the Sahara, If l can"
A fellow away back in the hall spoke
right out and he used the word be-
ginning with d and ending with n, and
he said, He means it." And they
Went out and told the rumsellers to
get under shelter. and they said: IF
he gets it he will drive us all out of
business"
1 was between the devil and the
deep sea. Then they flooded the coun-
try with money and trimmed me to
the tune of los votes. Under the Cor
rupt Practices act that same Section
gave me a majority of 81, and my
platform was rum. That seems
strange to you, for Waldo county has
been one of the most rabid prohibition
counties. | had been telling them
facts in my little paper, week by week.
ard they knew they were facts. When
l came before the people for the po-
7 = tt.
an announcement telling them where
/ stood on the important issues before
the people. | told them where | stood
on this matter of prohibition or local
option. There was no uncertain
sound. l said. IF | am elected TO the
Senate of the southern State of Maine,
and it comes within my province to
vote whether YOU shall have an OPP
portunity to decide whether you want
local option or q continuation of the
present conditions ! shall vote for
you To decide for yourselves. | will
vote for any town to have control of
liquor within its BORDERS If the ma
iority OF the people so desire. ! will
never vote to put a saloon in any
town where it is opposed by the peo-
pie" | went to the people on that
issue and they sent me here. This de-
claring that rum selling is a crime is
a peculiar proposition Up here on the
borders of Maine it is crime on
one side of an imaginary line. and the
width of that paper on the other side
it is not. Rum sellers on one side and
wine sellers ON the other. It is iegi-
innate on one side to sell liquor and
criminal on the other. But over it
all is the great United States govern
ment which issues licenses in every
state allowing u man to sell intoXicat-
ing liquor. The government receives
the money and sanctions the business
The State says You shall not sell. :"
Government SAYS: IF you don't take
out a license ! will be after YOU" and
the State says: IF you do | win be
after YOU
That reminds me of the distinction
Of the Calyinist doctrine They We're
holding a revival and there was fell
low there who was very profane They
were putting the gospel out strong,
and they asked him what he thought
Of it. We'll, it looks TO me that youn
be damned if you do and damned if
you don't"
The question is can we minimize