Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-25
18th MAINE LEGISLATURE.
CONTINUED from Page Four)

at least, has introduced measures and
stood here representing the democracy
upon the floor of this Senate He started
his resubmisson measures here and he
has always continued them down to the
last Legislature. and thus he has been
the exponent of resupmlssion up to the
present time. That campaign was the
outcome of the work which the senator
from Knox carried forward. 1he cam
paign was fought out The friends Of
prohibition. went out upon the stump and
presented their case Did we hear any
thing from anybody upon the other side?
Did a single orator, did the senator frogl
Waldo come to oxford county and
preach the gospel he has preached now.
and tell us. of the Wonderful things he
has disclosed here this morning? Not
word did We hear from him. / suppose
we did not know al that time that he
made a speech. No came ont into
the country and preached the gospel To
the voters. and only one speech was
made down in Waldo county in the city
of Belfast
We were fighting hidden foe. You
say that the campaign, gentlemen, was
not so conducted that the people UNDER
stood ii or had an opportunity to vote
intelligently upon it last fail. Why, Mr..
Chairman, the people last fall got the
information from such sources as they
could. They were talked to by the
friends of prohibition, and certainly you
upon the other side had an opportunity
to discuss the question the same way,
but YOU did not do it. Now, why? #
the proposition is so good. why didn't
you come out and discuss it? Why
didn't you come out and tell the people
the glorious things which this would
bring TO them? Not one word was heard
from you during the whole campaign.
and yet you say now that they did not
have, or did not at least express their
real desire in the matter.
Well, If the people of Maine did not
express their desire last fall do you ex-
pect that they are going To do SO on the
next fesubmission resolve?
When the Senator from Knox introduce
ed his resolve into the other Legislature
it was debated here. Previous to that
not one word had been said about Ii
cense. The question of license during all
those first years was not intinlated. The
senator from Knox, when he first intro
duced his resolve. did not touch upon
the question of license; II was simply to
upon IT, and so down through the years
AT our last session some of the Demo-
Gratis rose in their seats when we voted
upon the propos,uon, and expressed
themselves heartily in favor of the prop
osition, but only to resubmit for the pur-
pose of letting the people vote upon It
I hope they have not yet changed their
minds.
The situation has not changed. oh.
but they say public sentiment" Moral
suasion. the senator from Waldo says
is good. and public sentiment is the
thing that must be followed. What are
YOU doing for public sentiment Are
You helping TO create a public senti-
ment against that which none of you
claim as to be right You who advo-
cate license do not undertake to claim
that ii is good thing to sell rum and
distribute rum and other alcoholic
liquors. You do not put it that way.
There the matter stands. You are un-
dertaking, you are not assisting in the
creating OF public sentiment against
1t. That is true. Now ii would seem
that about the only persons who are
consistent and honest in this question
are these who devote their whole time.
their whole strength, to the suppress
sion of the rum traffic. In this way,
according to the expressions Of the
gentleman who has led this fight in
this committee. unless he presents
himself 2 living sacrifice, then he
Is not consistent. and he is not honest
in mis- views upon the question. That
To my mind is rather ridiculous
proposition.
The Aonle and fireside How many
times. oh, how many times have We
heard that the home and fireside
should be protected against the evil of
the liquor habit. You have resubmit-
ted it to the people in order that the
home and the fireside should be pro-
tected; the people have voted upon the
question and they have voted that
they wanted nothing of license; that
prohibition was good enough for
Maine. Yes, the home and the fireside
are still in danger and resuhmission
must come again. We must have re-
submission over again.
Now. Mr.. Chairman, / will grant you
that / may not be following closely
the bill which is here before us. do
not think that YOU would accept a
close analysis of the particular bill We
have here before us, not having had
an opportunity TO study it.
If that bill means anything, to my
mind it means that you will have IL
cense in The cities; that vou almost
must have it in the cities and To-
cal option in the towns. You will have
local option in the towns whenever 81
per cent. SO vote, and then the matter
is submitted to the town and that Is
your local option plan for them.
Already one joker has been discover
ed in the plan that has been presented
here, in the bill as drawn. ard only
this morning an amendment has been
presented to cure some defect or to
cure some joker which was discovered
there. How many more jokers are
there in this bill, anyway? Does any
ono know? II there are any more 1t
might be well at this time to have
them acted on.
1t seems to me that the whole thing,
fellow senator's. is being discussed
here at this time at an ill-adyised
date I may NOT un3prctapd why it