Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-08

| olation and nlrlification of the pro-
hihitory law, there some official. at
least one official is either a crook or
a coward or both We have had it, the
past few days some evidence relating
to the situation in one county in the
| state, and particularly referring TO the
| violations of the prohbitorY law IN
| enc particular part of that county,
| bringing in its entirety u situation
| which the attorney general has right
| " characterized as disgraceful 70 The
| State
The Governor in the special message
presenting this matter in relation 10
| York county for our consideration. has
] property taken the ground tRat
| charges rejecting upon the official
! character of officers in any county,
were sufficiently grave and important
| SO that If this Legislature had not
| been in session he would have deemed
! it his duty to have called the Legis-
| Iature together to consider those
charges. Now the Legislature has de-
eided as ia its wisdom it has seen 1T,
| who il thought was responsible for
| the conditions in that particular conn
~ / have waited TO see if anything
| was TO be done about any other conn-
| ty in the State. ! assume, from tie
| fact that no message from the Elk
eeutive has called our attention to
conditions Of similar nature, either
| that he does not know that any such
condition exists in any other county,
| or does not consider il of sufficient
Importance to call it to our attention
1 confess that at this time. under
| the circumstances which we all under
stand the urgent desire of members
To go home, and in view of other
things that | will not discuss here, |
do not feel like requesting the con
sideration of the Impeachment of any
| other officials in this state. | do wish
| to say here that in my judgment
| wherever there is the kind of nulh-
fcation / have referred to,-and /
mean by that the fragrant, notorious
and continuous violation of the law
with the knowledge and consent of
the officials,-I say wherever in this
State there is that kind of nullifica-
ton, that either the county attorney
or the sheriff, or both of them, are
either grossly Incompetent or are
crooked one or the other.
| As il does not seem feasible to
move at this time for specific consld-
GRAFTON of any other official. feeling
as | do that we ought not to adjourn
this session with the implied under
standing that York county Is the only
county that is an offender in this re-
spect and | see nothing left fer Us
but 10 have a committee of the Leg
islature make Il fair, and | hope,
thorough investigation.
Without taking too much time OF
the Senate | wish to refer briefly ia
some things that seem to warrant
such an investigation. | find in the
Lewiston Journal Il list of places re-
Gently found in the city of Lewiston
To he selling intoxicating liquors 1t
is on page II of the Lewiston Journal.
Here il Number II shall net read the
whole list;
No 1.-The Tavern. No. 10S Main
street, Lewiston. Z. n. Billings, pro-
prietor. paid L. 5. retail liquor deal
er's tax of SIS at this number, on July
y. 1911 The bar is located III the
basement reached by stairway
leading from the office, on the left
hand side. opposite the desk. The bar
room is fitted up with bar with mir
rors behind it. bottled goods displayed
all along the shelf. one bottle of lager
beer. costing - cents and a half pint
of whiskey, costing So cents, were
purchased. The Tavern was visited
later. on Sunday when the inspector
purchased a glass of whiskey but was
refused a halfpint.
That list continues Mr.. President,
from No. to No &c, each one of them
being a particular and careful de-
of a
places where liquor is being sold.
Now, with the publication OF That
list-if any person has been wrongful
~ accused of selling liquor his rem
edy is obyious-if after the publica-
ton of this list the officials of the city
of Lewiston and of the county of An
droscogsin do not close up those
places they are either incompetent or
corrupt. and the conditions OF the city
of Lewiston as revealed here is
proper subject, rs | view it, for in
Vestisation.
In another county IN this State 1t Is
commonly reported that the county
attorney is in league with certain law
Vers who habitually defend rum sell
ers one case occurred within yeas
where a rumseller was convicted IN
the lower court, sentenced to jail anu
appealed He was defended in the
upper court by an attorney who makes
n practice of defending cases of that
| kind who advised his client that the
| county attorney was likely to insist
upon a Jail sentence He asked him
| how much money he could raise. He
found he could raise 800. That sum
was paid over 10 his counsel and the
case was never heard Of again, at
least, the man was never brought up
| for trial that / know of. Is there such
| a condition existing and are those re-
| ports true? That is for the commit
tee TO consider. and we should deem 1t
our duty to our constituents that these
| repors should be Investigated. and
| have the truth known.
| ] find in this mornings issue Of the
! Kennebec journal the following resolu-
| ton passed Friday, by the Eastern
| Maine Conference of Methodists,
! which is in session at Rockland Now
| il is becoming quite the fashion in the
| last few days about this State House
| to refer to those who regard the en-
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