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

hio" Oh great many. before the
session is over l may visit one of those
homes if you will show me where they
are.
Moral suasion is one way and driv-
ing them out is another. The first
succeeds the latter fails. Do you
recognize the fact that there is more
or less of the swine disposition in
every man? AS I look over some of
these men who live on the farm I
realize that they know when shote
gets out of the pen, and they try to
drive him back, he will go in any di-
rection but except where you want
him to. There is only one way, take
him up by force and throw him into
the pen.
Gentlemen. we have tried all sorts
of law that we can think Of AT least
/ Go not think there is any left out.
We have tried statutory law. That is
sufficient to take care of horse thieves,
but not the liquor question. So we
put 1t into the constitution, and they
said no man will dare to go against
the constitution. We failed to accom-
plish what we desired with out eonsti-
tutional amendment. Down in the city
of Belfast where I live we had a city
constable, man by the name of Rich
ard. His father was about the only
honest prohibitionist | ever knew and
| know he was honest. He hated rum
as they say the devil hates holy water.
He put his whole will into the work of
suppressing the rum traffic in our city.
He closed every bar There is no
question about that. We have the lid
on today. and when the bars were
closedI have an office at 81 High
street. up one highland | used to
have to wait sometimes for the gen.
tlemen who occupy the hallway. The
police court worked overtime. and the
records show more arrests, more con-
victions for drunkenness than any
other period in Belfast.
We closed the bars but the young men
from the country would send off and get
gallon. They would take that gallon
of liquor to some stable and sit down
beside it and commence to drink, each
one afraid he would not get his share.
So he would drink what he wanted, and
then some for the future. and soon
could not sit up or walk and would be
gathered in. The police force worked,
and the Jail took them in. That was
the result. Up to that time we never
had any Sturgis commissioners in our
county, but we have had some pretty
good sheriffs. We have very good
class of people as a whole, good as you
find in Maine generally. We have got
some people from sunny italy not as de-
srable as they ought to be, and those
men always had and do today have their
liquors come in large receptacles for
their own use, and no sheriff ever mo-
Tests them. for if they did they would
get out and we would be left without
anyone to do the work in our quarries,
We have the lid on and everybody has
got all they want to drink, but they are
not getting the quality they would like
to have. They would like to have some
real liquor but they are getting this pro-
hibition article, manufactured in fifteen
minutes and in fifteen minutes after 1t
goes down over your mucous membrane
you cannot tell your latitude or longi-
tude. We had murder in our city,
and every ingredient in that murder
was contained in half-pint bottle, and
there was enough to put three people out
of commission, one into the arms OF
death. Fathers New England rum
never did that He never lost his rest.
There was no murder in it. just little
stimulus that set the cookies of his heart
to work.
That is fair question. Our friends Will
tell us and I shall listen. i want to as
sure you that l hold my mind open to
receive information upon any and all
subjects, and / hope | never will get so
bigoted that l never will acknowledge 1t.
| will trade one hundred errors for one
truth and never ask any boot
This prohibitory law has accomplished
this is my observations am not going
to extend this subject as did the ora
tors in the last campaign. They told
you about Chicago, and how many sa-
looms 1T took to feed the houses of ill
fame and satisfy crime. That has moth
ing to do with the State of Maine and
it's honorable craftsmanship In our Sec
ton we used to have bars where men
could walk in any buy beer on draught.
Many of them would take a drink of
beer and be satisfied. Now the beer IS
in bottles and is pretty poor stuff. Some
of it is labeled Uno, but the fellow
| doesn't know what he is doing, and SO
they have refused to give this bottled
| connection, and they go up against some-
| thing more powerful.
lowing to the prolonged sessions, Fri.
| day, the official stenographer was un-
oh 10 10 lata fba