Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-10-24

the Journal for a month and when
YOU wheel into line and stand for
national prohibition with a party
behind it 1 will take the Journal
indefinitely and pay for it.
SAMUEL F. EMERSON.
| Skowhegan, Me, Oct. q.
Since the present editor of the Jour
| mai was a boy in copper toed boots. OF
a Somerset county farm. he has known
of and respected Mr.. Emerson, and h'
| welcomes such frank yet, we believe
| honestly inspired criticism. oul
| friend is mistaken in thinking that we
would not grant him space in our col
| urns because he disagrees with OF
misunderstands our position. We be-
| Iicve. if Mr.. Emerson viii meet US
balf way in liberation of each others
views, he will find that while the Ken
nebec Journal cannot alone change the
national policy of either great political
party. it is doing all it can in its own
little field to defeat the liquor evil. II
the Journals critics can find way
that is better, one they are ready to
stake the future upon, We shall be
very glad to consider it. Perhaps even
then we should be able to point out to
them certain things which they seem
not to have fully considered.
The Kennebec Journal takes its
ground on the temperance and prohi-
bition question because of firm con-
siction that that is the BEST course
for it to pursue. If Mr.. Emerson has
badsthe reading of this newspaper he
must know that we would change the
national policy of the government II II
were possible to do so. We are
ashamed that the American govern
mena cannot subsist without engaging
in the rum business. The present edi-
tor OF this paper hopes to see the DAY
when Uncle Sam refuses to share the
money of which a constituencies ousi-
ness has robbed humanity. But we
fail ia see any hope of national action
until the people send enough law
makers who believe in suppresslng the
traffic. The President cannot do 1t,
and we support the party and candt-
date whose principles most nearly con-
form To our own.
We believe our friend will admit
that If the Kennebee Journal in 1911
had toen inactive the Democratic par
tv would have succeeded in removing
the prohibitory law from the consti-
tuition and that now we should have
been living. under a license regime in
Maine. The party Prohibitionists
could not have saved it. and they were
profuse in their thanks, and praise
for the Kennebec Journal-and in 1912
did al they could to defeat the party
that preserves the law.
Suppose the Democrats had been as
close as they hoped to success, the few
hundred votes cast by the party pro-
hibitienists would have retained the
openly avowed, brazenly declared an
tagonists of probitory law in office for
two years more.
Would the party Prohibitionists pre-
fer that to joining their hopeless min
GRITTY with the strong party which ia
vors the law, to save the disgrace OF
going over to rum trust law after half
a century of prohibition?
hn ~ Dtnhihitinnigtc
refuse to enter the party which most
nearly conforms to their ideals, and are
willing to put in their utmost endeav-
ors iii the ranks of that party to fur
Their mold it to their liking, they will
remain ineffective. They do not gain
and they denounce the other parties
as growing worse. Then why not come
in and make the other parties better
with their presence?
The Kennebec journal does not eX-
peet to be widely felt in a national
fight against the curse of the world,
but if has many reasons for believing
that its endeavors in Maine in recent
months have been appreciably felt. 1t
is doing the hest it can in the light
granted it.. Just why its honest eff
forts should be belittled, or be distort-
ed into dishonest motives by good men
is one of the things we cannot under
stand; but that is one of the things
we have learned to accept as part of
the fight against the liquor evil.
The letter of our friend Emerson is
quite likely to be quoted in the liter
ature of The National Wholesale liz
quor Dealers Association, or in that
of the Brewers Trust as showing that
| the people are not in sympathy with
| those who actively oppose the makers
of booze. Our friend also seems to
object to the word booze" but we
use it as best characterizing the one
| thousand and one intoxicating drinks
and habit-forming stuffs that are now
| flooding America.
The Journal has long stood for ma
\