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


form at Pittsfield and he was SUR
that he did not promise at that time
TO make the State as dry as covered
bridge. Governor Plaisted did make
it plain when he spoke at PittsfieC
that there was to be no more Sturgis
| Commission. that he would not re
appoint the commission, even il he did
not have a Legislature to repeal the
law.
What have the Republicans to Of
| fer? Nothing except notification oil
| the law. license by the fining system
and all its iniquities that we have
seen for generation"
He declared that the recall might
be of some use in Somerset and Pts
| cataauis, where the public sentiment
| was in favor of enforcement of the
| law. but said that it would do no good
to recall officers who did not enforce
the law in Cumberland and Penobscot
counties, because public sentiment
was not in favor of enforcement of the
| law in those counties.
Senator Osborne devoted some time
to the situation in Somerset ounty. He
declared that for 20 years the Republic
cans had not enforced the law and
that in 1902 the Democrats carried the
| county and during the administration
| OF Sheriff Lang there was fair and
square enforcement. He also alluded
| to enforcement under Sheriff Mooers
and said that in Somerset county the
people stood fairly and squarely By
enforcement.
He said that in the oming ampaign
the Republican party would have
candidate for Governor who was not
committed to enforcement of law.
Senator Osborne explained to the
committee that he had no esire to
claim that Democrat was any bet
ter than a Republican in politics. Both
parties were trying to get all they
could out of this rum question; to get
all they could from the rum vote. 1t
did eeem to him that to pass this
measure would to very great extent
take the whole matter out of politics.
He had some idea of the feelings OF
the man who had been brought up TO
believe that prohibition was the ohly
thing His father and mother We're
both prohibitionists and Metlodlsts'
as we'll. As q boy he was told the PEN
efits of prohibition by his father, VINO
assured Kim that he would live to see
the fruits Of prohibition the seed OF
which had been sown by him CHS IA
thery. 1t was claimed that liquor was
the root of all evil; that 1t was respon-
sible for theft and all crime and the
one cause of divorce. He came TO be-
lieye that if he lived to be 60 years
of p pc he would be living in a miilen-
ium. He found that at the present
time Maine leads the New England
states in the number of divorces
granted and we still have many
crimec. Prohibition had not stepped
the drink evil.
senator Milliken inquired' ii the
senator from Somerset thought thdt
his own county of Somerset would ne
better off under the proposed local
option law than under the present en-
foreement by the present sheriff
81 think" replied Senator Osborne
that it would make no difference TO
somerset county. / don't think there
ie a town in it which would vote for
license"
senator Fulton of Sagadahoc coun-
" said that he only cared TO INFORM
the committee that the people o. MS
county were satisfied to have the mat
ter submitted to the voters OF the
State.
.I would like to ask the senator
from Saeada hoe what difference there
is between this question and the one
which the people voted on IN 1911
said Senator Milliken.
Senator Staples Views.
Declaring that he had not intended
to address the committee on the SUD
iect Senator Stables took the floor ana
said that he felt called upon to make
reply to the question of the Senator
from Aroostook He would inform the
senator that there was a difference be-
tween the platform of 1910 and what
the people voted on in 1911 and the
proposition now before the Legislature
In 1910 the platform was resubmisslon
ana the question voted on last septem-
Der was whether or not prohibition be
taken from the constitution.
This" shouted the senator, lis local
option, pure and simple"
He declared that the issue in 1910
was not prohibition or resubmisslon out
the extravagancies of the Republican
party. 1t was tndt when cdu9tu INV
turn OYER in the State and would keep
it turned over SO long as Governor
Paisted had control of the finances
ANY suggestion of different issue came
with i'll grace from the Republicans
who left the Democracy legacy OF
debt of a $l,000,000
Governor Plaisted, he declared, had
brought the Legislature together III this
session because the people of the State
demanded it.
II am in favor of local option" de-
clared the Senator, because | believe
ii is the best way to control the liquor
traffic You have had prohibition for
80 years and it has left trail OF
drunkards behind it, Let us try local
option and if we don't like it we can
go back to prohibition
Il would inquire of the Senator from
Knox what was the decision of the peo-
pie in 1871" said Senator Milliken, LAS
| understood it the question then was,
shall we take prohibition out of the
constitution. and this is, shall we put
local option in What did the people
decide in 1912"
Il don't think they decided anything,
answered Senator Staples.
Senator Stearns of oxford said that
! he had heard of swapping horses while