Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-03-25

of this bill to deceive the people of
Maine, but this statute which it has pro-
posed here may very easily have that
effect 1t apparently attempts to do
things which would be done shipper AMI
better by Il repeal of the law which was
put up to them last fall; and in the long
run any attempt by MS or any other peo-
pie to by any subterfuge deceive the vot-
ers of Maine into an action which they
might regret and which is against their
ideas of right and proper in the long run
will react against the propounder. | have
nothing to apologize for. / am going TO
vote against submitting this matter again
to the people | do so for the reasons l
have given and [ feel perfectly confident
that my reasons will justify themselves
to an intelligent mind. Appause)
| Mir. MOREY of Lewiston: Mr.. Chair
| man and gentlemen of the commit
| tee, / had not thought to say word
upon the pending question, and dur
| ing the regular session of this Leg
islatdre. last winter and at this ses-
sion ] have not spoken upon any
| question which has been brought be
fore tie House. We are now in com
mittee of the whole, and had it not
been fer the words of the gentleman
| from Houlten (Mr. Hersey) for whom
VI nave the highest personal regard,
F.! l would not at this time have said
| word upon the pending question; but
| beside arguing the case, as it seemed
To me, he attacked men of the party
to which | belong, whom ] know to
| be honest men, and he made insinu-
atoms that struck at their honor; and
cannot let the situation pass with
out saying a word in reply. He has
| charged that the party of which he
is an honored member Was response
BILE for a piece of legislation that Was
used and intended as an enforcement
and out side of that piece of legisla-
ton / do not understand him to say
that there has been a continued at
tempt 10 enforce the law to which he
| is so attached
Gentlemen, [ remember the day of
the passage of the so-called Sturgis
bill. | WAS a member of the Lcglsla-
ture. | was one of those who voted
Ne" when it was sought to be pass
ed; and when that piece of legislation
was enacted it gave new and pc
culiar right to the people, to oifi-
| Gals OF the state of Maine who We're
lappointed under it, and under that
fright they went into the homes Of
people and they went with pickaXes
and crowbars. and in an instance TO
my personal knowledge tore and
wrecked dwelling and found nothing.
The case was carried into court and
came to the law court, the verdict OF
a Jury. set aside that found for the de-
| fence; but the law court through its
chief Justice, wrote an opinion, scath-
/ ing in terms and the result was that
an amount aggregating some thou
sard dollars WAS paid by the officials
/ guilty Of the act and reimbursed by
the state without authority of law.
Nov, theli. do I understand from
the gentleman who has spoken so
ABLY and presented his ease 81 we'll
| that h again would enforce that kind
of legislation upon the people of the
| State of Maine Is il true that the
state of Maine does not have within
it's borders and in its different cuun-
| ties people to enforce the law \
difficult situation arises here. and
was reminded through the efforts OF
| the learned gentleman from Houlton,
who sought to place the responsibility
upon tine cities of the State entirely.
that they were the places where the
| law was not enforced in the State of
Maine. According to the record Of the
| gentleman from Augusta (Mr. New
| BERT it appears that in 1893 there We're
| 2a0 places in the city Of Lewiston, ac-
| cordine to the statistics that We're
| farnisled-in 1898, 90 years ago. I be-
lieve. if my memory serves me right,
| that there We're some 50 licenses, tax
| 1ian Nth I T..
| torneY few years ago that was about
the number. You understand, gentle
men of the committee, that is a manu-
| featuring city and we are proud of
it: some u or II different nationalities
| live there together. with a population
of 2G.30o and a population of Sc. 900 in
the county; and the gentleman also
said that the law had the search and
seizure process. the single sale and
| the bill in equity and that all taht
| could be used in an effort to crush out
the sale of intoxicating liquors. For
| how many years have those laws
| been upon the statute books of this
State? And yet, with all those weap-
ons, in the county of Aroostooll in
which the sheriff is not a Democrat,
in which the county attorney is not
lytfiilbtIdt u t5HIkttt SldlGS ll1tiiotS
existed, last summer. and in the viii
lage of Houlton with its population
OF 1900 there We're 16. Now, gentlemen,
the proportion of Is to so and the
proportion of $500 to $500 seems TO
me to be about equal (Applause.)
Yes. it is true we live in the cities.
Take Your agricultural communities
throughout the State--I can name
and so can you the different counties
the evil is wides spread. The gentle
man from Houlton and the fine young
member from South Paris (Mr
Wheelcr) whom | know and for whom
l also have Il high personal regard
as We'll as the judge from Ellsworth
(Mr. Peters)-I know those gentlemen
to be men who arc absolute teeto-
tale. $. I myself, as far as that is con
cerned never yet have drank intoN-
icating liquor, but I want to say
that there is an honest difference of
opinion in these matters 1t has been
charged that there has been nothing
since the election or at that time to
warrant again sending the matter to
the people of this state. Why gen.