The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-04-11
AN ERA OF LAWLESSNESS.

who is also the mayor, are bad enough,
but no worse than in other places in
Maine under Democratic rule. If off ers
are not obstructed in performing the
duties they are sworn to perform, and
those called to their assistance brutally
beaten, protection is given elsewhere to
violators Of law and efforts made to in
cite mob violence against those who
oppose dishonest and discredited officials.
In one instance at least an attempt was
made to give an object lesson in incendi-
arism. A certain Democratic mayor
might have caused run upon the local
banks but for the fact that what he says
has little weight with the possessors Of
dollars and sense. He proclaimed that
the men in charge of these banks were
dishonest, and advised people to with
draw their money and send it out of
town. Fortunately the banks were
amply able to meet any demands upon
them; but had the depositors withdrawn
their money they would have lost large
sum in the aggregate. in interest. There
are few greater crimes than that of
attempting to impair confidence in in
situations which are the custodians of the
savings of the people, the money laid by
against the "rainy day" that may
come to any of US.
The conditions in Waterville ere more
fully set forth in the statement of Rev.
W. F. Berry, D. D., and Mr.. H. N.
Pringle on the 9Th page, and the Rock
land Courier Gazette comments on them,
editorially, as follows:
The brutal assault upon Mr. Pringle,
made by Waterville rummy, is nat
ural outgrowth and concomitant of the
conditions brought upon Maine under the
lawless teachings of the Plaisted- Pattan-
gall regime of notification. Naturally
defiant of law and irksome under it's re-
straint, the liquor interests in the past
year have proceeded by leaps and bounds
to state of arrogance almost unimag-
Unable. The Democratic party, given
over by its leaders body and soul to the
national rum power, is responsible for
the shameful conditions of outlawry that
exist here, conditions that are becoming
more and more outbreaking and intoler-
able, and manifesting themselves with
increasing frequency in such demonstra-
tons as the city of Waterville has just
can party of Maine to put an end to this
party should join in such a righteous
n 1x,bo 1c n frin fo
law and order and common decency.
The Citizens Law Enforcement Asso-
citation of Androscoggin county, organic
ed early in the winter for the purpose of
endeavoring to secure better enforce
ment of the Prohibitory law in Andros-
coggin county, issued a bulletin April 5th
which says in part: "To cite specific IN
stances of law violation, the association
has employed competent persons, who
within the last month, visited places in
Lewiston and Auburn, purchasing IL
quors, and securing evidence of violation
of law. In every instance liquors were
obtained without any trouble, and with no
apparent thought on the part of those
selling them that there was any need of
caution in making the sales' Follow
ing this is a list of ga places in Lewiston
a md two in Livermore Falls where liquor
was purchased by the men employed by
the association.
Did any one expect different DISPOSE
ton of the case against Emery, the
Democratic sheriff of York county, by
Democratic legislature, with Attorney
General Pattangall as prosecutor? The
case was already pending in the supreme
judicial court of York county, and was
taken before the legislature that the
sh eriff might be whitewashed and thus
PREJUDICE the action Of the court. 1t was
not possible, however, to suppress the
evidence, and from that the public can
see the partisan nature of the proceed
ings. We notice that the attorney for
the defense harped upon witness for
the State being fanatic. Indeed, that
S eemed to be about all he had to offer in
the way Of an argument. Now. if
man who believes in temperance and in
the enforcement of law is fanatic,
what term should be applied to violaters
of law and advocates of lawlessness? AS
for the legislative action against county
attorney Richardson, that is purely a
partisan performance If ignorance in
such officials is crime, other county at
torneys are in danger.
We recently quoted Thomas Edison as
saying that the only solution of the
problem of the high cost Of living was in
the elimination of the middle man.
Since then, in reading The Life and
Lett ers of Edmund Clarence Stedman,
we came upon this sentence in letter
to his mother, written in, 1857: "1t is
everywhere diamond cut diamond-profit
piled on profit-till at last the poor con-
sumner pays twice what thing is worth
and all to fatten the crowd of I'M
necessary middle men,"