Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-07-29
Laws WILL Do It.

The enactment of the Kenyon Sanders
blii which eontemplates enlarging the
authority of the states over Interstate
| shipments of intoxicating liquors by
abfogating the rule laid down in the
United States Supreme Court in the
wilson case, would accomplish nothing
/ Tor the cause OF temperance. 1t would
SIMPLY add another useless wheel to the
complicated machinery of liquor iegisla-
ton designed to enforce prohbitory
theories in the face of adverse local SEN
timent
The principle of prohibition cannot be
made TO work successfully over a state
VIDE area in which are included cities
ana large towns where the majority of
the people desire to have liquor sold at
retail. That fact has been demonstrated
by half a century of failure in Maine
and in more than a dozen other states
that have tried prohibition and discarded
IT, 1t always leads to conditions that
are UNNECESSARILY worse than those that
prevail under license system.
Congress has successfully in several
bills put up bars against the free ship
ment of liquor into dry states i'm re-
This assistance from the Federal govern
ment has availed nothing towards maxi
ing prohibition an effective and salts
factory system. 1t always gets back to
the same old story-"The law is all
right, II ii was enforced "
The law never has been enforced for
any length of time in those communities
where it does not command popular sup
port and never can be. 1t will be cir
eumvented despite any sort of legislation
that is passed, state Or national. As
long as American cities are self-govern-
ing they will not mould their drinking
habits to suit the ideas of people in
other communities.
The passing of additional laws, which
have teeth in them, as the prohibition
lists say, is a waste of time.-Biddeford
Record
If the Democratic Presidential nomi-
nee comes to Maine to assist the pres
ent rum regime, there will be another
Wilson Case
All the wheels added to legislation
restraining the liquor traffic are worse
than useless to the booze makers and
their paid creators of adverse local
sentiment"
The selfish scheme of Regulation"
cannot be made to work in the inter-
ests of any community, because the
authors, promoters and establishers of
the plan never intend it to work for
the interests of anyone but themselves
the booze makers.
| The fact has been demonstrated for
half century that vastly less money
is spent for worse than useless and
trouble making merchandise under
prohibition than under any other plan
yet invented.
| That is why the booze makers and
their paid politicians, newspapers and
writers hate the prohbitory law.
| Prohibition always leads to condi-
tions immeasureably worse for the
liquor interests and their paid tools,
than those that prevail under a license
System"
| The advances toward better moral
conditions made by such suppression
of the liquor evil as thus far attempt
ed by Congress, have largely been de-
feated by the millions of the liquor in
terests, and such organs as our neigh
Dor above duoted-organs that work in
season and out to educate and main
tain that opposition to law and re-
straint which they are pleased to term
local sentiment
| iit law 10 all IiSHli anu Call NC
enforced when organs of public educa-
ton stop devoting their energies to
creating adverse local sentiment"
The law commands popular support
where the better element of citizenship
will not allow themselves to be cowed
down and bnllied into submission by
i the dollars and politics and abuse OF
the rum element.
1t will be circumvented just as long
as the booze makers can defeat moral
advancement and convert human souls
into dollars for their own pockets.
When American cities are really
self governing they viii no longer per-
nit selfish, unserupulous, murderous
2 outside interests to come in ant
mould the drinking habits of theil
young to furnish life blood for tbs
, devil.
, The passing of additional laws viii
' continue until the Almighty overcome!
$ the forces of Hades.