The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-05-23
THURSDAY, MAY %, 1912
Professor PattangalI
Portland Pressl

tPOrtland freSSl
Who says the facilities Tor gettlns
a liberal education are not as good IN
Maine as in any other state? w
claim that they are even better A
new course seems to have been intro
duced in the Maine colleges-unoiii-
cially introduced, perhaps, but still
introduced This is of course IN prae-
teal politics. conducted by the profess
sor of the same. Hon. William K. Pat
tangall, LID, Phi. D., A. G. 1t has
the appearance of being school OF
peripatetic pedagogy. instituted for
the purpose of forming the political
opinions of the young voters and SHOW
ing them how to vote Alright. At any
rate. Prof. Pattangall has taken to
travelling about the State and lectuc-
ing at the institutions of learning,
something as Prof. Daniel Pratt, G. A.
r., used to do, though Of course there
is no comparison to be made between
the two in point of intellectual ability
Pratt was a crackbrain, but there Is
nothing whatever the matter with the
brains of Patt. He is admittedly one
of the smartest men among us. And
this new idea of his-supposing 1t to
be his-of going before the students
at the invitation of their political
clubs and speaking on the political
questions of the day. Is bright one
and characteristic. 1t Is in the line
of dropping seed here and there, IN
the expectation that some of 1t Will
spring up and yield crop.
Prof. Pattangall has appeared thus
far before the students of Colby and
Bowdoin, and 1t Is assumed that lee
lures are contemplated also at Bates
and the State university, and possibly
at Kent's Hill and such other schools
as may have political clubs. AS this
Ia an absolutely novel feature OF our
educational system, it will be OF in
terest to examine some of the points
presented for instance in the Bowdoin
lecture. The professor, as we'll
known, adheres to the doctrine OF 10
cal government, with the town.
not to say the neighborhood or the In
dividual, as the unit. 1t is none OF
the States business how the town
drinks, as he claims; and as a matter
of fact the State is helpless to enforce
its laws against dram-selling, and II
the local officers fail to enforce them.
ut Is your fault" 1t Is quite true, as
stated by him, that the Governor has
nothing to do with the enforcement OF
the law He does not particularly In
the present administration. He has
taken care to have himself deprived
of what power he had. Nevertheless
by the constitution the supreme ex-
ecutiye power in the State is vested In
the Governor, and he is required to
see that the laws are faithfully ex-
ecuted and to take an oath to support
the constitution and the laws. But
that Is all a vain show and mockery
II the Governor is able to squeak out
with a plea of non possumus.
1t Is the teaching of Prof. Pattan-
gall that the prohibitory law is en-
forced in any locality just so far as
demanded by the sentiment of that To-
callty and no farther. If the locality
wants enforcement, 1t has It, but II
the locality wants rumshops, it has
them, and sheriff and Governor may
20 hang. Public sentiment will stop
rumselling to certain extent, but no
further" says the professor AN Off
cial can enforce the law only SO far
as he has public sentiment behind
him." Judged by that standard, how
ever. the certain extent" does not ex-
tend far in Waterylle. for instance,
under the present regime, where mohs
resist attempts to enforce the law and
rioters escape punishment and where
officers are discharged who attempt
enforcement. The law has little
chance when the local executives are
against 1t. The professor should know
this, for he is the chief executive of
Wateryille. besides being the pros
ecuting officer of the State. He should
also be aware of this other fact. that
no law is self enforcing. 1t is notice
able that the new Democratic sher-
in of York county appears to be en-
forcing the law in Biddeford. regard
less of local sentiment. At least the
papers say so, and it Jars the Pattan
gall theory,
Anothec point of the stump speech
beg pardon, We mean leCture-was
that the professor has not the slight