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


iany other LEGISLATURE enacting a Ii
| cense law. but the trainers of this
| measure which is before us seek to
| nullify that constitutional provision II
| is certainly not well framed measure
| which would be left in the constitution
The Trainer will not be proud of it.
1T would read that the sale OF
| liquor is forever prohibited i'm Maine,
| except il the cities and towns, Gaugh-
| teri. a stranger would ask well, where
/ is it prohibited and | would say in the
plantations and wild lands. You will
say that it provides for regulation
| That is absurd
IF John Bunyan were alive, he
would probably describe this by say
| ing that there was a long road which
| lead to a beautiful city of bright
lights and plate glass, called the city
| Of license. The road wound through a
deep ravine in which the owner had
| erected a high rock wall which was a
| barrier te further progress and had
placed three guardians there on duty
| Each year a band of pilgrims came
along and argued with the guard for
| permission to pass and We're told that
| they could only do so upon the agree
/ ti41A"t II haNb VI tilt anu IfllS
| never could be secured. But one day
there came a change in the guardians
and whom the band of pilgrims came
| along they said how long has this
| barrier stood here and the guardians
| said for 30 years and then the pilgrims
| said GO ask the owner if the rocks
| cannot be removed One of the guard
| ians was for doing 50 at once. Anoth-
| er was net, while the third thought 1t
might be we'll. They went to the own
| or and returned and said No, the own
! or Will not permit it. The pilgrims
withdrew behind q tree ard began to
figure with pencil and paper and then
| returned to the guardians and said
! we have q new proposition to make.
We know the owner won't let the bar
| rier he removed, but go and ask him
| if he won't let us tunnel under it. The
| two guardians went and returned and
said that the owner had again said
| No; that he had just settled that ques-
| ton; that the object of the wall was
to prevent progress beyond.
And that is just the position in
which We find ourselves, today, gem
| tlemen The voters have refused to
remove the barrier, but the trainers of
this bill seek to tunnel under it.
Talk about majorities," said Mr..
Peters, being too small, how about
some of the majorities by which we
came here. If elected by one or two
| votes did we ask for another election.
My own majority was small and
| didn't want to do that. If the majority,
| last fall, had been on the other side
| would the Democrats have asked for
another vote? The right of the ma
| iority to rule was struggled for 500
| years by the Anglo Saxons and is one
| of the dearest rights of our race. The
| real reason is that the Democrats are
/ not satisfied With the result but want
| the question decided their way.
| We have heard a great deal of late
| about the voice of the people, espe-
| cially from the Democrats. We Re-
| publcans have been tainted about be-
| ing afraid to trust the people. The
! Democrats must be deaf to the voice
of the people. They seem to have a
/ deaf ear turned to the voice of the
| pople and their good ear toward Mr..
i iPattangall. Who shall decide when
i this question is decided right? Shall
! Mr.. Pattangall or the gentleman from
| Augusta The decision was not in ac-
| cord entirely with my views but shall
| say it was not right? Who shall de-
! eide anyhow"
! ut has been said that the cities
want il and the towns do not and that
| some arrangement should. therefore,
be made whereby the cities can have
! it," said Mr.. Peters This argument
| is invalid and might properly have
been addressed to the people at the
| time of the election last fall They
knew it perfectly well then. The peo-
pie Of this State know more than you
give them credit for knowing, gen.
tleilcn of the opposition"
Mr. Peters said that, after all, the
| question was largely one of units. In
some states the whole state is the
unit, in some, the county, and in some,
the city. Good men may differ in their
| opinion of what is the best plan, Mr..
/ Peters said. He explained that the
towns had an interest in the laws in
force in the cities and visa versa. He
thought the predecessors of the pres
; ent Legislature, who had originally
framed the state wide prohibitory
amendment to the constitution, had
taken this into consideration.
There is only one way in which the
| constitution can be- amended-by a
vote of the people, said Mr.. Peters
II care more for the constitution and
for the preservation of Law, then j
do for the success or failure of this
measure, l don't believe the trainers
of this measure meant to wilfully de-
| ceiYe the people but this. in effect, is
| what it does. / have nothing to ex-
plain and nothing to apologize for and
! | shall vote against this measure. !
| feel that my reasons will justify them
selves to the Intelligent mind
The Speaker Takes Floor.
Speaker Morcy followed. Said he:
Had it not been for the words of the
gentleman from Houlton who III argu-
ing his side of the case attacked men
of the party to whom l belong and
made insinuations that struck at their
honor | should not have spoken.
He has charged that the party OF
| which he Is an honored member was
responsible for piece of legislation
used and intended as enforcement
| Outside of that pieoe of legislation
i !.