Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-04-12

Let us say that the sheriff of Pc
nobscot county. even though il be
true that he had been deputy of .
former sheriff, had been upon the Ii
quor squad of Il former sheriff. who
for almost eight years before he took
the oath of office upon January iirst
If this year, had admittedly and in
accordance with his own testimony
been familiar With almost every one
of these places in the city Of Bangor,
familiar with many of the propriaturS
by name. familiar according To his
own testimony with the character OF
each one of those places and Of the
persistency with which they intended
and attempted during his former adj
ministration as deputy Ia continue III
the liquor business--let us, if we can,
forget all those things and if we want
TO be unusually tair with this man, ict
Us start him on the first day of Jana
airy as though he never had heard oil
the city of Bangor as though he nee
er had heard of the duties of Il sheriff
or his deputies, and as though upon
that day for the first time in his life
he stepped into this city. into these
conditions, into the performance of the
duties of his office
starting With that proposition, let ns
follow 1t along and see what he did. We
knew what he should haVe done. did
be do it,
Upon the dth day of january. after
he had been sheriff of Penobseot eoun-
~ less than five days, Re and lis dep
utleS sWore out four warrants To seafeh
lour well known places IN the CITY III
Bangor. He went in 10 those four
places, and ! read 10 him in your pres
4 ence, last evening what quantities and
kinds OF liquors he seized in each OF
taose places. the reeeptaeles n when
they were found lie places within the
particular barrooms where tAeN &ert.
round, somethnS 0f the character OF
the four men, something OF the char
| lcter of these -four places. Upon thai
4th day of January lie and his depG-
lies did what he has told You he Gid,
and Whrat the warrants which ha*e
been before You and are now open to
.3oaf inspection show ynd that he did,
and from that time down to today
peither the sheriff nor any o. his dep
nties have ever been into either ON
j of those places,
Now for Il moment simply let that
sink IN, if it has not already got in
CIT OF sight. ASK yourself, what has
the sheriff of Penobscot county dene
To close up or to better conditions with
reference to The sale of intoxicating Il
nuor i'll those four places. four places
which notoriously We're upon that 18th
day of ry-2dmittedly upon tie
Il. nf
OF those men had paid Il TAX IN which
he had sworn to Il declaration that he
/ intended to engage in the sale of in
toyicating liquor-upon that day, with
that quantity of liquor exposed as
openly as groceries or tea i'll 4 grocery
store. in such quantities that from
some place outside of the State of
Maine there was coming into the city
of Bangor at least quite 4 quantity
of intoxicating liquor. and if Yon or |
or any other man wanted In actually
clos. up or 10 benefit The conditions
within those places. would "" have
permitted ourselves. however hard the
duties the performance Of which we
were required by law To perform. To
refrain from nj least going into those
places, two or which We're IN his way
almost from the county Jail INTO town,
which certainly he occasionally visit
! 3D. TWO of which were within few
. minutes walk of the place Who're from
! early morning until late at NIGHT h.
VAS there during his waking hours.
and never once according 10 his les
timony and admission has he eyer
stepped his foot inside of any of those
places.
And what are you going Ia say when
Won ask Yourself. has he diligently in
uhired and lhen, when in answer 10
that there flashes up before you these
four instances alone, ard ask yourself
the question Was that failure VII
fui?'' How can you answer either of
these questions other than by saying
that he mas not inquired, and that that
failure to inquire has been absolute
ly Wllfll. because diligence, as has
feeE read TO you n another case. is
such an act as would be performed
by an ordinary man who desired to as
certain the truth in the exercise of due
care Did the sheriff of Penobseoi
county want to know the truth III re
gard 10 those places. or was he afraid
hat ne would find out the truth?
Now there are those four instances,
typical to Il degree, To a large extent,
of every other place in Bangor. He
knev them al. he says so, and while
upon several occasions. five separate
days | think constituted the time that
ne personally gave to these IS visits
tllat ne told us he made. and these 10
| seizures in which he participated. all
taking place upon five different days
| in each OF those places he found evil
Gencc of an unlawful traffic, of a wick
ed, open and notorious violation of the
prohibitory law. the worst which you
have heard so far, worse than any
which goa can hear, as bad as any
which you can conceive of. and never
but once in any of those places did the
sheriff himself make any effort either
"a ascertain conditions. or to remedy
and relieve those conditions which he
found upon his previous visit hat is
true; ii is admitted; it don't have to
be proved, but my learned friend upon
the other side says that he appointed
deputy sheriffs, and that he had a
right to rely to q certain extent, and
perhaps II large extent-and yen