Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-21
A Maine View.

-
This time we are reprimanded by
cone Who Knows for saying that
there is hypocrisy in Maine when it
comes to enforcing the liquor laws.
Perhaps il is useless to debate that
point further If it isn't hypocrisy,
what is? And may we quote in sup
mort of our contention this extract
from that militant believer in the Pro-
cressive doctrines and the enforcement
of law. Editor Dingley of the Lewis
ton Journal:
The habit of passing laws like our
liquor laws, under whose nulliheatlon
first a Democratic nullifier. and later
Republican or Penrose party nulllher
should be chosen to control, has made a
large part of our Maine statutes laugh
ing stock.
Perhaps notification would be bet
ter than hypocrisy" But it is arrant
hypocrisy that leads to notification,
as far as the Maine liquor law is con
cerned.-Boston Traveller.
Ii our Boston friend were not so
eocksure in its Ignorance there might
be some hope of letting light in on its
brain by use of sledge-hammer and
cold-shisel We could perhaps force
IL to admit that the hypoerites are the
ones who profess to expect any law to
do all that it's friends desired of it.
Thou shalt not kill" has failed to
prohibit murder, in spite of the fact
that no mighty commercial power is
every moment engaged in the business
of instructing in ways to evade the
law and in encouraging men to violate
the law in every manner possible, as
is seen in the liquor traffic.
Our exchange apparently would eth
er mislead it's readers for purpose, or
else it hasn't the intelligence to know
that il is not those who fight for the
law and stand for it, who nuliify II.
Those who believe in the law do so, not
because it is accomplishing all they
wish it might, but because 1t accom-
plishes more against the evil than any
other plan thus far conceived. We're
this not so, why the constant and
sometimes frantic attempts of the
booze makers and sellers and those
who profit by their advertising and
in other ways. to overthrow the law?
The hypocrisy goes home to those
who pretend, for the sake of rum
trust pap to think that everyone who
stands for better moral conditions is
a hypocrite and nullifier of the law.
The prohibitory law is under con-
slant assault by the liquor interests.
The interstate commerce law allows
them to advertise contraband goods IN
our State. Such Boston beneficiaries
of the booze sellers advertising bud
get as desire may do their best to vio-
late our law and. at the same time,
charge MS with hypocrisy because we
know that far less booze is sold under
the worst of notification than under
the best of license.
II it were only drunkenness with
which we had to contend, our task
would be comparatively easy, but It is
the sleepess organization in the
business of propagating drunkenness
for profit, that utilities our law
And those who profit by that great
ORGANIZATIONS patronage and who aid
in defeat of the law, are hypocriticai
enough to sheer All and maiign those
who are actually doing something for
humanity.
But the most colossal hypocrite of
all is the sneak thief who stands under
cover of the law clothed in a blanket
of Il am holier than thou" and abuses
one and all without ever lifting voice
or hand against the common enemy.