Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-19
The Sheriff's Reply

Gov William T. Haines.
Waterville, Maine.
My Dear Governor:
Your favor of May 5th asking for
my resignation received. | am not
surprised at receiving the same be-
cause / have noticed that the press
has been pounding you, using me as
club. / have also read the letters
which Candidate Gardner of the Pro-
gressive party has sent to you and
which the press has been so ready and
willing to publish, and l do not won
der that you have been driven to take
some action,
l do not feel as if l ought to resign
at this time because it would be con-
sidered by the public as an admission,
that either I had wilfully refused to
enforce the law, or that 1 had been so
inefficient and incompetent as to be
unable to do so. Neither is the fact
and therefore 1 do not wish to place
myself in that position by admitting
either.
/ do not know what evidence you
have that l have not been doing my
duty. l do not know whether the wit
nesses are creditable or competent or
what motives may have influenced
them. OF course, you, as a lawyer,
know that the testimony of some wit
nesses should be discounted on account
of bias, prejudice or desire for per-
sonal gain. Therefore l do not believe
I should take the step without the ev-
idence being presented to me or at
least knowing the names of the COM
plainants. Furthermore, we have a
primary election coming in about a
month and you, as well as myself, be-
lieve in the primary law to obtain
good results. There are two eandi-
dates in the primaries besides myself
and 1 am perfectly willing to leave
it to jury of the Republicans of Pc
nobscot county tn s"T whether l have
performed Iny duty or not, but in or
der to satisfy you and other fair mind
ed people of the county and State that
l have done my duty, l herewith sub
NIT the following facts:
l assumed the duties of sheriff on
May Sth, 1913. with five special liquor
deputies. The memory of the Sturgis
deputies was strong in the minds of
the people of Penobscot county and
received but very little help and en-
summer 1 found that l could not do
efficient work with those five deputies
and increased the number to eight
About the first of August the law court
handed down a decision in which they
held that liquor deputies were entitled
to only $500 per day for services. The
county commissioners refused to pay
over $500 a day for the services
of the liquor deputies and l then plac-
ed the men on fee system which con-
tinued until the first of November.
When the county commissioners set
tied with the deputies they decreased
their fees so that the H,en would not
work under the fee system. / could
not get reliable and COMPETENT men to
act as deputies for $500 day and
therefore l made an agreement with
the county commissioners for them to
allow me five deputies, for the entire
county, at $500 day. These liquor
deputies were stationed at Bangor,
from whence they covered the whole
county. Bangor, Brewer, Newport,
Dexter. Carmel, Orono, Old Town, En-
field, Rowland and Winn have been
raided by them. As you know Penob-
scot county is a large county, having
about $4,000 people, three cities, fifty
five towns, and eight plantations. In
some of the towns the local deputy
could do nothing as he was watched
and spotted continuously so that the
only effective method was to have one
of the liquor deputies drop into the
town Unexpectedly. Having the same
squad of deputies in Bangor, they
were also well known so that their
movements and their whereabouts
were watched continuously. 1t has