Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-03-09
Mr.. Emerson Not Satisfied.

Editor Kennebec Journal:
I did not intend to trouble You with a
reply to the comments you made on my
brief article published in the kennebec
Journal Feb. 81, but when / opened the
Journal of March 5 and read your scath-
ing rebuke of our Uncle Sam because oil
his partnership with the rum traffic and
his reaping a revenue therefrom. l am
led TO consider few points and ask a
few questions.
Please tell me when you speak 81
Uncle Sam" to whom do you refer II it
is not the United States government?
And is not the political party. or admin
istration, in power the government. This
is the understanding / have had for many
years and believe it is correct Do not
think anyone can be successful in dis
putting it. 1t follows then that when the
Mckinley administration came into
power, followed by Roosevelt and Taft.
there was an unbroken period from
March 4, 1897 to March 4. 1913. The Re-
publican party had full control Of the
government and was the self same Uncle
sam" that for Is years was reaping a
revenue from the rum traffic. and all the
while was encouraged supported, upheld
in his work by the Kennebec Journal.
The whole responsibility of Uncle Sam
being engaged in the liquor traffic falls
right back upon the supporters of the
political party in power and yet in the
very face of this damaging evidence you
say that you favor taking Uncle Sam out
of the rum traffic and that it has been
your slogan for years.
Don't be so unmerciful towards Uncle
Sam. He is only doing what the Repub-
lican and Democrat parties permit him to
do and know that he will do every time
he is given the opportunity.
Statistics taken from the Internal
Revenue Bureau and from other possible
sources prove that during that 16 years OF
Republican and also Kennebec Journal
rule. the rum traffic and its revenue
steadily increased, and there was not
even single sentence, either in the Re-
publican National Platform or in the
state papers of the Presidents, in opposi-
tion to it,
Now you come to the front and say,
For scores of years We have permitted
our government to reap revenue from
the rum business and cry out in deep
regret that it is so. Please tell me VINO
has permitted it all these years II 1t Is
not the supporters of the political par
ties in control of the government includ-
ing the Kennebec Journal? 1t seems to
me. Brother Chadbourne, that | wouldn t
be so earnest in condemning my own
work and at the same time highly re-
solve to continue it.
In your comments upon my article re-
ferred to, you do not care to get outside
the narrow boundaries of our state.
You seem to infer, like thousands OF
Others, that our duties alone are inside
our state lines We should bend our en-
ergies in keeping this Republican and
Democratic booze outside our borders.
But l contend that we should have
larger vision. We are part OF the entlre
nation. If we arc ever to handle this
great rum curse successfully and put 1t
down and out, we must train our guns
on the distilleries and breweries ana
wholesale establishments now permitted
to flourish by national authority. Town
and county and even State prohibition is
not effectual. Never can be so long as
Uncle Sam allows the crime to exist
Talk about making the map white and
enforcing the law and getting together
in big assemblies and making eloquent
speeches and enacting- measures and pass
ing resolutions. all aimed at the liauar
traffic, and then line right up once in four
years at every national election with the
brewers and distillers ana saloon keepers
and vote with them to continue the traf-
fic the same as in the past, only little
more So
a., 1y11e nfar 90 f.ylp G a
Continued on Page 3-Column y