Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-09-04
The Facts in Mr.. cIarke's Case.

|
ter below, he assumes something that
is wholly untrue. We hope he did
not do so for the purpose of an ex-
cuse to occupy our space and time. He
had no right to assume any such thing
from our editorial but he might have
seen that we politely and in a friendly
able men as he bad found that enforce
ment of prohibitory law, anywhere,
is something more than telling what
one can do. The prohibitory law CAN
BE ENFORCED, Is BEING EN-
FORCED, BETTER THAN ANY L.
CENSE LAW UNDER THE SUN can
be enforced. No officer has ever been
elected or appointed who could en-
| force the law in his Jurisdiction
against murder. or highway robbery.
or adultery. or any other crime. But In
| none of these specific cases is there a
mighty, INSCRIPTIONS, tireless, relent-
less. fiendishly selfish traffic urging
commission of the crime, and violation
of the law against it in order that
thereon it may make claims discredit-
ing the law
We have never seen a perfect officer
of the law and have many times be-
lieved we could do a better Job at 1T
than he, but we do believe Sheriff
Getchell conscientious gentleman and
entitled to much more credit than he
has been given. We know that by
| hook and by crook a great deal of
poison is distributed in this county and
in every other county in Maine. but
we believe the law is today being en-
| forced to larger degree and with bet
ter results in Kennebec county, and
in several other counties of the State,
| than ever before in the laws history
And right here is the most vital
objection we have to Mr.. L. H. Clarke
Gas an untried man who makes strong
claims, against a man who has been
tried and found an improvement over
any predecessor) is that he does not
realize the necessity of national pro-
hibition to make State prohibition en-
tirely effective. To our mind, the
party or faction that refuses to place
itself unequivocally upon this great
moral and economic question is either
cowardly or in league with the traffic
We believe Mr.. Clarke, if he could be
elected, would do his best to enforce
all the provisions of the law. No person
in the State more earnestly desires
absolute wiping out of the last vestige
| of the liquor traffic than we. Our
hatred of it may be fanatical. but we
have studied the problem for years
and no man can do that without Bit
terly despising every method Of the
devilish business We should like to
see Mr.. Clarke with all his zeal and
enthusiasm. all his energy and re-
sources coping with the liquor evil In
this county, if we could be convinced
that he would then be able to do NOR d
than the present sheriff is doing-and
could be elected.
There is the rub! We know, and Mr.
Clarke should know, that he cannot be
elected. We know, and he should
know, that the more successful his
candidacy the more certain will be-
come the chances of a party pledged
| nd fnr he or
opposite of that for which We and Mr..
Clarke stand.
Our ideal, if it could have been ar
ranged, would have been the election
of the only man possible against De-
mocracy-Mr. Getchell-and the max
ing of Mr.. Clarke chief of liquor
squad to clean up the county" in a
way to prove his claims--as Ferd
Stevens did for Little Minister" Sher-
if Cummins when he cleaned up Lew
iston, years ago.
What our friend Clarke thinks he
can do is not the question of the hour.
The big fact remains that the people
|
ministration has been superior to any
thing ever possible before; that he
stands, in his less spectacular way
Just as earnestly for enforcement as
does Mr.. Clarke, and that because OF
these facts he can be elected and Mr.
Clarke's election is impossible.
Every vote cast for Mr. Clarke Is
half vote for the Democratic candi-
date. and every Democratic leader is
ready to give moral and financial sup
port to Mr.. Clarkes candidacy because
Of that fact.
Continued discussion Of Mr.. Clarke's
claims as to what he would do if elect
ed Is waste of energy-he can't be
elected.
On another page we are publishing
a sworn statement concerning the
number of United States r. l.. D. liz
censes in Kennebec county. This state