Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-19
Ia II Not So

Seriously brOther, we re not really
among the unregenerate. We believe in
the principle of prohibition; in decency
and morality; In enforcement of all laws
that can be enforced and the repeal OF
those which cannot, and that the world
is surely, If slowly, growing better We
believe, moreover. that the great ma
jority of the people are honest, even In
their mistakes, and that the prohioition
issue in the State of Maine Is not In Jeo-
pardy to a degree which calls for daily
discussion of the question even In news
papers which stand unequivocally Tor
the law and the laws enforcement-Bid-
deford Journal
Very good If you are really in
cIined to treat the matter seriously.
we are glad to meet you on that
ground In all seriousness, Brother
wormwood. we believe the com
placency of those who believe in the
principle of prohibition" nearly cost
Maine its law. When the law was
put in the constitution the people and
the press of Maine settled back with
a sigh of relief, for the law was to do
all the rest, automatically The
good people of America, you may have
noticed, are always on the still hunt
for cure alls and for laws that will do
all the work and allow the voters to
remain at home to smoke
Well. when the people felt secure in
the law all temperance societies died
a natural DEATH and temperance edu-
caion ceased as unnecessary. And
then those in the service of the beer
companies and the whiskey whole
salers, and those in opposition to the
law got busy. Every day they ham,
mered 1t in press and public, and
politicians sneered at the law and be-
Titled it privately for political effect
among those easy" voters whom they
wished to use on election days, and
the SNUG self satisfaction of the
papers of Maine which believe in the
principle" saw no need or refuting the
claims of the rum press or of dis
cussing prevailing condition or tenn
perance issues.
favor of the law in the constitution re-
duced by the continuous hammering
of the laws enemies, and the laziness,
indifference and cowardliness of those
who believe in the principle The
common reading public every day saw
the denunciation of and sneers at the
law and no replies. They said the ar
guments of the personal liberty
crowd are unanswerable or some of
these papers which believe in the
principle of prohibition" would answer
them.
For generation the booze forces
abused the law and the "hypocrites''
and fanatics" and ''humbugs" who
dared raise voice in favor of the law
and of decency. Notification was ac-
cepted as necessary and the most
prominent men in Maine" participated
in violation of the law as an accepted
custom in social functions. And those
papers which believed in the princi-
pie of prohibition" dared not say a
word for fear of making themselves
obnoxious to patrons. and for fear OF
making people tired of the temper
ance topic"-which was talked every
day. early and late, from the wrong
side
Papers which stand unequivocall,
for the law" yet which mention tn,
fact SO infrequently and so lack
lustrely as to leave the reading public
convinced that the opposition has i'm
measurably the best of the argument
are a detriment instead of an aid to the
cause.
Christ said: He that is not with me
is against me-" and we believe that
modern conditions are eloquent of the
proof that no evil is more dangerous
than the negative Christian, because
of effect upon the short sighted and
unthinking.
r.