Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-09-16
The Usual Sheer.

law for 90 years. and is the original pro-
But the Boston Globe the other day
Owing to the street railway strike
in Bangor the police ordered the bar
rooms to close, and seized the stock OF
those who disregarded the order. The
the strike started. except for more or
less backdoor business.
That order Of the Bangor police for the
barroons temporarily to close IS pretty
hibits" in Maine and other States.-Sacra-
mento Bee.
t Dear Sacramento Honey-bunch.
you have gathered some sweets from
weeds, but many of the sweetest
flowers have not opened their stores
to you.
Many Of the facts with relation to
the workings and non-workings Of
prohibitory law are bad. and as pre-
scented partisanly for the purpose of
misleading by a half-told story, they
look worse, infinitely worse.
; For instance. the Globe (Which
reaps a rich annual revenue from the
non working of prohibitory law)
gleefully reprints your little assump-
ton with an approving. precaution-
ary "S-s-sh!"
It pays the liquor interests and all
those opposed to prohibitory law be-
cause there is more money in 'regu-
lation" Of the booze traffic, to adver-
tise in the Maine circulation of the
Globe. "Why. especially?" you ask,
and We reply: Because Maine papers.
regardless Of convictions, are pro-
hibited from advertising liquors and
out-of-state papers are protected in
their violation Of Names prohibitory
law by Uncle Sans interstate COM
merce law.
Perhaps you had never thought of
/ it that way. but It is true. And it is
just as true that not only is Names
prohbitory law outraged continuously
by the common offenders, but by the
traffic. by the traflc's political tools.
by the press Of other states which
get returns in advertising. by that
portion of the State press which is
controlled or manipulated by the
liquor interest politicians. by the
personal liberty" element Of the
population. and by the national gov
ternment itself.
/ Where do you think the laws pro-
'hibiting murder (providing there was
good money In homicide), arson, theft,
ETC., would land. II assailed by such a
combination? Isn't that proof suf-
hcient to any reasoning mind that
the prohibitory law is opposed be-
cause there is more money for the
opposition in a law such as prepared
by counsel Of the liquor interests and
as advocated by every other interest
that gets share out Of the evil traf-
fc?
But these facts only skim the out
side. To understand why Names
law does not always prohibit, you
would have to acquire your knowl-
edge from other than liquor interest
sources. They have misrepresented
the law ana conditions from the hour
that it was signed more than half a
century ago. It has been misrepre-
sented and sneered at by such as
you. ofttimes innocently. in this State
and every other Of the Union. But
please remember this undeniable
truth:
When politicians backed, advised
and financed by liquor interests are
in control of municipal, shrievaI, OF
State, or all governments, then we
see double purpose in violation Of
prohibitory law-first, to make re.
runerative return by politicians, and
second, to prove that the law is a
failure and cannot be enforced.
II 1t were possible to put the
United States out Of the rum busi-
ness-as we hope to live to see-to
end the organized relentless and con-
scienceless opposition to prohibitory
law, and to outlive the false notions
such as personal liberty" and local
self government" instilled by genera
tions Of selfish rum trust cussedness
then the prohibitory law would be as
easily enforced as the law prohibit
ing murder: more easily in fact. fo1
the breaking Of prohibitory law is
not a momentary passion but a de-
liberate offence against humanity fol
filthy gain.
Such a sneer as that credited to the
Sacramento Bee by the Boston Globe
is only an infinitesimal part of the
scheme that promotes and sustains