Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-02-16

OOn.
so we see. if prohibition Stays its
thousands. free rpm Stays its tens OF
thousands. Surely. in the words OF
Scott: The scene is touching. and
the heart is stone,' that melts not at
the "pitifui" picture that Mr.. Hanson
presents as follows: Why" he says,
1T is pitiful. the lengths to which
people will so i'll a prohibition com.
n.nnity to have their little supply OF
iiluor on hand. They keep it under
floors, in the walls. in the ceilings.
have seen an old woman with half a
dozen bottles under her skirt, hung to
her belt by hook. | have seen four
pint bottles in each pant leg OF one
decrepit old man."
Bro Hanson was once an able
preacher OF the gospel, and it is no
wonder that he should take the part
of those hunted and prosecuted old
people, who are trying TO get an hon.
est living by committing criminal Of
fences, and endeavoring to make
drunkards Of their neighbours boys.
Bro. Hanson used to, or at least was
supposed to- believe in the scriptural
declarations: Cursed be he who
giveth his neighbor drink" WOE
UNTO HIM that putteth the bottle to
his neighbours lips NO drunkard
can enter the kingdom of heaven"
And yet he will go a thousand miles
from home to defend those old crimi-
mails. just on the brink of the grave.
who are defying the, laws of God and
man. endangerins their hope of eter-
nal salvation, and that of their neigh
bors whom they are endeavoring to
bring under their hellish influence.
That was not his attitude upon such
questions some 80 years ago when he
was holding forth" to US. But then
money talks, and it makes a differ
ence who is paying the bills. Mr..
Hanson says: "A friend Of mine, when
asked to furnish me with a bottle of
whiskey for the cure of a cold. f1shed
out his little stock from a recess be-
hind his old mothers picture in the
parlor."
Now here is the whole trouble with
the enforcement of the prohibitory
law in Maine. Some one will want
friend" to furnish them with little
rum or whiskey for a cold. CA cold"
is just as good an excuse as anything
else) and the friend" kindly furn-
ishes it. So having a little left, he is
willing to help his other invalid
friends. Finding the business profit
able. he branches out and is sur
prised to find that his neighborly kind
ness is not appreciated by an unfriend-
ly world, and he is prosecuted as a
-, ;,,f
was who had the whiskey bottles
tied to her waist, and the old man had
his hid in his boot leg. If 'invalids"
would not drink rum, pocket ped
dlers could not sell it. OF the two he
is the most guilty. as he is the NOV
ing party in the committing of a
criminal offence. as he gives the other
party a valuable consideration to in
duce him to commit a criminal Of
fence, and | believe the law would
hold him guilty if it was tried out.
will be one to help pay the bills i'll
such case if it is put in motion.
Now this hiding Of liquor. which is
SO pathetically described. is never
done by any one but the criminal
pocket peddler. Any decent man can
have all the liquor in his house that
he needs for his own use and he will
never be molested, unless some neigh
Dor with cold" tries TO get him into
trouble by sponging a drink out Of
him, or buying one. Mr.. Hanson is (,
man Of intelligence. and of wide in
formation. He knows that for years
the best medical authorities have de-
clared that alcohol is not a medicine.
And the last word is By the new edi-
ton Of the L. s. Pharma copoeia, which
denies it's pretended medicinal quail
ties, and has eXpunged it from its
covers. Now we hear that the Mas
>achusetts druggists are in danger Of
losing thci: liquor licenses. as it is no
longer recognized as a medicine. so
there is ~ longer an excuse for their
selling rum.
All owe. Maine" sail Mi Hanson.
we lave monuments to the odessa!
folly of that state in its handling Of
the liquor business. In on" rUh in
Portland there are roWs upon rows Of
lockers that have been ripped open.
and their locks torn out. The lockers
have been preserved just in the con-
dtion the Sturgis commission left
them as a constant reminder Of tn
oppression of prohibition"
Imagine the majestic wave Of the
hand Of some "kuitured" member Of
! that Portland rum club a. hc
points out 70 some of his visiting
friends. the wrecked locker and cX-
claims: Behold the fruits OF pro-
hibition oppression. Here is where
kept my whiskey upon which | ana
my friends used 10 becloud our shall
! low brains. We occasionally enliv
ened the monotony by inducing soma
Of our young friends to take their first
glass, and enjoyed the comical way in
which they tried to carry it Off But
now all this is denied US. For those
! cussed' Sturgis fellows complained
that we were trying to ruin our
neighbours sons and daughters. Ruin
nothing. The idea that you can't get
! fellow drunk if you want to have :,
/ little fun"
! think if l had been in Minnesota
and knew that such sink holes" We're