Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-03-07
The Perfidy Of a Dying Congress.

Inc Pernoy OF Oy'h9 No"S'ese'
The Distributing Co. is busy
filing Maine with its booze literature.
All sorts Of circulars. pamphlets. slips
end cards tell Of wonderful bargains
and combinations Of booze.
Other mail order houses in Massa-
chusetts and other states are to be I'M
usually active. We presume, because Of
the great amount Of poison that must
be unloaded before July 1 when the
nationa, "bone-dry" law goes into eff
feet
That law would be in effect today.
and would have made the insulting
mass Of booze advertising that came to
hand this morning criminal offense
but for the last hour perfidy of Con-
gress and President.
Here are the facts and the logic: The
Congress passed, by tremendous major
ittes in both houses, the bone dry"
rider to the pcstoffice appropriation
bill. These provisions became operat-
i've st once on the signature of the
President They provided against the
sending such circulars as above re-
ferred to through the mails into dry"
territory, and they provided against
the circulation of newspapers, maya
zines and periodicals carrying the ad-
vertising Of any sort of liquor, in pro-
hioition states.
Today we should have been living
under those provisions had not Con-
gress and the President decided be-
tween our sons and daughters and the
liquor makers and dealers in favor of
the latter group
Congress had provided the law to re-:
strlct an evil traffic. By that act
placed it's interest in human welfare
above its interest in the booze business.
1t could have had no other purpose. 1t
fully recognized and dealt with the evil
And then tile evil traffic pitifully
walled that it was being robbed OF its
profits; that 1T had millions on millions
or gallons of liquors more than if could
a.
NIT If; it must suffer large financial
loss unless it could be permitted to sell
these millions Of gallons WHERE THE
LAWS DO NOT PERMIT 1T.
OF course those engaged in the liquor
making Ind selling business do no,
care how much suffering and heartache
ana crime they cause, for thew AFRO
hardened to it; they have been at if =
long time and have accumulated untold
millions of dollars in the business
Congress had decided by an over
Whelmin2 vote that the time had co,,o
|" stop this business; that the booze
makers. and sellers had made gold
enough at the expense Of human decen-
cS ard hope. and must cease that nor
ZION of their traffic WHERE STATES
HAD PROVISIONS MAKING 1T AN
OUTLAW.
Inc law was passed and signed If
'he news reports are credited, and then
in. the Associated Press ,enor+ 80 49,.
o''sins hours and the shattering of the
legislative program, we find this s,iebt
reference: Among the measures 70
winch the President attached II.
''s"ss"re' "a resolution
possponing until July I the effective.
ness for the prohibition feature Of +hs
postoffice BILL"
Apparently even the news association
was ashamed to give the details of that
last infamous concession to an evil
which Congress had met and faced and
understood; how in the last bours re-
CARELESS Of the heart blow to millions of
honest people who have looked to Con-
eress for relief from this evil. the mon
OF congress rushed through a resolve
'ano the President signed it, granting
these destroyers of homes, these maxi
ers OF criminals. these constituencies
human curses of mankind, permit for
TOUR months longer, to violate the ,au
OF prohi'ition states and the feelings of
those who have long prayed for relief
FOR four months longer your son Is
worth less in tho gamble for him. in
enc opinion Of Congress, than tn.
PROFITS that will 90 into the hands Of
the makers and sellers Of disease die.
he"or and death. For four month.
longer your daughter is offered a. =
pawn in the game of vice and crime to
sPpsass the greedy monster that ha.
once more proved its power
We don't know how it was done b,,t
certain it is that Congress and the
President. after mailing the devil to the
cross. lowered him down and gave him
permission to prey on humanity for q
period Of four months.
The liquor interests frankly stated
that the demand for more time was
made that they might violate our state
laws just as they have in the mast RE-
CAUSE THEY COULD NOT sE1LAT
A PROFIT. in wet" territory, all the
poison they have on hand
Congress has granted permission, and
that is why our mails are debauched.