Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-01-05
Governor Delivers His Inaugural Address Maine Legislature

be shown the injury they are doing to
humanity and induced to enter some
safer and cleaner occupation.
We can feel nothing but sympathy
for the wretched victims of that I'M
natural appetite to which the liquor
traffic panders. If possible, some meth
cd should be devised for providing
suitable medical treatment at public
it for themselves.
But the real hackers and promoters
of the liquor traffic in Maine, those
affluent and ostensibly respectable
outlaws both within and outside our
State who organize the systematic de-
fiance of our laws in the interest of
their own selfish greed. deserve moth
ing but the contempt OF all decent cltl-
zens. For the sake of unlawful and
swollen profits they are willing to i'm
peril the morals of our youth, infilct
needless suffering upon helpless women
and children. and bring physical and
financial ruin upon many of our cltl-
zens. In order to continue their unhal-
lowed business without hindrance they
have the audacity to demand that the
organic law of the State be admins
tered to suit their convenience. They
even have the amazing effrontery to
point to the continued existence OF
their traffic as an evidence of the fall
ure of the very law which by every
known method of bribery, trickery and
Csbauchery they are constantly seek
| ing to break down.
/ Thus in certain sections of Name,
happily few in number and limited in
area, there has developed an issue
which ought never to be debatable IN
a civilized State; namely, the question
whether the organic law of the State
shall be honestly enforced In accord
auce with its plain meaning and It's
undoubted purpose, or whether of11clals
/ charged with law enforcement shall be
permitted to modify its administration
in accordance with supposed local
sentiment even to the extent of per-
hitting the law to be Systematically
and fagrantly violated.
This question is one of the issues
upon which the people of Maine reg
| istered their decision at the Sep
TENDER election. The issue was
neither lodged nor evaded in the
slightest degree. The dominant party
| is definitely committed to State
and national prohibition and to the
honest enforcement of the prohib-
itory Law as well as all other laws in
this State Furthermore by letters to
thousands of citizens, and by public utter
| ances in practically every nook and cor
ner of our State, l am pledged to use
every resource at my command as Gov
! ernor of Maine for the honest Statewide
| enforcement of these laws which have
been thus hagrantly violated. That
! pledge 1 have just re-affirmed by solemn
oath subscribed to in your presence.
No more effective weapon can be fur
nished any official than an intelligent and
patriotic public opinion, alive to the ur-
gent need of UNFOLDING the majesty of
the law. | earnestly urge upon all good
citizens their responsibility for giving
such active support to all faithful officers.
| There are many gratifying evidences
! that the public conscience is becoming,
unusually well aroused upon this point
But while the existence of a strong local
public opinion IN favor of enforcement is
| ar important aid to the constituted au-
thorites, an apparent lack of such SEN
7 timent in a particular locality cannot be
accepted as sufficient excuse for failure
OF local official to do his duty. To meet
! such a situation better State control over
local officials is highly desirable. 1t is
essential that the lawbreakers should
recognize positively both the power ana
| the determination of some competent au-
thority to punish him. 1t is necessary
also that every local official charged with
enforcement of the law should know that
regardless of supposed local sentiment
his failure to do his duty faithfully will
| bring prompt and certain punishment. in
| Guiding dismissal from public office. The
present method of dealing with this stu
alton is tedious. bungling and expensive.
| l recommend a constitutional amendment
giving the Governor power to remove a
sheriff for cause after notice and hearing.
and statute comforting the same power
in the case of county attorneys.
| 1t is also important that owners OF
buildings where nuisances exist should be
held more certainly and readily account
| able. l recommend such changes in the
| injunction law as will make it easy to in
| woke, and certain and permanent in its
operation both against the person ana
the property involved.
For the complete suppression of the
! liquor traffic it is necessary that a per-
! sstent offender should face the certainty
of Jail sentence upon conviction. The
plain intention of the people on this point
| is expressed in the penalties of Fine and
| imprisonment or Fine and in addition
| thereto Imprisonment" for certain viola
lions of the prohibtory law Unfortu-
nately the evasion of these penalties has
been made possible by a subsequen,
enactment, now part of section /, Chapter
1877 of the Revised Statutes. which reads
as follows: when it Is provided that
he shall be punished by imprisonment AMI
fine. or by Imprisonment or fine, or by fine
and in addition thereto Imprisonment, he
may be sentenced to either or both" YOU
should repeal this Objectionable para
graph and thus leave the penalties to be
imposed as originally enacted by the Leg
islature and intended by the people.