Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-04-06

! clai interest, put hau something real
and vital to do with the general
rights OF the public.
No controversy over meat is treat
ed merely as a fight between the
stockmen and the Beef Trust. 1t is
taken for granted at once that the
general public has interests that are
equal TO those of anybody else. But
in the prohibition contest the general
public is practically effaced. 1t is
warned that this is an issue solely
between virtue and crime, and that
everybody must be an unrestrained
partisan either of prohibition fanati-
csin or of the saloonkeeper: yet the
average mans own interests. which
fare paramount. are the interests OF
neither.-New York World.
| II may be a surprising revelation
to the New York World. but it long
has been an established fact that it is
1 NOT the much abused consumer, the
F'ordinary citizen" who sets up the
yowl about his rights" and his per
| sonal liberty" to make a fool and pub
lie menace Of himself-it always has
been, and is today. the booze making
and booze selling interests and their
paid tools that do the fighting and the
whining
! The ordinary American citizen" is
not worrying about his rights and
liberties; il is those who exploit him
for profit that are alarmed and cry
ing out.
The ordinary citizen" Is not
welded to booze so much as pro-
claimed by the Worlds and the
Gomperses.
Labor has been libeled with the
charge that it will not obey the laws
Of the land. even in war time, if it
cannot have its own way with booze
slop. That is a rum trust lie, and a
cowardly ono. 1t should be nailed,
and every uttercr promptly dealt with
as melting sedition.
The World walls dolorously about
tho rights" Of the Ordinary citizen"
TO indulge in depraved tendencies for
/ tho benefit of the makers and sellers
of useless and poisonous merchandise,
and thus hold, build anew, and per-
pctuatc the evil. 1t is a'rich business
and pays handsome revenue in adj
vertising to increase it's evil traffic
The World is inspired with a new
doctrine for the relief of the I'M.
numbered millions who refuse to
/ night for their rights" in the booze
evil because it pays somebody else.
/ The World has never heard of its
Personal Liberty League" PLAN. it
would have us understand, yet the
rum trust has been working it
for u generation. Personal Liberty
Leagues" Local Self Government
Leagues" and Model License
Leagues" have been pet measures of
the war masters of both distiller and
brewer Kultur. Now the World
goes out to put it over on the thug
and plug ugly influence on New York
politicians at Albany. Pretty cheap.
OF course ordinary American citi-
zens" are expected to obey to the
letter. all war food regulations. Of
course their wheat supply and their
meat supply may be reduced or cut
off without complaint. OF course
health ordinances and state and fed
eral laws for the control of diseases
that menace others must be accepted
for the good of all
| But. when you interfere with the
personal rights of a patron of the
German brewery interests, then YOU
put your hand in the pockets of the
makers and sellers. and the New
York Worlds and those others who
serve greed will no longer stand for
II. They arise first to advise the
legislative assembly to turn over the
state 10 the booze bribers and defv
the constitutional decree of Congress
The New York assembly obeyed,
and in cartoon and editorial the
World rejoiced In the perfidy. as
though II did not know and had never
known. that constitutional provision
had attempted to make such cow
ardly lodging and constituencies
grating impossible. 1t is the legis-
laturc's required part to ratify or re-
ject the prohibition amendment. as
provided by Congress.
II representatives" of the people
are afraid to so on record on a great
/ question. it is time they were shown
their place. and duty to constituted
law. II they have prostituted their
representation by selling their votes
TO the liquor interests under the
; camoufage OF a referendum, they
should he forced out into the day
, light.
} A plane parallel trough of ordinary
| piste-Siass S3 en-. internal width. was
now constructed. only lust large enough
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