Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-04-09
Tuesday, April 9, 1918.
In adversely only the virtuous
can entertain hope.-Bacon.
Sedjtion,

from the New York Mail.
I don't think that ,uu can afford, In
Justice to yourself. as an editor. to fan
TO give this article very serious conSid-
Grafton. | am sure that II Will appeal
to you being worthy, not only or re-
production but also OF editorial treat
ment.
Surely the press should seek to arouse
in the public mind sense of the men
ace in this rapid and insidious en-
croachment on the liberty of the press
T. NJ. GILMORE,
President National Model
License League
To better understand the above
letter and excerpts following from an
article written by German for the
troled by its stomach rather than by
its brain. our readers should know
that T. NJ. Gilmore is the army of
maneuyer'' for the rum trust. He
has been doing the dirty work for
booze interests for years and no
doubt is fattening on the filthy dol
lars received for his constituencies
promotion of an evil business, des-
truction of homes, ruin of men and
degradation OF women. All iiie pun
fshment we would wish for him is
that his conscience may be quick
ened until he can distinguish right
from wrong, and be impassioned with
a strong desire that right prevail.
Below we give parts Of the long
article which would be worth SO
many dirty dollars to Mr.. Gilmore, If
it's logic reached the weak minds of
those who thirst for booze and yearn
for excuse to indulge the folly aud
crime:
How far the prohibitionist fanatics
may be expected to go. once they get
their constitutional amendment behind
them, is we'll exhibited by a modest cir
cular TO the publishers of newspapers
and magazines, issued a week or so ago
by the postmaster of New York. Th1s
circular, a few years back, would have
caused a sensation. 1t lays Gown regu-
lations that are astoundingly onerous
and sumptuary; it holds out a threat of
penalties that are ruinous and lntoler-
able. But already the people OF the
United States have got used TO
moral legislation of prying and
merciless sort that it will now go al
most without notice. and in the FEW
years, no uOuDt, IL Will ne IeSdIucu III
retrospect as extraordinarily mild and
forbea ring.
The postmaste of course, is not re-
sponsible for the draconian prohlbitlons
embodied in it. He Is merely passing
on. for the information of the victims.
the orders of his superior, the postmas-
ter,,general And the postmaster gen
eral, though he adds a few characteris-
tic embellishments of his own, is merely
interpreting the provisions of the act
of March 3. 1917 effective since tht be-
vat, IttJ, Mat nnfi tn
sibly directed toward discouraging the
shipment of liquors into so called dry
states and parts of states. Its actual
effect is to set up tyrannIcal and pre-
posterous censorship upon all America
publications. with the law as the club
and the postmaster general as the al
most wholly irresponsible wielder
thereof.
Under this censorship a newspaper
may be thrown out of the mails. its
proprietor fined $1,000. and it's editor. ad-
rertising manager and circulating man
ager sent to prison for six months
Well. for what? For the gigantic crime.
in brief. of sending to the microscopic
village Of Alfred. n ", single copy
of the paper containing IAN item relat-
ing to the first meal served In a new no.
tel in which specific mention of certain
brands of Intoxicating liquors is made
In other words, for printing the bill of
fare Of a festive victualng. with the
usual list of wines! To do this Is now
criminal offense in the United States.
and any rowing prohibitionist may
complain to the federal authorities and
have the offender Jailed for It,.
There are four times as much more
OF this sediton. Yes, "sedition!"-
traitorous attempt to cultivate revo-
luton against the majority laws of
the country, because they (said laws)
interfere with the profits of an evil
business.
Mr. Gilmore would arouse public
discomfort to any degree, backed by
distillers. brewers. and the booze
wholesalers and retailers. for the pur-
pose of upsetting the law that pre-
dry" towns and cities and violating
their local option" In other words,
a local option law is all right so long
as municipality votes wet but
when it goes dry" then advertising
in the newspapers. circulars, and
hired bootleggers are provided to re-
verse the vote, for. be it remembered
all dry laws are "sumptuary"
All the literature sent out by the
booze interests is infected with the
germs of putrid treachery, of dis
gushing drunkenness, of pitiful hun
ger and imbecility. These disease
germs cannot be reached by boards
of health laws, and to meet the men
ace. towns. cities and states have
voted special laws. Very soon the
whole American Union will have in
voked law that will shut out all the
disease germs which the booze inter.
ests are peddling for fabulous sums
The rum trust inspired article
above complains that the law compels
publishers to keep track Of every dry
town so as not to violate the federal
law by sending booze advertising into
them. The law compels them to dc
nothing Of the sort: all that is neces-