Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-12-11

=! empty 1a1le Will pc 10 CoUmOu a.
over filled jsils have been In the past.
The same is true Of every state in
the Union that has adopted prohibit
ton and is living up TO it's laws.
From sope of the Western and
Southern, prohibition states the Of
fetal figures are simply anaazing. and
they arc approved and ahirmed by
business interests in Overwhelming
! volume. =.
To tell the story briefly: We are
getting out from under the German
business tina. was we'll calculated to
unman and ruin US. Beer and its
brutalizing influence made Of Ger
many the worst criminal OF all the
ages. To overcome the outlaw it was
necessary. for other nations to restrict
their business of depraviug men, des-
troying women, and making feeble
minded of their children. Our gov
eminent has gone out Of the booze
business and because of that we are
rapidly going out of the Jail building
and poor house business.
! But the fighting for the rights OF
| humanity to be decent and for pro-
lection from self-made fools and
criminals. is not all over. There are
yet men and powerful organizations
ready to do their best to retain the
entire evil business. because there is
money in the traffic Of human bodies
and souls. Listen to one of them-a
well known man-as told by the Bos-
ton Courier and Hotel News:
Former Mayor of Boston, John f..
Fitzgerald recently addressed the
members of the City of Boston Hotel
! Association on the subject OF national
prohibition, calling a spade a spade
and placing himself sQuarely against
national aridity.
Said Mr.. FITZGERALD ..
prohibition. if it is made national
by the hypocrtical party that is jam
ming it through. will stop the growth
OF the United States within the next
few years as it never has been since the
Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
1T will not lessen crime, it will not
Z relieve any congestion IN jails; IT will
hurt real estate, it will cause taxes to
fortunes or incomes Of tens of thou,
sands of men, and it will make Ameri-
can citizens like Russians with Bolshe-
vlk rule-havinS to submit to something
they don't want.
Il am not in favor OF excessive drink
ing. Any one that says my words are
born OF such thought is worse than
childish, but / am in favor OF laws that
are constitutional, and prohibition is
| not that by any manner OF means.
DO the people realize what nation
vide bone,dryness means: l don't be-
S eye so T goo arS too for
put over time after time that they re-
greet later, but their regrets are in vain.
DO they. realize that prohibition
try VIII receive the terrible blow: The
&. eat population of the United States
the greatest citizSnry of the worlds
born and bred of stock that has imn;-
growth in so she-t a period of Years
has been due to the worldwide reputa-
ton of this land for personal freedom.
IL that personal freedom is curtailed by
chooses to drink, will the country con-
tinue to be known as vast free
! thinking. frec-acting nation? don't
think So
prohibition will corrupt police
forces. sheriffs' offices. constahles, and
/ courts more than any other one item.
Men will be caught selling liquor. 1t
p..sonment and fine. These men will
find ways OF reaching those III authori-
ty and when thew have cone that and
got away with it. why isn't it fair to
pen they will already have corrupted
the authorities SO that further corrup-
ton will be easy?'
have on the growth OF the country you
need only look at the State of Maine.
A commonwealth with half the area of
lew England has no more populatlo
cause the great working class that
builcs up any state or community
would not go. to Maine because OF its
liquor restrictions. Men drink in Maine !;
has there ever been any Jail sentences
imposed and enforced for such viola
tons of the State law" | have never
heard of any.
ural advantages Of seacoast and fine
harbors, advanced? Because the work
ing class won't go there. Try. and get
contractor to take over big million,
happen? He won't do it: Why? Be
cause he knows he won't be able to get
labor. A laborer who likes beer, and
wine won't go down there where ne Is
offered. IL he cares for 1t. alcohol splits
and other trash that will tear out his
stomach Maine has advanced slower
than any other state in the Union. with
the possible exception of Nevada. and
all because OF prohibition
We used q yard or two more of
Honey" Fits melody in order to
give him full benefit of his ''argu-
ment." We knew that he had long talk
en- lessons in the stock expressions OF
the booze interests but we did not
know that he confined himself to them
without anything new in keeping
with rapidly changing times and con-
diticns. The former mayor of Boston
seems TO have closed his ears to pro-
gress and does not know that some
Of his utterances prepared by the
rum trust and beer trust 20 years
ago, are barefaced falsehoods now.
OF course Mr.. Fitzgerald does not
believe any of the reports he hears
about ;ails withou: enough prisoners
to keep them swept out. He does not
believe, because the booze promoters
have told him not to, that great in
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