Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-08-13
FLYING SQUADRON.
OPENS MEETINGS
AT FIRST BAPTIST

The Flying Squadron arrived in town
Saturday morning and the members
have already held four meetings at the
First Baptist church. The first meet
ing was Saturday afternoon. Frank
Regain of Rockford, ILL.,. former men,
Der of the Illinois Legislature, gave a
very interesting talk on the subject
Of taxes, illustrated by numerous
rapid crayon drawings. In the evening
Mr.. Regain again spoke before an audi
ence of about so people.
Yesterday afternoon and evening DR..
Leigh Colvin spoke on the problems
of prohibition enforcement. AT the
afternoon meeting about so attended
and in the evening, in spite of the Sc
| we're rainstorm, more than $50 people
listened to DR.. Colvin's lecture.
This afternoon ami evening the final
meetings will be held. Rev. Norma c.
| Brown and Hon. Oliver w. Stewart of
| Chicago president of the Flying Squad
ron will speak.
At the meeting last evening Rev. E.
| A. Pollard Jones INTRODUCED DR.. Coltin.
saying that the Flying Squadron had
| come to Waterville to shC,H the people
| that the fight IS not yet over.
| DR.. Gown declared that the greatest
step for national righteousness was
| taken in the passing OF the 1Sth
| Amendment. He spoke Of Maine as
| the target of all the Western country's
| liquor interests because during the time
while Maine was the only state to have
the prohibition law, liquor interests
, tried to show by their shipments of
liquor into Maine where prohibition was
a failure.
In speaking Of prohibition he said
! that it was the result of four genera
tons of sacrifice and hard work; that
in 1908 the first temperance society was
formed in Saratoga. n. Y, end that
several years later there were iuuU
such societies in the United States.
J He declared that the vets had or
sanized completely by buying up news
| papers, donating large sums to men
who were in power and spreading prop
! uganda throughout the nation.
The speaker further stated that
since the prohibition law. had been
passed much wet propaganda had
been spread concerning the crisis 10
industry brought on by the inactlon
of such a law and that many mad
been thrown out of employment.
He declared that before the law
was passed, about $1,000 men were
EMPLOYED throughout the United
States in the breweries and various
liuuor manufacturing plants. he
showed that these men were not
thrown out of employment because
there are 100000 more workers
wanted today by manufacturing con-
Germs than before the law went INTO
effect and that these men went TO
work in other industries and the
materials went into more useful
channels.
The speaker declared, "These
men knew what a large income the
country would derive if all liquors
including beers and wines were taxed
and although probably not knowing
to what consequences TINS lead 10
they themselves made Investigations
and sent statistics to Washington
nroyinc that any liquor of one half
of one per cent alcohol was intoXl-
eating. The government rapidly
nassed a law which taxed all liquors
over this percentage. When the !sth
amendment was passed this one nan
of one per cent was put into the law
because it had been found out that
that per cent or over was lntoXlCat-
ing Now the vets are spreading
propaganda saying that liquor a
great deal more than one halt OF
one per cent is not intoxicating.
The Doctor stated that Unlteo
States Senator has said that II
would be an easy thing to get VET
plank into the platform of either
the Democratic or Republican party.
''The Democrats are very strong
in the south and the liquor Interests
will be handing the wet platform
chance to the Democratic party be-
cause they would get the votes IN
the South anyway and could also
get enough in the rest of the coun-
try to win out against the opposing
party" declared DR.. Colvin In CLOS
ing" The Republicans in this case
will be forced to place a wet PLANK
in their platform to over come this.
The vets are doing their utmost TO
control the next convention. we
must have a national policy to up
hold the constitution because the
question is no longer the cause OF
prohibition but the cause of our
constitution which every American
should love and uphold"