TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

Evening Star, Issue 14687, 3 October 1911, Page 1

TEMPERANCE COLUMN.

[Br ARBASGEMEirr.I THE PROHIBITION' VICTORY IN MAINE. LIQUOR PARTY ADVOCATING LOCAL OPTION. Whether it turne out after the recount that Main 3 has reaffirmed constitutional Prohibition or not. it is desirable that the I Now Zealand public should understand exactly what, the issues were, aid should I realise that/ the issues was one over which Hie temperance vote itself was very much •divided. NOT PROHIBITION v. LICENSE. It has been stated in this columijt and, in other plaors by No-license advbeates that the contest in Maine was not 'due of Prohibition v. License; also, that tie Liquor party in Maine were advocating Local Option, and were trying to induce the people of Maine to' adopt Local Option instead of State .• Prohibition. Tiiey were not stating that there wonld be mora freedom in selling liquor and move opportunity to get liquor under Local Ontion, but that there wonld be better enforcement, and consequently less opportunity to get liquor. There could i not be n greater condemnation of the j methods that defenders of liquor selling : will use than t-o fine the party. i who fight tooth and nail against Local I Option in New Zealand and in all the fully j licensed parts of America, calmly adopting ; Local Option as their main pL-mk in Maine I where, they want to destroy the State j Prohibition. Their .u"e 6bject in doing ' this, is, of course, to get licenses i« ..ST - ! or 30 towns scattered about the State of i Maine, and thus through these towns more I easily sell and deliver liquor to other ! parts of'the State than they can <ic now. iAs already explained in this column, it ■ is a very insidious game to play in the ! United States to put Local Option against i State Prohibition, owing to the police : being instructed and paid by the county ] or city. The local majority can thus i bring about enforcement cr neglect it. No j law will enforce itself. j Therefore, when the liquor party ad- ! vert-ire that better enforcement comes | about, through local No-license, it eaarrie* a good deal of force in the United .States. In New Zealand such »a statement has no meaning whatsoever, as the. police are paid by the Ft ate and directed by the State, and enforcement fall* on all places; alike. j THE LIQUOR ADVERTISEMENT. We have net writ tea ihis article in order that we might simply reaffirm this I statement, but in order that we might j introduce to the notice of the people of ! Dnnedin an advertisement w.jjch was pub- ! lished by the liquor party in the ' Portj land Argus,' Maine. ]t was considered. I the strongest statement published in favor '< of the r-C'pe-il of the law from tlve_ Constitution. Renders will see that this advertisement makes it quite evident that the Liquor party in Mains dare not touch. a- straight-out contest between Licenr.e arid Prohibition with a 40ft pole. It shows plainly that their great hope, is to induce people to believr> that Local Option will lie better than State Prohibition,-because' the enforcement would be better. We have again very grave reason indeed to j complain that Mr Myers, in his telegram j through New Zealand, fried to make out I that the contest was a straight-out one between License and Prohibition, and that ' License wotl-d be restored, i "The foiloxiugis the-aa-ieiiusefutiHi .jwi* jas inserted by"'the Liquor party in tie j Maine papers : j THE, ONLY ISSUE. [ A - YES - VOTE ItPSTORES .RULE OP j THE PEOPLE. ' REPEAL OF AMENDMENT DOES NOT ' P.EI'EAL PROHIBITORY LAW. j The voters of M;;ine in September are to 1 decide whether Prohibition shall be taken ; out of the Constitution of the State. That j is the only question in relation to Pr./nibi- | tioil to be voted upon. | Repealing the prohibitory amendment to '■ the Constitution does not reneal the liquor law. Maine had prohibitory law for nearly 40 years before the prohibitory amendment was added to the Constitution. All the laws passed by the Legislature to prevent the sale ..f liquor will be in 1 force after the repeal of the amendment. i Taking tin', amendment out of the Con- ! stitutinn docs not in any maimer change I the prohibitory laws. j Rut if the amendment is taken out. of ! the. Constitution the Lege lalmv cat; change ! the liquor law. subject to the approval of ! die people. : The Legislature, for example, can pass a | Local Oniioii law. To-day the Legisla- | ture conid no:- do that, b; cause the Con- ! .slitut.ion forbids it. i But. the Legislature cannot impose a law | icon the people again.-l the::- will. The I pi'-.-.ple have the 'veto power. If they do l c,r, v-ani to accept a liocal Option law j passed by the Legislature they can vote it j clown under the. I referendum, j In 11-.at case all tlic Slate-wide prohibi- ■' tew laws remain in force. ] ]'f the Legislauire passes a Local Option law. and it. is ,-'..-.-ept<-J by the people. Main" will eontinu' to have Prohibition ; wiih the town a 1:-! city as the unit instead jo! with the State as the unit. i Conimunities vliich v.-ant Prohibition ! will set it m more effective form than. th.-v Lave it to-day. i Communities in v.-ha-h public sentiment : does not supnoi-i- Prohibition will have the 'power to holiestly and ci'ioientiy regelate : the liquor tiafii'c e.mb-r ,j system that liinil < the nuiribe:- cf licenses. | The people of each community will have, under Local Opiioii, the right to determine ■ whether thev will or will not have Prohibition. Local Op!.on thus restorer; to the people ; the right 'if local selt-gov-rinncnt. Those ■•'.-In. oppose Local Option take the , ground that lb- people of the different conimunities in the State of Maine cannot : be trusted to manage- their own affairs. ! Those who favor Local Option declare that the people of Maine towns and cities are capable of intelligently settling local questions in accordance with general laws passed by the. Legislature. But the penfil". are not to vote on Local Option in September. Ts:ey are to vote : on the question of repealing the prohibi- : tory amendment to the State. Constitution. It the amendment is repealed, the pro- . hibiiory laws are still in force, but the , Legislature may change them, and establish Local Option if the people want it. If the amendment is not repealed, the ' State-wide, prohibitory system cannot 1.0 ; abandoned, it must be continued not only : in places where Prohibition is a succe.'.-. ■ but in all other places in the State. I The above- advertisement is but a type ;of many. Newspaper columns were bought ' up wholesale, and the State was flooded : with liquor money. If it retains Prehibii iion Maine will triumph against the influence cf the whole fighting fund cf the Am'rican liquor traffic. Thir, v.iil be a grout victory. Only these fa.roiihr with American conditions can realise how great.