FIRST POLL FOR 27 YEIARS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12588, 19 October 1911, Page 2

FIRST POLL FOR 27 YEIARS.

The question put to the electors of Maine, was -whether 'the .fifth amendment of the. State^- Obhstitution 6hotild be .retained or repealed. Getting rid of the statute law of prohibition is janother matter entirely, and of course will take time. ■'■.;.■- Maine fir^t adopted prohibition m. .1853,. rejected.. it after a brief trial., reenacted- the Y law m 1857, and has kept it on the Statute Book ever since. In 1884-.- prohibition was- incorporated m- tho Constitution through the adontion, by 43,000 majority m a vote of 94', 694, of this - following amendment •': j — "Amendment 5-^The ' manufacture of intoxicating liquors, not including cider, and the., sale and keeping for sale of intoxicating liquors, are, and shall be forever -prohibited. Except, that the 'sale and keeping for sale, of such liquors for medicinal -and iuechanic^l purposes; and the arts, and; the sale ahd keeping- for sale of , cider 'may be per-, mitlted under 'such- regulations as the Legislature- -Way- •provide*; The Legisla* , ture shall enact ltLvrs-* with suitable penalties fori the suppression of the manufacture, sale, and. keeping idr*'sajh> of intoxicating liquors, with the exceptions herein specified." ■'iThe.iVote isithe result , of the success of the v Democratic party iri Maine last year, when\ ... Governor^ ; Plaiated .was elected, one or-the < "main- issues on his programme being resubmission of the prohibitory amendment. Republican legislatures up to 1909 had refused this, ■and when m that year resubmission was , Svated by the coalition of Republicans and Democraticsj the Republican Governor vetoed the resolve. The Democratic Legislature of 1911 ;voted resubmission j and so the question went to the people, %vho had thus -for the first time m 27 years an of expressing their sentim'ehtsY oii the matter.