IN MAINE-WHAT?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1241, 25 September 1911, Page 6

IN MAINE-WHAT?

AN INTERVIEW. DIBECT BLOW TO PEOEIBITION. (By Tclceriph.—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, September 24. . In view of the. statements made by leaders of the No-Liccusc party, assorting that the question of prohibition has again to bo submitted to tho peoplo of Maine before prohibition is abandoned in that State, an. Auckland reporter asl;e<l Mr. Leo/ Myers (of Messrs. Campbell, Wirenfried, and Company), who for years past has made a study of this question, for his views of the position. Mr. Myers said that, whilst he could deeply sympathise with tho efforts of tho prohibition leaders to minimise tho weight of the blow that had fallen upon them, still that was no justification for them iri making public statements that were without justification. The real position was as follows:—In 1881 prohibition was embodied in tha constitution of the Maine Constitution, and, -consequently, a referendum on the question could.not bo taken until tho authority for such had been obtained by a twothirds ' majority 'of both Houses of tho Legislature. After that was obtained the recc-nt referendum was taken, resulting, according to the official recount, in a majority .of 26" in favour of tho abandonment, of prohibition. The result of this referendum is. that prohibition has bsen taken out of Hip Constitution, and is the- official authority to the Legislature to pass a Bill permitting licenses to. bo granted. All that has to ha done now is for the Legislature' to pafs a biU in t;ho ordinary way, authorising the granting of licenses, and this has to be passed by only a bare majority, which, obviously, will be obtained, since the consent for the referendum shows that two-thirds of .both Houses of the Legislature are opposed to prohibition. -, Of course,' tho consent of the State Governor to the Bill will have to bo obtained after its passage through both Housesj but, in view of the fact that he was the first democratic Governor appointed for many years, and was elected on the direct issno that he was totally opposed to prohibition, ther-e cau bo no doiiM as to his consent being given to tho Bill. The recent action of the peoplo of Maine is quite in accord with tho wave against prohibition that has b?im bWy sweeping over the United States. . The rout of tho prohibition party that took placo recently in ' New . South Wales is indicative of what has happened lately in , the.United States. Messrs. Rountree and Sherwell, in. their great standard work on temperance reform, point out that prohibition lint been kept alive in Maine by the fact that' the large body of illicit traders, whom we call sly grog-sellers, have openly .supported prohibition. Evidently the moderate section of tho peoplo of Maine spoke unmistakably on this occasion, and determined to free themselves from the thraldom of' prohibition. , ■•