Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-05-22

churches. Mr.. Abrams was presen
and addressed this meeting by the in
vitation of the pastors; and since tina
meeting, all the steps thdt led up to tn
commencement Of the liquor injunction
cases were taken by the Central Com
mittee Of the Anti-Saioon League To-
Delaware County.
When the Committee came intt
possession Of evidence that the defend
ants in these cases were selling intoxica
ting liquors unlawfully, 1t employed Mr.
Cameron to commence and prosecute
these injunction cases as its attorney
That was his only relation to the cases
Upon this first count. therefore, the
censure Of the court was misplaced
cenaure. It was predicated upon q
ground that had no existence in fact.
The other ground upon which the
Court based Its censure of the prosecu-
tion was the alleged "fact that the case
/ was not commenced IS for an
actual violation of law, but upon q
manufactured complaint worked up by
outsiders This is followed up by the
statement that "the prosecution en-
ployed so-called detective, not for the
purpose of discovering some offense
which had actually been committed,
but to go out and work up an offense
In which the detective should become
particeps criminis."
This is q grave charge. 1t imputes
base and criminal motive and pur-
pose to the prosecution in these cases
the members of Central Committee
of the Anti-SaloonL League for Della
ware County. The imputation of this
base purpose to the prosecution is still
further followed up by the Court in the
declation he is reported to have made,
that"there is broad distinction between
wilful violation of law and tran
saction Brought about through the
schemes ofa person hired and paid for
that purpose"
Thus the prosecution in these cases is
charged by the Court from the bench
with planning to inveigle the defend
ants in these cases into "a worked up"
offense,- Into "a transaction brought
about through the schemes of q person
hired and paid for that purpose,"-and
then commencing these cases against
them upon those manufactured COM
plants.
This charge is explicitly and In
dignantly denied by the Central Com
mittee of the Anti-Saloon League for
the County of Delaware.
That detective was employed by
the committee is admitted. That he
was employed to manufacture COM
plants" ITO "work up" offenses against
the defendants In these cases or in any
of them, Is denied by the committee
with emphasis. The vile motive and
purpose which according to the Demo-
crat, Judge Blair saw fit to impute to
the prosecution in these cases, never
for moment entered into their DELHI
erations or plans.
The committee is willing to oppose
its simple but explicit denial to the I'M
supported imputation of the Judge.
No one knows better than Judge Blair
that such an imputation coming from
the bench Of the Distrit Court, calls for
justification that can rest upon nothing
but facts.
The speech Of the Judge in which he
exploited his temperance record both as
an attorney at the bar and o. q Judge
on the bench, and In which he resented
the presence Of few Christian women
In his court room as IAN un-called for
imputstion," that speech certainly was,
as the Democrat says, ian incident out
Of the ordinary"
That speech may have been great
comfort to the Judges friends who
have recently been engaged In the IL
legal sale Of intoxicating liquor, but 1t
was an uncalled for imputation" up
on the ladies who were In the Court
room, with no thought Of influencing
the action Of the Court, but on account
of their deep interest in the efforts that
were being made to put stop to the
illegal sale Of intoxicating beverages.
It is true, very true there was little
chanceto mistake the object of their
visit" but, by the Court, 1t was en-
tirely mistaken.
CENTRAL COMMITTEE, ANTI-SALooN
LEAGUE.
The committees criticism Of Judge
Blair's remarks In rendering his decision
adverse to the plaintiff in the case Of
G. A. Highfeld vs.. John Hruby, is not
borne out by the facts as shown by the
testimony ELECTED at the trial. It Is
true that the plaintiff In this case is Q
resident Of this county, but the evil
dence of J.J. Cameron. the plaintiffs
attorney, who was put upon the stand
by the defendant, clearly showed that,
"the case was commenced at the in
stance of one Abrams, tho president
of the State League, and that he used
the Central Committee of the League
for Delaware County, as the means to
carry out his plans.