The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-09-07

sembled. And a failure to observe
this oath was declared to be perjury
and the party to be subjected to the
same punishment as for per
iury. They were also required
to execute bonds. the penalty
of which was enforceable upon the Vio-
lation of any of these provisions.
He further stated that no man coulu
donbt that if these wise leglislatlons
had been fully observed by those VINO
dealt in whisky that much OF the evll
If which we now complain, and so
iustly complain, would have been
avoided. and the saloon men would
hove heen left to pursue their business
as men engaged in other mercantile
pursuits are permitted to do but the
the history of the State, the records Oh
the Courts. the experience OF every
community in which whisky is sold ana
has been sold, establishes the lacC
that not one only, but each one Oh
these statutes are violated from DAY
TO day. and year to year, defantly' VII
fully. with arrogance and impunlty'
He said that he made no assault up
ON the individual saloon Keeper out
that it was upon the saloon itself as
an institution, as an organized power
which through inattention, or inadVer-
+ance or possibly through the CONN.,
vance. and sometimes the help OF the
officers of the law had developed into
a monster of such proportions that IL
had become a menace to the law. That
II was now a question of struggle ana
battle for the supremacy of Law. That
there was not chief of police, nor
Mayor. nor a sheriff who did not know
of the constant violation Of those laws,
but who # appealed to in regard TO the
matter would declare their inaDlllty
to suppress and prevent such VIOLA
ton. Recently, he said, in the County OF
Davidson, there had been canvass for
the Office of sheriff in which an IN
dependent candidate was elected over
the regular nominee of the Democrat
ic PARTY. upon the promise and pledge
on his part that he would stop the
omen violations of these statutes. He
charged the Mayor of the City, the
Chief of Police and the Sheriff, his
onponent in the race, with indifference
TO the enforcement of the law, with
failure to dicharge their duties, and the
reply which these Officers made to TINS
charge was to the effect not that the
laws were not constantly violated, bu'
that they were unable to enforce them
Not merely is it a question of viola
ton of the law on the part of the sa
loon. but it is their open defiance TO the
law, their avowed and expressed pur
nose to violate, their resentment o.
any effort upon the part of the ofncer:
of the law to enforce it, their menace
and threats as against such public OF
fcers. In the city of Memphis but re
Gently when the Vice-Mayor had an
nounced his purpose to close the Sun
day saloon, to stop gambling In TN
saloons he was threatened by one o
the proprietors of these places tina
if such an effort was made ne woul'
nay for his action with his life.
The issue which is now presented t.
the people. said Mr.. Hughes, is not tn
question of sumptuary legislation as h
had stated. but is a question as t
whether or not an institution whlc
has proved SO recreant to the trus
which had been imposed upon 1t, whlc
had manifested such a spirit OF II
subordination, which had set itself cor
stantly and persistently against the ii
forcement of the law, which menace
government at every point, should b
allowed any longer to exist
He said that one popularity of tn
saloon interest was the fact that willis
there might be individuals who Of
served the law, that yet the voice
these was never heard in any deman
for law enforcement, but that the
made a common fight against ever
ATTEMPTED regulation of the saloo
and against the enactment OF ever
law tending to regulate. Only recen
". in the city of Nashville, an ord
nance had been passed providing Il
the closing of saloons at certain hot
OF the night; a wise and wholeson
regulation, as every right thinking an
proper man must know; and yet u
saloons of Nashville are united in
common cause to defeat this legisi
ton. It is a remarkable fact thi
notwithstanding the tendency OF lie
islation within the past year the
looms have refused to take any lessor
from the history of these legislation
~ rrbav aro as omen and defiant tOdS