Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-02
Governor Addresses Great Audi
ence Regarding Enforcement
of Laws
CITIZENS MUST TAKE ACTION.
Power to Enforce Laws Will Be
Lodged Elsewhere If Duty is Not
Done-Cummins Defends Fair Name
Of Iowa and Points Out Davenport's
interchangeable Address in Full.
Continued From Page one)

alities. am willing to give all my
strength to make Iowa better than she
is, but l shall never add by voice TIC
the chorus which sings the praises OF
every other state, but which forgets
to add a note in praise of our town
zone thing more l must say in order
that may be wholly understood. Dav-
export has been brought into most
disagreeable notoriety. but l want il
to be distinctly known, in 80 far as
am concerned, that there are a dozen
or more other cities in the state whose
refusal to obey and enforce the law is
just as fragrant and indefensible as 1t
is here, and every sentence that
utter tonight. with respect to the ille-
gal saloon, l direct to them as we'll as
to Davenport.
Il am sure that you will all believe
that have an equal interest in every
part of the commonwealth. l have just
the same concern for the welfare, both
moral and material, of those who live
in Davenport that I have for those
who live in Des Moines, and in speak
ing here upon the subject I have chos-
en-, l will say the same things l have
said elsewhere.
Saloons Ignore the Law.
"Twenty-three years ago, the general
assembly enacted a prohibitory law,
under which there could be no lawful
sale of Intoxicating liquor as bever-
age within the state. Ten years later,
the law was modified so that, under
certain conditions and restrictions that
1 need not here specify, liquor could
be sold without mourning penalty. 1t
is well known to every intelligent per-
son that thruout the ten years of pro-
hibition the saloons in Davenport and
in many other cities Of the state con-
tinued to sell liquor openly, giving no
heed whatever to the statute. 1t is
equally we'll known that turnout the
thirteen years in which the mulct law
has been in force, the saloons in DAY.
export and in many other places have
been operated without the least pre-
tense Of observing and complying with
the conditions and restrictions which
the law requires.
you all know that I have not been
and am not now in favor of state
wide prohibitory statute. Upon this
subject | have always believed and still
believe in local option. Nevertheless.
during the ten years of prohibition, I
never, by even the remotest sugges-
ton, palliated the offense of disobedi-
ence of the law; and during the thir-
teen years that we have lived under
local option, my voice has constantly
been lifted in the effort to create
public sentiment that would imperi-
ously demand faithful observance OF
the law.
Illegal Saloon Must Be Suppressed.
.When the Thirty-fir first general as
sembly convened I incorporated into
my message the strongest statement
that I could find in my mother tongue
respecting the disregard and defiance
Of the liquor law in certain quarters OF
the state, and asked the general as
sembly, as persuasively as I could, to
SO strengthen the law that it might be
enforced. Unfortunately, at that time
the conscience of the people had not
been sufficiently aroused to impel the
senators and representatives of the
legislature to create the power that
was needed, and therefore my recon-
mendation was unavailing. The senti-
ment to which then appealed is now
sweeping over the state, growing
|mightier with each moment, and it is
Just as sure az the passage Of time
that unless the communities in which
this persistent violation of the law oc-
ours shall take prompt measures to
bring their unlawful saloons into com
pliance with the statute, when the next
general assembly convenes the law viii
be strengthened SO that it can be and
will be enforced.
II may be touching sensitive chord
in Davenport, but all your people ough'
to realize that II, under the present
statute which gives to each commune
ty the power, and imposes upon each
community the duty, to administer the
liquor law, you cannot suppress the IL
legal saloon, the power must be lodged
elsewhere, and the duty imposed upon
those who will do what they have
sworn to do.
I know that the great majority OF
the people in Davenport, and in every