The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-09-15

IuCiI. OdIUS Ol
1t is to say that there is not even
small number of law-abiding citizens
nthis county. For under the laws
of this state, as now in force, half
dozen more or less can force the Off
GERS to do their duty or cause their
commissions to be revoked
The Laws Tripod Support.
Analysis of the history of pro-
hibition will show that the illegal sac
of liquors in Escambia county after
October 1 will depend upon three fun
damental principles as follows:
IAN ADEQUATE PUBLIC SEN
TIMENT
2-ADEQUATE LAWS.
3.-ADEQUATE ENFORCEMENT
OF THOSE LAWS.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT"
If majority of the voters of this
county shall say, on October /, that the
saloons must go, that of itself shows
sufficient public opinion to support
the measure. The real question is, is
this opinion permanent or transitory?
If transitory, is it worth while? If
permanent, of course, it will enforce
its DEGREES.
The Growth of the Sentiment.
We are told that there is a wave
of temperance sentiment now sweep
ing all over this country that is IRE
sistible, but that it Is a passing spray
and like all such waves wall soon pass
by This is not a true statement OF
| fact The temperance movement is
not of recent or sudden growth, but,
on the contrary, it has been active and
aggressive for years, laying its plans
quietly and carefully, moulding public
opinion, Strengthening the laws OF
states here and there by proper and
| legitimate efforts with legislators to
efectually control this liquor traffic.
The true awakening, be it wave
or whatever else you may call 1t, IS
that of LAW ENFORCEMENT.
So often have the laws On our stat
ute books against the evils of the age
! been overridden and trampled upon
| by the selfish and vicious for the per-
sonal gain and greed of the few
against the many that for many years
| it was thought impossible to enforce
any law inimical to the interests OF
the lawless rich, be he salOonkeeper.
merchant or manufacturer, or Wall
street. thief.
| Trusts on the Run.
Recent convictions by the courts of
| the richest and most powerful corpo-
rations in this country, and the exceed
| ingly large fines imposed by judges
| of those courts show the trend of pub
| lie opinion toward law enforcement
as no other means could have po-
sibly done.
| To be popular now as a servant of
the people one must say to his con-
stituents. thy will be done,'' and pro-
coed at once to do that will as shown
/ by the commands to him in the stat
ute BOOKS.
The current press is full of ac-
counts of convictions of crime in high
as well as low places, and evidence
rs at hand to show that lawbreakers
in high places are actually seeing the
Handwriting on the wall" and are
mending their ways. This, in Pensa-
cola. takes the form of smaller
checker-board called restriction.
Position Established.
Does any sound-minded person doubt
the permanency of public opinion to-
ward law enforcement? The benefits
| from such cause have already pro-
| duced such healthy and valuable re-
turns as compared with relative non
enforcement of a few years ago that
we leave with our readers the ques-
| tion: will public opinion now per-
manently support impartial law en-
| fOrcement?"
With the enforcement Of the law
has come the renewal of the question
! of prohibition with which it is so vital-
ly entwined and it is due to this cause
that now one-half of the area and one
! third of the population of the United
! States is living under prohibitory
| laws Georgia has enacted statutory
| prohibition of the manufacture or sale
of liquor, to take effect Jan. 1, 1908.
It Does In Maine and Kansas.
| States like Maine and Kansas that
| have been the laughing stock of the
| liquor interests for years are today
enthused with the idea of law en-
| forcement with the result that in one
city alone in Kansas within few
days several hundred transfer wagons
were necessary to haul costly saloon
| fixtures across the state line, and 9TH
er Kansas cities are falling in line
with this law enforcement idea and
are closing up the Joints"
| Vermont Likes It.
! Vermont repealed her defective
state prohibition laws in 1902 and
adopted local option. In 1906 there
were only 20 wet cities out of over 100
in the state, and this result was gain
ed in the four years Immediately fol-
/ lowing an unsatisfactory prohibition
/ experiment Are not these facts
! freighted with great significance?
They show that community that has
tried imperfect prohibition with its
much vaunted evils will not tolerate
the open saloons.
Joining the Procession.
! Oklahoma will vote on constitution
| al prohibition on September II, and
present indications point to a grand
| prohibition victory
Delaware will vote ON tho n,1oStic..