Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1907-02-27
Gov. Folk on Saloons.

Governor Folk in q message to
the General Assembly last week,
urging the adoption of a law Great
ing the office Of State excise com
missioner, presented the following
argument in support of the bill.
The saloon business at best is
not good nor eleEating; at its worst
it is the most vicious of public
enemies. While all of those en-
gagged in the business are not law
less by any means, there is more
lawlessness in this business than
any others or all others. The law
less liquor sellers do not have any
respect for law or authority; they
resent interference and resort to
slander, villification and sometimes
even cowardly assassination of
those who oppose their lawlessness.
| believe they should be compelled
to DO business according to law CT
not allowed to do business at all.
If it takes much power in some Of
fetal to compel the lawless liquor
sellers to obey the law, it is because
their insolent disregard and def
ance of law render such power
necessary to preserve the authority
of the state. Individual citizens
should not be compelled to risk
ruin of business or loss of life in
enforcing laws against this bust
ness when they elect legislators
who should confer sufficient power
in some officials to maintain law
and order.
We need the enforcement of the
dramshop laws more than we need
new dramshop laws. You might
pass dramshop laws mountain high
and they would be as worthless as
waste paper in the places where
the present laws are defied. 1t is
Il farce to enact stringent dram
shop laws and then give no power
to enforce them. In places where
dramshop lawlessness is fragrant
little attention will be paid to any
dramshop law you enact except
the excise law, which alone will
give vitality and force TO the
others.
Why should there be such sensi-
tiveness as to making liquor inter
ests obey the law: If railroads or
banks disohcyed the statutes as
tiagrantly as the liquor interests do
in many parts Of the state there
would not be a voice raised in op-
position 10 measures to compel
obedience. Why should the liquor
interest alone be exempt from
state authority. Why is it that
the liquor interest is the only in
terest in the state that dare say to
the state, You shall not touch
me-" Banks all oyer the state
are controlled by the banking de-
partment; railroads by the railroad
board; mines by the mining de-
partment. Every interest affect
ing the public is subject to state
law except tho liquor interest.
Why should this, which Of all
others should be regulated, be
left alone.
The saloons Of the state cost the
state more in criminal costs than
all Of the other interests combined,
and yet the state is denied the
power to enforce its sovereignty
against them. If there are too
many state departments, some of
the others should be abolished to
make room for this, which is need
ed more than any of the lest. |
believe tie saloons of the state
should be compelled to obey the
laws Just as banks, mines and other
lines of business. The liquor in
terests nave no right to demand
the special privileges OF lawIess-
ness. In some counties of the
state there is saloon sovereignty,
which overrides state sovereignty
and set at naught the statutes of
the commonwealth. | believe in
state sovereignty every where. | do
not think there should be saloon
sovereignty anywhere. The pro-
posed excise law means state SOW
ereignty aud the end of saloon
soyarei ynty; ii means the triumph
of law over laWiessness.