The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-08-17
DUTY CITIZENS OWE
TO THEMSEL YES

Editor Leader;
Every citizen owes to himself. his
family, his nelghhors the community
in which he lives. his state and the
nation at large. the duty Of consider
ing sincerely and without prejudice
every fact for and against any meas
ure upon which he may be required to
exercise his suffrage. The citizen is
primarily the maker of his own laws,
and he should be sure that those laws
are good laws, laws that can be in
forced, for laws that cannot be en-
forced are worse than no laws. One
of the vital measures that confronts
the people of the proposed new state
of Oklahoma III the provision in the
constitution for statewide prohibition
as a means for controlling the liquor
traffic. Every citizen who exhausts
every possible source of information
as to the merits OF this subject, and
then proceeds calmly and without
hysterical sentiment in forming his
conclusions would be dishonest, and
unworthy the right of sufferage not to
vote for statewide prohibition If he
believed IL best. and he would be no
less dishonest not to vote against II
II he believed il to be impractical and
less desirable han some other way OF
controlling the liquor traffic.
The Citizens League of Oklahoma,
organized to oppose state wide prohi
bition, substituting in it's place local
opton, high license and rigid law in
forcement, appeals TO such citizens to
to consider the question deliberately
and without prejudice to either side.
The League has been yiciously at
tackled by leaders of the Anti-Saloon
League, and charged with being an
ally of the saloon and liquor interests,
these leaders being unable to compre-
hend that any person can oppose state
vide prohibition independently of any
connection with the beneflciaries of
the liquor traffic No fair-mlnded, in
telligent person can truthfully say
that opposition to statewide prohibit
tion means praise OF he open saloon
as a desirable institution The Citi-
zens' League realizes that the saloon
IN itself is an evil, but an evil that
can be better regulated and controlled
by communities than statewide sump-
tuary laws that are never enforced.
This country has not seen I'm several
decades a more fearless officer Of the
law than William Travers Jerome, the
well known district attorney Of New
York. No kind OF intimidation has
been sufficient to restrain his activity
in attempting TO enforce law in New
York City. Yet In his book The
Liquor Tax Law In New York" Mr..
Jerome writes, and his statements
have special application to the propo-
sed Oklahoma situation:
Under democratic forms of govern
ment based upon universal suffrage, a
law Is not enforcible by authorities
locally elected or apportioned, when the
acts prohibited arc of such a oharac-
ter that considerable number of in
habitants OF such locality do not con
slider the prohibited acts immoral in
themselves and do not yield Willing
obedience q the law.
When a large portion Of the com
munity look upon an act forbidden
as not immoral or OF very minor im-
morality and the punishments impOs-
ed by the law are severe, blackmail
and perjury become appalling IN
amount and character upon any at
tempt TO enforce the law In addition.
II the law affects a considerable num-
Der In the community. either IN their
pecuniary interests or because con
trary 70 their habits of thought ard
life, the local political life of the com
munity is degraded and complicated,
and public service debauchcd and
even the court and jury system. both
grand and petit, are seriously AFFECT
ed -R. a. +.