The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-02-03

Prior to statehood the Federal gov
ernment did not issue licenses to lu-
dian Territory people indiscriminatelv
and at this time the effort tnmake
laws IN the 1tate prohibiting convey.
lug from one place within The state to
another rs the greatest ami 20 the
mind of All who wish to see the pro.
vision carried out best effort yet adj
vaNced
The Usual Method
A man residing in this state and
who Is really desirous 20 iathom the
depth of the prohibitofy laws. sent to
Washington for facts and received
the following opinion from an attor-
ney OF International repute With the
opinion It had not applied to the Five
civilized Tribes and, In has opinion,
might be questionable IL 1t applied in
the State Of Oklahoma today
"A license toll stall liquors win be
issued to any pe,sUn in any State up
on payment OF SIS to the local agent
OF the United States Internal enue
ana the interstate railroads win carry
liquors TO any person in any State up
on the payment Of freight thereon %
Therefore. any person Nho chooses
to sell liquors In a prohibition state
mas only to take out a license from
the Dnited States and he win have
nothing TO fear from the National au-
thoriiies His only care viii be to
keep clear OF the state laws and Off
cials Il IS commonly urged as an arr
gument against prohibition enact
ments that prohibition does not pro-
hibit and the ordinary reply to such
an argument Is that the stringent
criminal laws do nor put a stop to
murder robbery and other feOnious
crimes but that the prOhibitory laws
are necessary Notwithstanding This
ia true enough bnt the felunioRa
crimes Ia question are equally forbid.
den hy both state ana national laws.
/ wnilo the sale OF liquors although
strictly prohibited by state enact
ments. is Enthusiastically authorized and
licensed n the prohibition states by
| the National Government so that the
iaWs against liquors. IN tho opinion OF
many do net possess the same sane
is aud authority given TO other peo.
! hibitory statutes within very re-
| cent period the people oi the United
J States have been treated 20 the re.
markable spectacle Of great railroad
corporations. deliberately aad know
/ ingly violating state laws and beink
! upheld in such viuiatlon by the infer.
| Tor United States courts. and while
such courts have not been appealed TO
| by parties holding United States ii.
censes TO sell liquors in prohibition
! states yet the recent examples set
! may encourage such appeals and in
Tay case under existing conditions
Il Is not strange that there is a grow
Ing disposition to regard the National
authority as paramount and TO con
slider ate enactment as Of inferior
iorce ana standing, II, indeed there is
any obligation to observe them al all
where there Is an apparent disagree
ment with the laws Of the National
government
Dry States.
The states which failed to get good
| from prohibition were iowa and Kan.
sas, each making a dismal failure.
Maine has been considered success,
but the coast cities allow violation
with little effort to stop the unlaw-
ul sale, while the snland cities are
SO different from the average Ameri-
can city e is impossible to compare
them.
On the other side rs the fact that
no state Of the South has done other
than improve under the provisions of
their prohibitory clauses II is not
contended they have stopped the use
of liquor. but they have taken from
the brawling element the opportunity
TO loaf AROUND the cheap saloons. and
| get away from the Saturday Draw Is
usual in saloon days, or at least con.
dueive to no good
l The Beer Saloon.
No progress has ever been made in
the great cities. largely bccsuse the
foreign population is accustomed Ia
| ale or beer as a beverage before com.
ing here, using the drink nj the meal
table, hence an effort TO suppress or
modify the liquor laws has always
brought the opposition to that policy
the saloon men using the club enectu
ally
Four-fifths Of the counties in the
group of states east OF the Mississippi
land north Of the Ohio rivers are dry
and the prohibitory clause used and
enforced with salutary effect
lt is this local SUCCESS which has
made the prohiDitOfy laws OF Kansas
and Iowa Intellectual, the averdge
Estate official not taking great inter
Test
Whether or noe thoie Will be q tend
eney 10 combat the general state law
ia Oklahoma, is TO be determined az
ter ihe new mensnre Is voted by the
Legislature and becomes a law
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