Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1908-12-31
The Removal Of the Revenue Officers.
Charlotte Obseryer.)


columns of this paper that there
has been issued by the Com'nis-
sioner of Internal Revenue an or
der which will remove from North
Carolina the majority of the Uni.
ted States internal revenue Off
GERS doing service in the State af-
ter the 1st of January. With ref
erence to this matter the Indus
trial News, Republican, of Greens
boro, has a sensible, fair-minded
and non-partisan editorial as fol
lows:
"The immediate effect of this
order, in all likelihood, will be
that the manufacture and sale of
whiskey will largely increase in
North Carolina. The reason for
this is that moonshiners have a
very wholesome fear oil Uncle
Sans officers but are inclined
not to take the States officers
very seriously in the matter OF
furnishing blockading. This lack
OF respect for the sheriffs and their
deputies is due in a large meas
ure to those officers themselves,
and for the reason that they have
relied upon the revenue officers
to enforce laws which the State
officers have neglected. There
are probably not a half q dozen
sheriffs in the entire State who
have tried to enforce the Ward
and Watts laws. although these
laws have. been upon the stat.
ute books fora number of years.
"In the May election the ppo-
pie OF North Carolina, by q large
majority vote, decided to give
prohibition a trial, and it is clear
us the MONDAY sun that they ex
pect to have the law enforced
and they will othold those coun
ty officers guilty il they do rs they
have been doing in the past. The
law which forbids the manufac-
ture and sale Of whiskey is as
much u q State law as that a.
gainst larceny, and the officers Of
the law arc just as derelict innon-
enforcing the one as the other.
1t is, therefore, the plain duty OF
every sherig and deputy in North
Carolina to grid up his loins for
the coming battle with the wary
and doughty moonshiner.
"For some months revenue Of
ficers have reportedrhat, despite
their best efforts. the illicit man
nfaclure OF liquor was on the in
crease and it is evident enough
that the withdrawal Of the reve-
nuers will farther stimulate it's
production. We take it that the
sheriffs, realizing the responsible
ity that rests upon them in this
matter, will exercise the utmost
vigilence in enforcing theprohibl-
tion law"
The Observer, while entirely
quit on the subject during the
prohibition campaign-a t ter
having stated its view in oppo-
sition to the bill submitted by
the Legislature to the people
after the election admonished
obedience to the order of things
and observance of the law to go
into effect January 1st Mt the
mandate OF the voters. At the
same timeit foretold thai when
the prohibition law became effrc-
tive, and there being no longer
government distilleries in the
State, the government would
take its eye of North Carolina,
and that the enforcement of the
laws against the manufacture
and sale of liquor would depend
almost wholly upon the State,
OF rather, the county officers,
who, in the main, had been indif-
ferent to the execution of the
State law against moonshiners.
All this viii soon cone to pass.
Uncle Sam will withdraw his re-
venue forces after January the
LIST, and tn e local liquor laws