Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-02-20
DEsERET EVENING NEWS SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20 1909

/ opposed io o.; the cncrgy, shrcwdncss,
oven The numerical Importance of
those who sot out TO- violate o. win
/ alike count Cor noueht win alike bo
/ swept aside by ODE overwhelming
/ force of ho public sentiment in fo-
! sponso t1 which DO was enacted. 20
! can prohibit TIE saloon ard ts evils
as certainly us th. Jaws against cine
! bczzIement of against brutal sporty
| can prohibit those oGeu.os 90 course
| as "a suct matter of agt prohibition
does not absolutely prohibit anything
Occasional cmbezzlamouts come e.
light dog nehts and cock dgHts ara
pulled oU' every now and then. aud
under che stdctest jaw uo SHOULD
probably hear of concealed .Joints'
here and there when. liquor was being
| dispensed But that De- uo argument
against the necessity for laws on the
subject. Let us be as fair to one law
as to another. let boz give them an
equal chance let there Doe penalties
provided n che latter case as in The
former ones. Def 10 boz understood that
in the one instance the parties pate
ucipatng are lawbrcakers just as They
are. boz thc other Instances and that ln
capture and conviction they VIII he
Just as surely punished: let vigorous.
healthy publ. sentiment make itself
known and felt and 70 win be found
that prohibition of the liquor business
win come about as near putting stop
TO that business as amy friend OF pro-
hibition can expect and "a good al
nearer than any friends of liquor will
wish
There is only one requisite, therefore,
in making "a prohibition law do its
work effectively and satisfactorily
That one requisite, we take IL. is NOT
lacking in Utah on that point thcre
cannot bc further question II nine
tenths of the people know their own
minds. they want prohibition, for they
say $50. They are saying DO as em-
phateally as they know how-by petit
ton, by resolution. ln mass meeting,
and through delegations specially in-
structed t0 make their wishes known
to- their lawmakers To impugn the
motives underlying this great moral
awakening us mendaclous and saulle.
10 doubt that with such magnificent
solidlty 0f public sentiment behind Il
prohibition law would fail of FUN
enforcement is simply idlotic. The
people. now thoroughly aroused. would
have as little use Tor ana Official who
failed Boa DIS duty Co enforce il as they
win have for am official who Wilmlly
and b3scly Ignores their present de-
maud to enact 10. The latter may have
excellent and many reasons to Justify
his disregard for his constituents in-
strucuons, and for the conscientious
convictions even of @ legislator honest
men must entertain respect But Tor
an official sworn 90 enforce the laws
az he finds them. only one course Is
open: his objections TO this. &c be has
any or his option as TO yielding ~
them or not. should have been thought
of before DE accepted the office and
took the oath. After that his bust
ness is to do his duty, or suffer Che
consequences which amy right-minded
man might well shrink from. As 10 tho
conscientious convictions too. above
referred to--it behootca every opponent
OF the present movement FOR prohi5i-
ton 10 gather up his best reasons and
look well 10 them against day OF
need. Tie is likely 20 ind use for thom
an, for there are sometimes emergen-
Giles In a legislators career and things
in his record which the dear public are
denscly unwilling TO understand, anu
very very slow 10 forget