The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-01-19
JUDGE FULLILOVE's DECISION


JUDGE FULLILOVE'S DECISION.
If any enthusiasts engaged or inter
ested in the liquor traffic or the saloon
should exult over the decision of Judge
Fullilove in what was styled the Near
Beer" case, he should be impressed with
the fact that the only issue involved was
whether or not the beverage sold was
Spurious" or ''intoxicant
Hbexerage which contains less than
one-half of one per cent alcohol has
been declared by competent authority to
be not spurious Or intoxicant.
This was the only question before the
court.
It will be conceded that all such bev
erages, the products of breweries, are
intended as decoys for the sale of beer,
but in this case the Judge could not con-
sciously and fairly reach any other con
clusion than the opinion rendered as the
beverage sold was proven not to be
SplftouS or ntoH1cantS.
Possibly in this decision men in
clined to treat the law of prohibition
with contempt, may feel encouraged and
may become emboldened to sell beer
under this or some other decoy, but they
run the risk of being apprehended, and
if caught and convicted will not escape
on light fine.
It may be asserted with some degree
Of positiveness that in every case Of
violation of the law the fullest penalty
will be applied.
Tie traf6cleer in intoxicants and the
saloon man may not realize it but they
have and are fastening their own de-
struttion.
It is idle to attempt to deride prohi-
bition as being passing storm of fanat-
icism and prejudice. The fact is that
men who are numbered with the strong
est of prohibition are neither cratic
nor crazy. but have reached calmly and
deliberately the conclusion that the
saloon, which, embraces the trafickers
IN intoxicants, must close up and GO
INTO some other business which will not
give them the control of politics in
towns, cities and States. These men who
stand for better and cleaner politics also
stand for higher morals, for law and
.decency, and these are the men who to-
- pre- the strongest antagonists of the
saloon.
In the decoys furnished by the brew
ers. there. may Be great quantities of beer
sold and the near beer" may flourish
rs it has in Atlanta, Ca, under the lax
ity Of the police, but such contempt of
the law will not be long tolerated in
Shreveport.
We reiterate what was said recently.
The law mast be enforced fairly and
honestly and fearlessly. If the law is
not desired it should be repealed, but no
man Of high Or low degree should be
permitted to treat the law with ridicule
or contempt.
8 As to whether Of not the law of pro-
hibitiou is beneficial may be determined
81 the records Of the City Court. In
this court in December 1908 there were
tried By Judge Fullilove 162 cases, of
which Ioa were DRINKS, being 80 per
cent Of IN the offenders. As contrast
4 may be cited that since January l.,
1904 Tho dzte On which prohibition be-
came effective, up to today, January 10,
there. hsve been tried in the same court
enly forty cases, four of these were
drnnks three Of the four having been
drunk from January to January 4.
The Issue before the people now is
wi,eelef sor not the law shall be violated
81 a. through any decoy Or near beer"
q any other beverage.