The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-01-21
AN OBNOXIOUS MEASURE
Results That Would Follow the
Byers Plan Of Law Enforcement

generals office. then there would be
an army of assistants, possibly one
or two for every county. There would
be another army of spies and inform
ers. to prowl about the state and look
up violators. Necessarily these would
be paid fees and the entire state
would be at the mercy of the ire
sponsibles. The business of the courts
would be confined largely to hearing
cases brought through the attorney
generals Office. Local officers would
be In distrust. Everv crank who had
grudge somewhere and found local
officers disinclined to listen to his
appeal. would be asking the attorney
general for .lelp and would be making
charges against local officers. The
governor would need an army of spies
and informers to investigate what Of
flce"s were doing or not doing in the
counties. And when it was all over
the laws would b. no bet + enforced
than now, communities would be torn
by dissensions, political relations
would be disrupted and bills of ex-
penses would be created that would
appal the taxpayers.
AS is we'll known there is no limit
upon the extent to which the courts
| may go in creating expenses, and mn
der the laws all this extra expense
not otherwise provided. would fall up.
on the several counties. One thous-
and dollars for each county would
do little toward state house enforce
ment and that alone would be $685.
600 yer.
No proposition so ln-American. in
volvng such grave political POSSIBLE
tiles. has ever been proposed in any
state in the Union, so far as can be
recalled. No political party respon-
siblc for such an outrageous measure
could hope to carry the state. Such
a law enacted and enforced would
carry Bvers and Carroll and every
Republican candidate two years from
now to defeat. The prohibitorv law
sent the Republican party to defeat.
and succeeding defeats finally brought
the party to its senses, but the prohib-
itory law had MOTH obnoxious to
compare with what Byers propos IS.
Byers takes credit for enforcing
the laws in Davenport when in fact
it was the work of the brewers of
tie country which caused the saloons
of the cities TO come under the mulct
law. The mulct law is now reason
ably we'll enforced in all the cities
of Iowa. I'nch better enforced than
the prohibitory laws are in the So
called dry counties. The liquor laws
in Scott county and clinton county
are better enforced tlan they are in
Hardin county, or fifty other coun-
ties in Iowa where the drug stores
and joints do business But Byers is
net aiming an hing at Hardin coun-
ty or any Of the -unties that depend
upon bootle-gers Ind drug stores to
supply their drinks
The very claims made by Byers
that he has enforced the laws in
Davenport, Dubuque and Burlington. is
proof that there is no need of addi
tional II. islation. We have an abund-
ance of laws and his very assumptions
show that they can be enforced.
There is one thing the Republican
leaders in Iowa would do well to take
into consideration. There are still
living in Iowa $4,000 Republican yot
ers who voted for Horace Boies and
they are ready to vote for another
Democrat for governor and for DEM
ocratic Legislature if there is no other
way to get rid OF Byersism. # the
proposed constitutional amendment is
adopted and submitted to the next leg
islature. e issue two years from now
will be squarely upon what shall be
done with it and Repr blicans and Dem
ocrats who are Q. POSED will have no
alternative except to join hands and
efforts to defeat every man who Will
not pledge himself against it. This
would mean q Democratic legislature
ard then goodbye mulct law and all
prohibitory legislation.
Four wears ago Scott county had
two Republicans in the house and
Republican in the sena, !. Now it has
like number of Democrats. Four
years ago the Seco2d district had
nine Republicans in the legislature
and Ave Democrats, now it has eleven
Democrats and three Republicans, one
a hold-over am one epublican was
elected by only twenty-one votes.
The Byers bill will cost the state at
least two Republican congressman and
possibly more.
If we are to have such legislation.
then let the Democrats of the north
join with their brethren of Tennessee,
Georgia, Texas and Alabama, and
pass it. but the Republican party
should be more of a national party
and not fritter away its strength
taking up with the schemes of de-
signiu- Doliticians