Smyrna times., 1909-11-03
DR., WATT SCORES POLICE
ON SMYRNA SPEAKEASES
TELLS WHAT SHOULD BE THEIR
DUTY IN VIGOROUS SERMON
Addresses A Large Audience; at Asbury
M. {. Church With Reference to
Enforcing Local Option Law

Considerable interest was attaebe
to the service at Asbury M. E
Church Sunday evening from tn
announcement that Rev. Robert Watt
D. D., pastor, would talk on eth,
Smyrna Speakeasies. - The churcl
was well-filled and the discourse wa!
listened to with interest. DR.. Wat
said in part: 81 have no text to-
night other than the subject as an.
nounced, The Smyrna Speakeasies.
l want to say in the beginning that
l regret that the reputed speakeasy
Keepers are not here to hear at first
hand what l have to say. l shall not
say anything that l cannot prove
either here or elsewhere. stand
ready to meet what is said here to-
night on the street or anywhere else.
am not in the habit of putting nv
foot in my mouth and in this case |
have had plenty of time to weigh
we'll what l say.
Local Option and how Attained.
First of all let us look for a mo-
ment at the history of Local Option
IN our State. l cannot go fully into
the story, although it is a very in
teresting one. At some future time
1t may be told, but for the present
we glance only at the result of the
struggle that eliminated in a drv
victory in the two lower districts of
our State. 1t will be remembered
that after long and bitter fight
the Legislature passed a law deter
mining that there should be given to
the voters of Delaware the chance TO
register the sentiments of the inJi-
vldual voter on the question of
license or no license. The law prov
ed further that that election should
be special election, and it was held
IN the month of November 1907.
The result is history. Kent and
Sussex went dry. Kent's majority
was phenomenally large, being over
11OO, while the majority in Sussex
was not quite so pronounced. All
know what that victory meant. This.
that the traffic in intoxication IL
quors as beverage was in the two
lower districts abolished. That is.
that 1t was made just as unlawful
10 sell liquors as a beverage as it
was to rob hen roosts or pick pockets.
And there is not a man, white or
black, anywhere, so ignorant that he
does not know what that law means
Let it be noted in the next place /
that this discussion is not a personal
one. it has to do with the violation
OF law, whether the violator be black
or white, the color of mans skin
nor his social condition have nothing
to DO with what is said here tonight
The Situation that Confronts US.
But to be more specific, what is-
the situation that confronts us.
Well, it is not peculiar either to
Delaware or our own town. Wher-
ever the liquor traffic has been out
lawed the speakeasy has started up.
There are districts in our neighbor-
ing State of Maryland where the law
against the traffic in intoxicating
liquors has been in force for TWENTY
i've years, yet they still have some
trouble with the speakeasy, not as
much, but it still has to be hunted
BY decent citizens. One would think
10 hear some people in and around
Smyrna that this is the only place
where the speakeasy fourished. The
.acts prove otherwise. Well, what !
s speakeasy? Let me speak plain
y here. l do not intend to mince
words in this Characterization. A
peakeasy is disreputable place in
Which Intoxicating liquors are sold
llicitly. 1t is disreputable, and
lept by disreputable person. So
ar as l can see, it is no more dis n
'raceful to steal chickens than it is i
o sell whiskey without a license C
Ind experience has shown in almost 1
very case that the keeper of e
peakeasy will swear to lie to save e
imself. Personally, l know of no D
RECEPTIONS to this, nor have | ever I
card of any exceptions. And it is t,
ften the case that the person who S
uys will perjure himself, not n
ways, but very often this is true. a
hey do not stop to think of the ii
olemnity of an oath, their only idea k
cling to protect themselves or the T
'iscreant from whom they have f;
urchased the liquor. There are r
len, however, who, when put on tC
ieir oath. will not lie, they are to lie
e found everywhere. tt
he Man Who Keeps the Speakeasy. ce
Now in the next place what does OF
CONTINUED ON FIFTH PACE n,