Arizona republican., 1910-04-06
DENIAL BY MIR. CANNING.

| To the Editor Of The Republican. Sir: In your editorial of March Sl you re- 1 fer to an organization whose aim seems 1 to be to use despicable methods tC entrap saloon keepers into law break 1 ing by sending minors into saloons tC | buy liquor Evidently the organization | is the MaricOpa County Anti Saloon | league and the individual is ]. W Canning I. as an officer of tho league deserve the sole credit for getting all the evidence in all the cases that came ! before the district court and the board of supervisors.
 The methods used in all cases were the same except the testimony that was brought out before the grand jury, and of that evidence very little was used. To illustrate: name was handed to pr. Hughes by a man that is classed as a saloon mans friend with the suggestion by him. Tell Canning to look if up." and he added informa- ton to the extent of telling the direc- ton in which the person lived. He gave no other information.
 drove to the house. met the father. who was a stranger to me. introduced myself to him, told him what I was doing and asked him if he wanted to stop his boys from drinking. He said he did and called his boys out. stated who I was and what l wanted. The boys objected to being witnesses in saloon cases. talked to them a few minutes They then told me where they had been and where they fa fhNz. could remember the bars at the time. This was about last August shortly after they had been in the saloons they mentioned. and while their memories were fresh in the matter. l told them that any time that they lost from their daily labor in going before the district attorney or the district court or the board of supervisors the AntI-S Saloon league would pay for. In getting bet ter acquainted with the boys after wards. getting their confidence, meet ing them quite often, they remembered other dates when they had been in oth- CT saloons and had obtained liquor. and they remembered the dates on account of other circumstances connected with them The evidence before the district
 
 brothers. voluntary statement, was to the effect that he had been in these saloons and had bought liquor before he even knew that there was such a man as Canning.
 Another case: l was passing dining room door and saw boy sitting at the table who looked as if he had been out the night before. I asked him where he had been and he said, Down to the Adams bar" I asked him how he came to be there and he said, The manager of the riding contest that has lately been held at the FFair grounds has his headquarters there, and I rode. and I went in to see him on business. That is how I came to frequent the Adams bar"
 Since the trial we have two wit nosses. men. who saw boys in there drinking on the night of January 27. and we can produce those witnesses.
 About last July I went out to the house of a widow. with two boys under age and five smaller children; they had small ranch, everything about the place was in bad repair, feed was short. poverty showed in every feature of the children. I asked the mother what was the trouble. and she said. The money goes over the bar instead of being brought home and I can't do anything to stop it. I told her that we could, and if she would use her in fluence to get the boys to tell where they got liquor. and to get them to go on the stand and testify to the facts in the case, that we would stop the boys from drinking. A few days ago | went out to the same ranch. I found things in good repair, plenty of feed. the children all in good warm cloths. new wire fences. new out-houScS, and q general air of prosperity. The moth CT looked ten years younger. ] asked her to explain all this evident prosperi- ty and she said, "On account of the activity of the County Anti-Ssloon leag gue. the boys don't spent the money over the bar but here on the ranch. The mother added that the Anti-Saloon league were the best friends they had.
 have been engaged in getting evi- dence against the saloons for selling there never has been any evidence brought out at the city recorders court, the district court or the board of su- pervisors, to show that we had sent any boy into a saloon for any purpose what ever. We were fortunate in find ing some boys. whom the saloon. what eyer else if could dO to them. could not