The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-02-27

mess men that can rot AFFORD lo taN"
e prominent place .u any reform
work. for 1T Nigh hur my busi
ness Every two-O, foug liquor ar.
ticlc that has gone t.c rounds OF au
The backWoods papc.. is reprinted M
the city daiiics. even loo the Nrdmoya.
10, How many strict. STRAIGHTFORWARD .
articles ON Law Enforcement" o.
kindred topics have .ppcarcd", Il can .
not be- said that they are NOT written.
Tor thousand are written every .
month. II can rot hc said That the
men who write them are interior 1t
brain to those who write liquor az.
ticlos. this country creates jour.
ialist and editorial writer is strict
prohibtioniSt This couutrye great
est platform speaker and orator is in
favor Of prohibition and Law enforce
mcnt The articles are written. why
are they not used"
Officers. stop to ash whether the
law should be- enforced or not. Did
they swear to enforce .hr law Why
rot keep their oath \ great many
of them tax about the value of their
"wCtd why not keep q solemn oath
which they made? 10 does not lie
within the provinces of any officer 70
question whether the law is Just or
not II IT'S the law. let the enforce
mcut OF II be rigid and rigorous rho
officer. personally. may hc opposed TO
the law. he may even deem il un.
just and unwisr. It is his sworn du-y.
nevertheless. To enforce that law %
the letter !; Is the duty of the pco-
blc to repeal the Law by vote. NOT
the privilege of the ofcer to make It
null by laNity In enforcing the same.
Officers will say. "lf the people VIII
only stand back of M. I will enforce
IT. Why did he not say that before
election? Not is not politics. Be
fore election. all sorts of promises For
enforcing the law are made; at tn
time OF induction into Office, sol
omn vow is registered To enforce the
law, after the office Is secured. prom
.ses and VOWS alike are forgotten.
and the craven officer finds that ne
needs an army behind him to arrest
one "bOOtleggcr" or gambler
How can We expect anything differ.
ent. II our county attorney Is a druu;.
/ ard? How can We expect anything
| different. if our sheriff IS immorally
corrupt How can We expect anything
different II our county Judge is liz.
eltine? How can we expect anything
different If our city officers are
gully of flasrant vice and corruption
in private ard in public capacities"
And. that these things are true IN
many counties Of this state no one 5
prepared to deny Is Carter county
wholly free?
! recall ore instance. whore a
preacher went to county attorney,
to swear out a warrant of search Tor
I I
with his own eyes, couple of barrels
of whiskcy. taken. The warrant was
granted. the search was made high
! and low. not Il drop of the whiskCy
could be- found. The preacher was
! chagrined and puzzled, but he had
] little sense n d laid low" by means
. a effective. and some work OF his
Cwn, he found out (and proved in
, court the the county attorney was
/ the big mosul' of the whiskey ped.
d!,rs-h". getting !; from the who'll
sa'crs. and re-dis rbuting it to the
'itiuerant peddors" Is it any Won
der that liquor prosecutions had al.
ways failed before that. Is II any
wonder that with a new officer tower
whose head club always hung IA
word went quietly around that other
climes would be safer and warmer fnr
the whiskey peddlers?
There is a third class OF people who
would resent being lined up with
the whskey elemert--but they be-
long there. Good men, moral men
who are too lazy and indifferent 20 go
to the polls and prevent the election
OF the worst class OF officers II good
men will rot run the government of
city, bad men will. Thoughtful. cul.
turcd men. whose souls revolt at the
events of cltc' ion day. stay AZ ho''
in their ease, refusing TO sell their
hands by even going TO the poiis to
vote, saying nothing about al actiy"
participation in election affairs. They
DO not like To mix with the rough
roWdy. tough element, so prominen,
on election day. These people ar"