The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-02-07
c1yE TT A FAIR CHANCE

EPT
carolina to give STATE am
aaon+ed by a majority Of near!
,.otas 2 fair trial. This
J. sbarad nv men who opposed o.
% bv men who favored
rto oaonle Of his State are a a"
a,iai,o and law-respecting peopH'
those who do not respect laws
in a big minority. 1t is TOO True
sometimes because the ia"
not assert themselves in some COM
,ni+ias 1avlessness fourlshes loi
. vhile, but never hen the peoPio
come to express themselves -"
uDon their convictions.
a few years ago by a cote oi y
neoD1e state Prohibition was y
in this State. In most parts o. the
state i has made conditions better III
snira of the Jug trade which Eoi1i
Carolina is powerless To prevent. -
addition to the atenapts of the IL" ieHo
70 make it of no effect, TWO "hS
pected things have happened uhu0i
tho process of law that have seriously
operated 10 luJuIt luS 500
the law. They are:
|. The last Legislature. without
| realizing that it was openlns q ian-
dora's box OF evils, put in the revenue
act q provision that required local
| authorities to issue ncar-beer llceh5eS.
The committee was looking Tor 'tNe-
| nue. and had no idea that the simple
/ few lines in the revenue measure
would open up joints tina IN many
| instances. have become the rendezVohs
Of criminals and the source OF crime.
Under the cover of g near-beef
license not a few men have sofa al
sorts of intoxicants and some OF these
| places have become as bad dives as
the old time l~ow-down g~roggerles. by
a big majority the House has given d
solar plexus to this legal enemy OF
prohibition, thus for the first time
in two years. giving it a fair chance.
The Senate will do likewise and this
legal impediment to prohibition. hav-
ing been made by the Legislature, will
be remove by the same body.
iItIt d btNb "AtOti@Ci bi'N
dealt state Prohibition by judicial
construction. Nobody ever dreamed
when State Prohibition was ratified
that it contained any class or other
privilege or any immunity to any cor
poration or organization by which they
could by a Observation-Disclosures
you-don't dodge escape the pro-
visions of the law. But certain clubs
in the State have regarded themselves
as above the law and as entitled to
plough around it and make their
club rooms, in a ense, '<co-operatiye
b~ar-rooms,' as they are called bv the
Chief Justice. One ofthese clubs Is
in Charlotte. It ran along a "co-
operative bar-room," but that district
was blessed with a brave solicitor
who is no respecter Of persons. He
didnt wear the sort Of glasses that
saw violation OF law when some dar-
keys bought and sold liquor in 5
shantT. but was blind to like viola.
ton of law committed by Well-to-d,
members Oh a fashionable club
Iherefore he prosecuted both. In the
case or h club its mem.
oers held that there had been nc
violation Of the prohibition Law
f was sent to the Supreme Court. Rv >
majority OF one, that court. unor
Sfouhos highly technical. held that
the way that club members ho,,qb,
, ana divided out the liquor did no,
constitute a violation of the nrohih
tlon law. Chief Justice Clark and
justice Hoke, looking bevond H.
technical construction. dissentad f,oa
the majority and pointed o,,t boz =
e clups could carry on the business -
; dispensing liquor to their momhou
/ as IN Charlotte. there was no ,in,t+ J.
me number Of such clubs and that ~,
law would soon be discounted and do
stroyed. h judicial construction
IEiOI2tl0n nf tho S%a+. -.