Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-21
BREAK LIQUOR LAWS
Although Forbidden, Licenses
Are Sold in Oklahoma.
ANOMALY OF Government
Prohibition Is Enforced Only in
Spots Through the State.
GOV. CRUCE DISCUSSES MATTER
Says Politicians Are to Blame for
Laxity-Executive's Power
Inadequate.
ANOMALY OF GOVERNMENT
GOV. CRUCE DISCUSSES MATTER
RY WILLIAM T.. CIRCIS,

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and thu
| Chicago Record Herald.
| OKLAHOMA CITY, March Is. 1911.
The sale Of liquor in the state Of Okla
homa is forbidden by the constitution
the sale of liquor to Indians is forbidden
by the laws Of the United States; yet
the internal revenue bureau of the Treas
ury Department has never refused to
sell license to liquor dealer on an In
dian reservation or in any other place
where 1t is a crime to exercise the privi-
leges granted by that permit. This is
one Of the anomalies Of our government.
The legislative branch forbids. the execu-
tive branch permits, and the judicial
branch endeavors to punish those who
exercise the rights granted to them by
the executive branch.
In the state of Oklahoma the prohibition
law is enforced in spots, according to
local sentiment and the disposition OF
the local officials. Gov. Cruce, who is a
practical prohibitionist and not politi-
cal prohibitionist, and there is marked
distinction between the two, is trying to
persuade the legislature to give him au-
thority to enforce the law and to impose
q penalty on local officials who refuse
or neglect to enforce 1t. At present there
is no means to compel an official to per-
form his duty in this respect, and there
is no method Of Furnishing him or remov-
ing him from office If he refuses to do
so. Gov. Cruce, in discussing this ques-
ton, called attention to the situation IN
the city of Tulsa, which is in the center
of the oil fields. 1t has been a wide-open
town until recently. The new mayor is
in favor Of enforcing the law and is try
ing to do so, but he is receiving no en-
couragement or support from the citizens,
and is practically working alone.
Liquor Sold Openly.
Zone man clothed with authority can
enforce prohibition said Gov. Cruce,
land wherever you have such an official
the law is enforced, otherwise not.
Liquor is sold openly in all the cities: 1t
is sold to Indians, to minors and to
drunkards, and more harm is done in
that way than in other states where
there is no prohibition. Practically all
the small towns and villages observe the
law because public sentiment In the
rural districts is In favor of enforce
ment I have asked the legislature to
give me authority to remove local Of
ficials who refuse to enforce prohibition
and other laws, but that proposition is
resisted because 1t Is considered dan
Gerous power to intrust to the hands of
q governor. / can appoint enforcement
officers now, but they have no power to
punish or arrest or even to interfere
They can only call on the local police
who are permitted to use their own dis
erection. and thus prohibition is farce.
II the legislature will not give me au-
thority to remove officers who will not
enforce the law, I have asked that spe-
cial enforcement officers be empowered to
make arrests, but there is objection even
to that proposition.
cit is all politics. It is the politicians
and not the people who prevent enforce
ment. There is not the slightest doubt
in my mind that the people in Oklahoma
favor prohibition. On two occasions they
have declared themselves unmistaka bly,,
and in recent message to the legiSla-
ture l tried to impress on the members
that it is their duty to see that the will
! of the people is carried out
People Not Satisfied.
TT serves no good purpose to try to
| disguise the fact that the application OF
! the law in this state has been unsatis-
| factory to the people, but the fault is
| with the law itself and not with the
state administration. I am prohibition
democrat, and always have insisted that
| prohibition and similar laws affecting the
| morals of the people should be divorced
| from politics. The latest democratic plat
| form said: The democratic party be.
| lieves in the enforcement Of all law. and
pledges itself, II continued in power, to
| faithfully enforce all laws upon the stat
ute books of this state
But the power given to the governor
| is entirely Inadequate. The best he can
do under existing law is to send enforce
ment officers from one community into
another to try to enforce laws that local
officials fail or willfully refuse to enforce.
These imported officials enter a commu-
nifty with all the influence that the local
officials and their friends can command
thrown in their way to hinder and OBJ
struct them. Coupled with this is the
natural resentment that our people feel
against the system. Before the two ter
nestly against imported officials that the
| doctrine of local self-government became
| fixed principle, and the effect Is shown
wherever an outsider Is sent into COM
munity to enforce the law. Yet the state
and the legislature owe a duty to the
.aw-abiding citizens. and II local officials
| refuse to give them the protection OF the
prohibition law the executive Of the state
| must give it, otherwise our system OF
government is farce and failure.
Dispensaries Established.
| I'VE refuse the individual the right to
| deal in intoxicating liquors because we
| believe 1t is wrong. yet We permit the
state to sell liquor in a collective capac-
ity, and have established dispensaries
for that purpose in the face of the fact
that the people of Oklahoma have de-
| clared against the dispensary system.
| hold that IL it Is wrong for an individual
===--==---===-=-=-
ts.sns,*ass & "a
! BREAKS UP A COLD I
Z - ]
Z IN SEVERAL HOURS. /