The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1911-09-01

state or OKlanOmaI Sa1O On OCCOuSE
18th, 1910: "The present prohibit
tory liquor law Is part of the state
machine. This is why the law is
so openly defed and why corruption
is so general"
The prohibition law In Oklahoma
created condition Of political graft
such as no state in the Union has
ever before known. It made it
possible for men to hitch themselves
onto the political machine at splen-
did salaries as so-called enforce
ment officers, while also drawing
salaries from the Anti-Saloon league
and then to add to their income by
systematic graft which allowed blind
tigers and bootleggers to continue in
business.
Raids are repeatedly made by So
called enforcement officers in Okla
homa, a tubfull of bottled beer and
other liquor seized and the proprie-
tor unmolested, after replenishing
his stock, allowed to continue in
business. Frequently, in ten mln.
utes after a raid, liquor is bein :
sold without molestation. On one
night in Oklahoma, three distinct
raids of this kind were made by
state enforcement officers.
This same H. T. Laughbaum was
state enforcement officer until his
job was cut off by the legislature.
Perhaps he can explain why pro-
hibition is a failure in Oklahoma.
There are $500 bootleggers in
Oklahoma and it is the only state
In the United States that has a
Bootlegger's Union. There are some
big men politically in the liquor
business in the state and they are
making fortunes by keeping pro-
hibition in the constitution. Every
enforcement officer in the state has
always known who these men are
and there has never been a time
when they could not have been
caught and sent to the penitentiary.
Let Laughbaum answer why they
are still doing business. He surely
should know.
There is not the slightest doubt
in the world that the Anti-Prohibi-
ton campaign in Oklahoma last
autumn was victorious. There is
not the slightest doubt In the world
among the leading political and
business leaders of the state Of
Oklahoma that the Vets had car
ried the election on the 9Th day of
November, 1910 by from 10000 to
$4,000 majority and every report
that has come from there indicates
that this was the case, but that the
act amending the constitution, which
was made the issue between the
vets and drys, was defeated by the
most corrupt methods that we're
ever practiced in any part of the
United States.
We have the utmost confidence in
the honesty and integrity and good
character of the people of Canyon
County, Idaho. We feel secure in
the belief that We have here in
Canyon County an entirely different
class of citizenship from that foun !
in the state of Oklahoma, but "wet'
workers and wet" voters and you
fair minded citizens who are oper
to honest convictions and believe iT
the licensed sale of liquor, shoulC
bear in mind the result in Okla
homa last fall and it should be 1
warning to all good citizens.
: The DRY" leaders in this cam
paign in Canyon County see tn,
handwriting on the wall. Thei
r system has been repudiated and tn
/ tactics that they have employed II
the campaign are equivalent to tn
drowning man grabbing a straw
First, they have insinuated thing
, that they have never attempted t
, prove, after they have repeated