Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1912-05-30
A REIGN OF
LAWLESSNESS
Silena M. Holman

We seem to be living under a reigI
OF lawlessness. 1t is a notorious fact
that in some of our cities our prohibi
tory laws are violated persistently and
defiantly Many people think this is
because those cities were not allowed
to vote on the question before oul pro-
hibitory law was passed. But very
few of the cities or towns in Tennessee
ever voted on the question Of putting
out the saloons. But it makes no diff
ference with the liquor men whether
the saloon was outlawed with or with
ont the consent of the people. They
are as lawless in the one case as in the
other.
Knoxville put liquor out by a vote
of nearly two to one. But the liquor
men are as lawless in Knoxville as
they are in Nashville. North Carolina
took vote on the question, and it
carried by 35, 900 majority; and North
Carolina has as much trouble enforc-
ing her laws as Tennessee. Georgia is
a prohibition state. But just before
the Confederate Reunion at Macon
Georgia, a big brewing concern sent a
train of forty cars, loaded with beer,
to that city for the old soldiers gath
cred there. And they did not do this
under cover. They placarded every
car with flaming letters saying that
those cars contained beer for the Con-
federate Reunion at Macon. And they
sent notices to every paper in the Uni
ted States, that they had done this.
Truly the liquor traffic is lawless,
through and through.
But lawlessness is not confined to
the liquor business. In Nashville,
houses of prostitution have multiplied
and the vile business is conducted
more openly and shamelessly than ev-
er before. In Memphis candy makers
manufacture candy with brandy en-
closed, thus training little children to
love liquor. And an effort to bring
the offenders to justice by an appeal to
the Grand Jury met with as little re-
aponse as the effort to convict the law
less liqnor dealers at Nashville. For
no notice whatever was taken Of the
indisputable evidence placed before it.
The liquor men have raised millions
of collars to defeat legislation unfav-
orable to their business. and to pre-
vent the enforcement of the laws
against them. And they are con-
scienceless in their efforts to these
ends
The strangest thing about all this is
that there are people-good people
ready to say: "These laws cannot be
enforced in the cities. Let us repeal
the laws, and license the business, at
least so far as the cities are concern
ed" That is, liquor men won't obey
the prohibitory laws. So we will re-
peal them, and give them permission
to carry on their soul destroying bust
ness under protection of the law.
What though the business wrecks
homes and destroys family life, and
brings such degradation and sorrow to
the nation as nothing else has ever
done. They would license it and pro-
tect it by law, because liquor men do
not choose to obey any laws prohibit
ing their business.
Is this the spirit of our forefathers,
who, through poverty and tears and
blood sought independence at the can
mons mouth2 Is this the spirit of An
drew jackson, who would have shout
ed, "It can be done. and by the eter-
nal. it shall be done" Must we give
up to the lawlessness of these men be-
cause they are lawless' Shall we not
then rather say, the law can be enforc-
cd in the cities as they are in the
smaller places and they shall be enforc-
edS When men are elected to Office
who want the laws enforced, they will
be enforced. And as surely as we have
these laws, this will be done some
day.
Kansas had state wide prohibition
FOR years before the law was enforced
In Topeka or Kansas City. Today they
are enforced in these cities, and
throughout the state as we'll as any
other law. And Kansas is a law abid-
ng state.
We can and we will some day elect
men to Office who will enforce our
avs. We can, and we will elect q
legislature that will enable state offic-
ais to enforce the laws when city offic-
ais refuse to do so.
We will not surrender to the liquor
'orces in their defiance of the law; but
We will fight them until we win. To
today would be but to renew
he battle for state wide prohibition
omorrow. For the battle is on, not
,nly in Tennessee, but in every state
n the United States, and in every
'ountry in the civilized world. And
here is no possible hope that the bat
lie will end until the liquor traffic is
throughout the length and
,readth of Christendom.