The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-12-13
Not Guilty, Senator.


ator from Texas, is an orator. For
proof, consult page II3 of the Con-
gressional Directory, where it is set
forth that Mr.. Sheppard entered Yale
University in 1897, won the Wayland
prize debate and delivered. the mas
ter's Grafton at the Yale law school
commencement in 1898. For further
proof see the Congressional Record OF
date December 10, 1913, which quotes
the eloquent young Texan as saying,
in support of his proposed amendment
to the Constitution to prohibit the
manufacture or transportation of in
toxicating liquor:
A man may be a drunkard and never
drink; thief, yet never steal. we
who permit conditions to exist tnst
make thieves are thieves ourselves. we
who permit conditions to exist tnat
make drunkards are drunkards our
selves. We who permit conditions 10
exist that make murdererS are muir
derers ourselves. We who permit
: traffic to continue that fills the peniten-
tiarieS, the jails, the asylums,i the nos
pitalS, the poorhouses and the pottei
fields are criminals before an impartial
heaven. We who permit a franc 10
continue that will make chaos OF gov
eminent and beasts of men are. an
archists before the bar of truth.
We are as much the authors OF woe
and tears and ruin as any follower OF
Alaric who immersed his sword in the
4 g aha
There's oratory for you. What
ring there is to it. How wicked We all
ought to feel, even though Mr.. Shep-
pard did not complete his arraignment.
Apparently he forgot to remind us
that we are all incendiaries because
we permit the manufacture of matches;
all suicides because we, don't prohibit
the making of pistols and poisons; all
dogs because we wink at the sale OF
dog collars and dog biscuits. There's
no end to our sins.
But, we are prone to believe. there
= are many people-in Washington and
perhaps. even, in Texas-who can,
with clear conscience, answer mot
guilty" to every count in Mr.. Shep-
pards indictment. Cain, the first muir
derer,. asked: Am l my brothers
keeper" But Cain had actually slain
his brother and thought to conceal the
crime There was no doubt about his
guilt and his inquiry was no defense.
If Mr. Sheppard meant exactly what
he said in his Grafton his is certainly
a hair-trigger conscience that must
often spoil his rest We confess,
e. without pride or boast, but rather IN
a shrinking, -hesitating, apprehensive
sort of way, that Our conscience doesn't
work like Mr.. Sheppards. Having set
that down in black and white we grow
. boider. We hope-we may say we
believe-there are more people blessed
+ with consciences like ours than there
are those loaded like Senator Shep-
pard.
Leaving out of the question the
merits of the proposed amendment to
the Constitution to prohibit the manu-
facture or transportation of intoxi-
eating liquors, we with profound con-
viction and agility sidestep Mr.. Shop
pard'S blanket indictment. We believe
il was one of Mark Twain's characters
who was willing to sacrifice all his
wife's relations to some great cause;
and today there are noble souls who
are just as eager that the innocent and
law abiding shall shoulder response
bi1ity for the crimes of the vicious
and the unbalanced. The theory is
far-fetched and the practice overdone.