Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-02-12
PROHIBITION

CU blll, W!li1h IT '' ' held constitutional, will make it a rather difficult master for saloonlstS to secure censes to conduct dram shops in wet counties: in Arkansas. The law is now up to the Goovernor for his signature and it is generally believed, after considering the view he took on the ten mile law applying to Miller county, to which he attach cd h S signature, he will sign i,. The measure does not becomoe effective until December 31, 1913, and it Is most likely that it will be carried through the courts to test it's conStitutlonal1fy.
 Lawyers are divided as to the legal ity of the bill. Some say that t will stand the test of all the courts, while other contend that it discrlmlnates against the negro, in that it specifical- ly provides that majority of "whito residents" shall S gn for saloon be- fore the county judge can issue ll- cense to a salooOnist to do buslnees. The prohibitionists are elated in the meantime snd are awaiting the result of it's enforcement with as much in terest as the lquor dealers are hop ing for it's legal death. ; The Graphic has never approved or tie so-ealled prohibition because 1t does not prohibit. So long as liquor lis shipped over he country with the cor,zent of the United States govern ment, just so long will the people continue to dr nk it and saloons eX- ist Prohibition has proven iarce in many states and right here in Ark ansas some of the dry counties are oye4un with blind tigers. Tn several dry towns in this state thefe are daily more disorders recorded as due Nc i I uuor than are exhibited in ,cltleS;
 where saloons are permitted to oper- ate. }In Memphis and other cities III
 Tennessee there are more saloons running wide open today than were listed when tae state was in the wet
 column. Repeated effor,s of lhE
 authorities to enforce the prohibition
 laws of Tennessee have failed and tho \ officers are be ng defied in many o
 it's counties, which are supposed te
 be dry"
 This paper is not a great admirel of saloons as some of them are Tu1 in this and other cities. If prohibi tion comes for Arkansas the salooI men who have tried 10 conduct thell
 places orderly and accord ng to reGu
 lations under which they eXi:t, arf
 alone responsible. The officials, wh< are supposed to enfore the law, shal
 share the blame. They should hav' mo one to complain to but themselves
 As a rule Pine Bluff has ordeTl.
 saloons. Some of the proprietor'
 sre among Pine Bluffs most Eubstan
 tial, progressive, law abiding am highly respected citizens. It will D'
 these men Who must suffer for tho wrong doing of others. There ar dives in Pine Bluff-saloon dives--h like of which are responsible for tn
 general anti-jsaloon sentiment tha
 seems to have grown to such proror
 ons all over Arkansas in recen years. Brewers have come into Pin Bluff and financially backed disrep
 uable negroes in the saloon business
 These negro saloonists have permit
 ted worthless characters to make thei , places their loafing headquarters an , frequently they have sanctioned ta \ congregating of negro women in win , rooms,' where they di nk and mi NlNi iGSuo IASlt lhS Soth\AAiit,S u quently resulting in midnight brawl and tragedies.
 If the saloon men who insist O wedd regulated places and a strict oh aervance of the laws, as to saloon: , would have filed protests against tn existence of such lives and the coun ; ty officials and ty council had bee more stric; in pu, ting the lid on then
 the sentiment against the liquor busi f ness would have been lessened an F there would have been no prohibitio !, law.
 The Graphic believes that prohib ton will seriously affect the bushes :, interests and the progress of Pin Bluff. It believes that the bushes : men will realize >his and block an :, attempt to secure majority petit O against saloons in Pine Bluff. | doing so there should be deman ' fou be ter regulated dramshops Get rid of the dives and the we'll res :, ulated saloon will take care of itself -O$O--
 A boy was recenly tried in an Al , kansas court for stealing $2.1o froI