Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-04-12
WHAT ENFORCEMENT OF PROHIBITION LAW HAS
COST OKLAHOMA

ence with state enforcement officersf
Well, it is unnecessary to go into de-
tails. There have been many Of them
here but they seldom remain long. Some
of the state enforcement officers are
sincere men, but there are others who
are unprincipled, who would stoop to
any act for the sake of "filthy lucre i"
they expect to receive. 1t is matter
of common knowledge that certain en-
forcement officers have accepted mon
ey from joint men, never expecting to
return it, but took this means to pre-
vent arrest and prosecution on the
charge of bribery, They have been
known to have confiscated whiskey and
then sold it to other bOOtleggers-most-
ly negroes. In one instance one en-
forcement officer was accused Of steal
ing a quantity of whiskey from a boot
legger's cellar and sold it. He would
have been prosecuted, but the joint man
feared prosecution on the charge of vio-
lation of the prohibition law.
The prohibition law has never been
rigidly enforced in this state and new
er will be. 1t is the history of other
prohibition states. Take Kansas, for
instance. There is perhaps not a city
of any size in the state but what there
are places where whiskey can be pur.
chased. 1t is the same here in Okla
homa. That is what makes the prohibi-
tion law appear farcical. 1t is stated
that Bartlesville is "dry," That is a
mistake. Whiskey is sold here every
day and large quantities of it, too
Joints may not exist, but it is sold in
bottles by hip pocket artists and it is
difficult to catch them. The state line
is closely guarded, especially since the
passage of the Webb bill, yet whiskey
is brought to this county the same as il
every county in the state. The con
veyances used in transporting it are no
as numerous as they were, neither arr
the "stock haulers" as bold as the,
once were, but it is being introduced
into the state and probably will con
tinue to be.
No law.abiding citizen objects to th
enforcement Of any law, but when tn,
! attempts at enforcement are made a
farcical as it has been in this state
people become disgusted. Federal off
GERS have succeeded fairly well in stop
, ping the traffic in liquor, but the worl
of the office of the state enforcement
{ officer has been so unsatisfactory tina
, it is little wonder there is an appea
{ from all over the state that the offic
e be abolished.
$ Oklahoma would come to the from
!. more rapidly if there was less attentio
r given to the enforcement Of the prob
0 bition law by the state, leaving it t
!, county officers and the state give he
;. attention to the building up and deve
:. opment of this great commonwealth
t Oklahoma today is known from one en-
g of the United States to the other as
Q state with a prohibition law that al
t pears to have a "joker." Let the cour
$ ty officers in their respective commun
e ties look after the enforcement Of tn
t prohibition law, the state enforcemer
|. office be abolished and the citizens tur
t their attention to other affairs beside
!. running down some citizen who ma
> have a jug. That is movement tbs
p should be a,general one throughout tn
state.
l. paid Adv.)