The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-10-29


law enforced in Nashville until tn,
anti-saloon league started the worl
on the goth of May, nearly tw,
months after the law went into effect
He was invited to attend meeting O
the headquarters committee of thu
anti-saloon league on that date. HI
agreed to appoint attorneys to rep.
resent the state in the enforcement Of
the nuisance law. +. He made it plair
to the superintendent of the league
that he expected to make his own Sc
lection of attorneys, and did not ex,
pect to act on the advice of the Law
enforcement friends, as he had in
Memphis. After two weeks of re.
peated and persistent effort on the
part of the superintendent of the lea
que to have the attorneys appointed
they were finally selected by Mr.
James S. Beasley and the governor.
Great surprise was expressed by
practically all the anti-saloon leagues
friends in Nashville and the league
came in for severe criticism because
attorneys had been chosen who had SC
many friends among the lawless liq-
uor dealers of Nashville. l, however
entered into the work in good faith
to cooperate with the attorneys. We
had not proceeded very far until ii
became very apparent that the attor-
neys were not disposed to stop the
source of supply and vigorous pros
ecute the large wholesalers that were
back of the retailers. l advised Gov
Hooper of this fact early in the pro-
lceedings.
Concessions were made and favor
itism shown which destroyed the eff
fectiveness of the nuisance law as a
swift and sure punishment to the law
less liquor dealers. Compromises
were made by the attorneys for the
state on the payment of costs and re-
ceivers' fees. In many instances the
law violators returned and continued
their traffic at the same place of bust
ness. This method of procedure was
brought to the attention of Gov. Hoop
er from time to time by the superin-
tendent of the anti-saloon league.
II gave practically three months OF
tireless effort to the matter of law en-
forcement In Nashville, until became
thoroughly convinced that there was
something wrong somewhere,
The Break.
about one week before the break
occurred between the attorneys and
myself, and after l had made an ur-
gent request by phone to arrange a
date with Gov. Hooper in order that
l might personally lay before him
more fully the conditions, and on his
failure to fix date / wrote him let
ter telling him of the unsatisfactory
conditions, to which he replied offering
no relief, as the files will show. In
this connection the files of the Office
will be further interesting in the
revelation of the fact that repeated
requests were made by the National
Anti-Saloon league of Gov. Hooper to
have him, along with the governors
of the other prohibition states, fur
nish statement, over his signature,
with reference to prohibition in Ten
nessee, that it might be used to fur
Their its work in the interest of state
and national prohibition, and partic-
ularly for use in the states that are
this year in contest for statewide pro-
hibition, to which, according to tele-
gram received recently from the nat
ional organization, no response has
raise the question as to whether he
was entitled to the credit that has
been given him as the champion of
prohibition. The question is perth
nent as to whether he is faithful to
his platform, which declares for nat
ional prohibition.
Il give here a memorandum of an
occurrence some two or three weeks
after the league discontinued it's Coop
GRAFTON with the attorneys in the law
enforcement work in Nashville, which
will serve to emphasize the statement
have made about agreements and
/ had seen so much of
this kind of so-called law-enforce-
ment work that it created no surprise
10 me-
About 2:15 p. m. Saturday, Sept |
IL, small negro man came into the |
office of the Anti-Saloon League and |
asked for Mr.. Hamilton. 1 informed |
lim that Hamilton was my name, he
pulled roll of money out of his pock-
1t and said he had come UP to pay
81 to get the keys for the Little Sa-
roy at 426 Cedar street. l asked him
Who had been doing business there,
md he said he did not know. He said,
You know, we talked to you on the
telephone few minutes ago and you
old us it would take SCI to get the 1
,eys.' He said the place had been
losed few days ago under an injunc-
ion. | asked him who had done the /.
and he said it was Alva !
He said, My name is ]. C. i
thompson. called you on the tele- |
hone and he did the falling vo,, !,