The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-05-11

IL upon OIuSe WHO are unNl!llnS tC
obey II. 1t is easy to enforce prohibi
tion in county where the people OF
the county have voted il upon them
selves. 1t is their Law. OF course
there is some trouble at first, but
finally the law is generally obeyed
and accomplishes great good State.
wide prohibition might be very hard
to enforce in some very wet counties
in state, in those counties where
a large majority of the people are op.
posed to it and unwilling to observe
it themselves or enforce its observ-
ance by others.
But. county governments are in
strumentalities for the administration
of state laws, and counties are Great
ed by the state and have no rights of
local government except such as
are conferred upon them by the state
and they are subject in every re
spect to state laws. | have been and
am now unwilling to vote to deny the
people of my state the benefit of a
statewide prohibition law, simply be
cause it might not accomplish the
good it should in some very wet local
ities and | have been, and am, will
ine to favor statewide prohibition.
even though realizing that at least
for a while it might not and probably
would not be enforced in some locali-
ties
Would Infringe Upon State Rights.
"Belieying in the right of a majori-
ty of the people of the whole state
to determine the policy of the state
upon this question without contraven-
ing in any manner any right of any
part of the state, or the people of
any part of the state, ! favor state
wide prohibition. But, do not be
lieye that even three-fourths of the
states can amend the constitution of
the United States so as to prohibit
the traffic throughout the United
States without infringing upon the
right of each state to determine for
itself its own policy in regard to the
traffic. | understand that the states
have already agreed in the constitu-
tion that it may be amended in the
manner provided therein, by two
thirds of each house of congress vot-
ing in favor of the amendment, and
the ratification or same by the legis-
latures of three-fourths of the states.
But, this does not prove that the
amendment would not contravene the
doctrine of local self-government. An
providing for consolidat-
ed, centralized government could be
adopted in the same way and the
rights of the states to govern them
selves absolutely done away with.
AS to Enforcement.
"If a state prohibitory law would
be difficult to enforce in some parts
of a state, who will say that a ma
tional prohibitory law would be OBJ
served and obeyed in those states
where a majority of the people OF
the whole state were opposed to the
law unwilling to observe it and to
force others to do so. When the pco-
pie of a state adopt a law, it some
times becomes necessary to send the
armed militia to localities to enforce
it. In Texas, the Rangers have been
sent to localities to do 50. But, sup
pose the people of a state are against
the national prohibitory law, they will
elect officers who are opposed to 1t,
and it would be necessary to send
the United States army to the state
to enforce it, ana we would then find
it necessary to amend the constitu-
ton in another respect and authorize
the president to send the army into
lllt Sldlb NIluOul DClllS III ~ Noii'N
upon by the state authorities to send
it. i
"That a state may be entirely free
from the drink evil, and from the
liquor traffic, and the evils attendant,
it is not necessary that every other
state should be so free nor that its
own freedom should be accomplished
by national law.
Do Well to Work Own Crop.
81 believe my position on this ques-
ton is understood by my constitu-
ents. While | was a candidate | said
in my printed speech that The right
of local self government leaves to
each state the determination of its
own policy as to this traffic and the
question whether the sale of intoXicat-
ing liquor shall be prohibited in the
state, is for each state to determine
for itself
1--WE will do well in Texas if we
work out our own crop before we un-
dertake to work out the crop for the