The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-06-26
PROHIBITION IN
OKLAHOMA CITY
Frederick Editor Takes Broad And
Hopeful View OF 0verhOlSer'S
Pledge To Enforce Law
NAMES STATES MAIN LACK

'NNI'N ANN'illk III sunni loN III
throughout Oklahoma, where nll laws
are In Il large measure observed have
little idea Of the seriousness Of situu,
tiouS IN larger cities where the pro
hlbitory law has been practically II
dead letter.
Oklahoma city, the capital. nus been
II meccu on this score Gamblers,
hoOtleggers ana red light habitant-
have deficd all laws, laughed at the
officials who dreamed Of law enforce
mrnt and given TO the city and state
II reputation for law disregard that tU
II fair minded man Is little less thau
tragicul
Ot course the lHwle>s places have
been romped aud raided. their keeper,
prosecuted and fined, but the traffl,
went mrrrlly on aud the stencil Of tht
place has been u disgrace to the en
tire state Tulsa aud few others OF
the urger cities copying after the cap
itnl, have also dlsrrgHrded the law,
restricting the sale of lntoNicHnts ant
the suppression " gambling and Uthcl
crimes.
Vice Is Doomed.
Some Of the minor towns ARE still
said 10 De- wide open, hut the ussur
unce comes that Oklahoma city Is
cleaning up, that the Illegal sale o
liquors, open gambling aud ,imllul
violations, are doomed
In the last city election In OklahO
mn city the selection Of mayor wa
based un the square turd issue of law
enforcement aud widc.uprn town
The latter element which had IOu
trulled the Democratic primary. an,
mmed candidate pledged to th,
lnwless element. lost, and u man VIII,
announced. II elected. he would cieul
up on all vice the nominee uf til,
Republicans, was elected 10y II whole
some majority
THIS mayor Mr. Ed. Oyerholser
though never n prOhlbitionist In the
Ury, took charge uf his office Undue,
with the conviction that his oath o.
office was Wcrcd promise to euforc,
the INV.
4 new county attorney about IN,
snmc time wns iuductcd into ufflr,
with the understanding that he wuulD
cooperate with the mayor aud IN,
city and county woulG work togethr
Tor a decent administration Of nj
laws
Jordan Is Hard Way
AS a result the Officers are maxim,
Jordan hard road 10 travel fu
the gamblers aud boolleggers In Oku
homu city
Report, come that are indeed graft
fying concerning the progress that &
hclng made at the capital
why not?
The constitution " Oklahoma pro
hibits the traffic In nloNiunts an,
the statutes NJ the state make gumh
ling felony. Both should be en-
forced 10 the letter, In the capital cit.
as we'll rs elsewhere
Kansas had the same fcnrlp~, dis
regard of the prohibitorl law FOR thir
ty years after II became an organic
law or that state Finally u govcruo
was chosen who regarded his officiu
oath aud he notified the attorney gen
rrul that II n county attorney failcO
tU prosecute aud enforce the laws
that he should have the county attor
ury suspended. take charge aud max,
the prosecutions himself ON behalf %
the state The result was the Danish
Ing uf law viOluturs I'm Kansas To
duy knnsHs stand pre-cmmcutly th,
peer NJ uuy state In the Union Tor th
high class " lis citizens, educational
ly, morally aud financially less crime
fewer prisoners IN the penal mstitu
tIuns. fewer insane. aud more happy
comfortable homes In that state thai
In any " It's sisters where crime unl
whisky run rampant
II In Kansas, Why Not Here?
oklahoma has more natural udyNu
mgcs than has Kansas, rs many pea
pie, good laws, as rich soil as de
pruduhle climatic conditions, In ever.
way the equal " Kansas Why cal
II not have ~ high class u citizenship
In few years. II can II the sam
determination is invoked To cnfurc
the laws aud tu guard against TN
commission ~ crime
Frederick and Tillmun county wa
one ~ the first spots In nh Oklahu
ma to get right ou the prohlbitiul
question
let us hope the lesson NJ Oklahom
Clt, viii be- accepted as final through
Wt the entire state.