Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-04
ATTACK UNWARRANTED.
ICedar Rapids Gazette.l

ATTACK UNWARRANTED.
[Cedar Rapids Gazette.]
Representatives Barry and Ring, OF
Linn county, have been subjected to an
editorial attack by newspaper whose
readers naturally would expect it to
support them. The Walker newspaper
men and the Cedar Rapids attorney are
severely grilled because they voted for
the state police bill. The attack is un-
warranted and the criticism Of the con-
stabulary is poorly timed. Indeed, one
almost would be led to the conclusion
that the newspaper publishing this edi-
torial has flopped into the wet" ranks
and cares not hang whether prohi-
bition is enforced in Iowa after Jan. /.
1t is one thing 10 declare state of
prohibition and quite another to en-
force it. The Iowa house Of repre-
sentatives recognized that fact when 1t
voted to reconsider the police bill and
then passed it. The state constabulary
does not encroach on "ou- liberties"
nor does 1t question the right Of in
dividual counties or cities to govern
themselves. What 1t does do, however,
is to propose enforcement when coun-
ties and cities prove either unable or
unwilling to enforce the law them
selves.
Of course we Of Linn county may be
justified in our convictions that we do
not need the assistance of a constabu-
larry in maintaining law and, order. 1t
Is natural that each community shares
in this belief. But SELF confidence
does not always insure against error.
The press of the state. by itsAvaried
opinions regarding the action of the
general assembly in '@repesling the
mulct law, has indicated that there are
numerous districts which were, are
and will be opposed to prohibition.
Linn county may not be one Of those
districts.
At any rate, It is not difficult to
imagine that there will be number Of
counties in Iowa In which the authori-
ties now in power never will become
reconciled to complete prohibition. Nor
is it hard to believe that enforcement
will not be as rigid in those districts
as in others, where the majority favors
prohibition and the authorities desire
it's enforcement. It is because Of vary
ing sentiment in different districts that
a state constabulary is necessary, and
will be necessary for q long time to
come.
A Cedar Rapids man who lived in
Kansas for eleven years testifies to the
heaviness OF the work which fell on the
shoulders Of employees nsthe attorney
generals office, whose duty it is to
enforce prohibition in that state Kan
sas has no constabulary, but there are
special officers in the attorney gen
erals department Who devote great
majority of their time to the suppress
sion of intemperance. without the
service Of these men there would be
unlimited bootlegging in Kansas, says
the local man, who has nothing but
praise for the action Of the Iowa house
of representatives in passing the con-
stabulary bill.
This informant has some interesting
figures regarding conditions in Kansas.
He possesses a table showing the wide
spread benefits of saloonless state.
The reduction of the expenditure for
liquor in Kansas since the enforcement
Of prohibition now aggregates 1872, 00O,-
600 annually. Kansas per capita exA
penditures for liquor is $1.25, compared
to an average of 81 in states permit
ting saloons. Forty eight counties in
hdnSdS Glli llDl Stllu d CRIMINAL 10 ltlo
state penitentiary last year, and
eighty-seven counties did not send a
patient to an insane asylum. Fifty
three counties had no prisoners in their
jails when this table was compiled and
there were no paupers in eighty three
counties.
Rather a remarkable showing, is IL
not? One which it will be possible for
Iowa to equal or excel providing prohi-
bition prohibits after this year. In adj
dition to these figures Kansas claims
the lowest death rate In the world and
the lowest percentage OF illiteracy in
the United States, and she attributes
these aveSages largely to her thirty
years of prohibition.
Figures such as these can rot be ex-
pected in Iowa, tho, until prohibition
actually Is enforced. Ana without a
state constabulary or men working in
capacities similar to those created by
a constabulary, there would be no
statewide enforcement. The value of
the constabulary will not be deter
mined until its agents get busy. The
results produced ny ;iIeir ACTIVITIES viii
prove whether they are needed. If
they fail to discover and correct vio-
lations of the prohibitory law there
may be sobe ground for the claim
that their appointment was unneces-
sary. But they will not fail 10 so to do.
TO rail against state tonstabulary
is to rail against principle established
many years ago by the United States
government. Uncle Sam has his spe-
cial agents to prevent bcotlegging.
They are kept especially busy in Ken
lucky and Tennessee. lie has men
who aid in stamping cut disease. Many
Of them are at work attempting to
check the foot and mouth epidemic. At
the Sinclair packing plant are inspec-
tors appointed by the government to
augment the force of locally employed
inspectors. United States deputy mar
shals aid state marshals IN enforcing
the laws Of Iowa.
The principle under which all these
men are working is exactly the same as
that which creates state constab-
ulary.