The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1916-12-16
act As Spies. lookoIs and Liquor Carriers Kitchen Bars"
Are Favoe Resorts Officials Poworess to Curb illicit
Traffic Which Debauches Young and Cid

navy
gone "dry" last month IL the following
story had been printed in the Detroit
News. and other papers, before, instead
OF after, the election. The News has
just sent George L. Miller, a staff cor.
respondent, to Maine, the original
dry" state. After thorough investi.
cation, Miller reported that prohibition
in Maine is failure. Writing from
Portland, Me, he says: T..
"Youcan I'll the palm OF your hand
with water and retain II there in plain
sight as long as you choose to hold
your hand still. But II you strike that
tire water? You will not have destroy.
ell any OF Il. 1t will remain in exist
ence. h~' "ore will II he?
THAT, Id Sheriff William NJ
Tcnncll, OF this county of Cumberland,
as the illJ. tration used to use In the
days when | was actively in politics
and aricntly exposing the fallacy OF
prohibition. 1t Is graphic iilustra'
ton. Under prohibition YOU can close
the saloon. But you can't stop the
traffic in liquor. You only scatter il.
lou multiply the kitchen bars, you
start I'D the bootlegger, end ! know
from my own experience and observa.
ton you draw into the trade in whisky
and beer numberlegs children and
minors.
Prohibition Is Wrong.
"t think few men knew more about
the evils of intemperance than I. l
have been sheriff eight years in al.
II prohibition would stop intemper.
ance and cure the evils OF II would
Nc prohiStionist. But 1t does not.
Temperance and prohibition are not
synonymous terms. Although | am n
Democrat, that Is point on which |
do rot agree with Mr.. Bryan. lie
speaks as II the two words meant the
same thing TO him. Either he does
not know or he Ia insincere. | think
he does not know how the great mas s
OF the people live.
when | was elected sheriff last
tine ran against man who had boon
earnest in trying TO suppress the traf
fc In liquor. II was claimed ne had
made Portland dry town. charged
during the campaign that ut least 75
Italians were conducting kitchen bars
in the city. He said there were not
that many. Yet between January /.
when ! went into Office, and the FIST
of the following May had 72 Italians
in court for running that kind of a
bar, and did not get all OF them ut
that. The principal of one Of orr
schools, in a position to know sonc.
thing about the subject, said at that
time there were not less than loco
school children engaged in one phase
or another OF the rum business. Th.y
were used as solicitors, spies, lookout
and carriers. Blow was the word they
shouted to each ether on the approach
Of a deputy sheriff, and they could pass
the word through district Almost as
fast as by wireless teleSraphy. They
made II extremely difficult to detect
the trade In liquor through the kitchen
bar.
ulary We have tried that once.
though 1t was 80 long ago that do
not know much about the way il worh
ed. But We did have the Sturgis com
mission, which l fiatter mvself was
provided largely for my benefit.
then was sheriff here, as am now
That commission was created by the
state legislature for the ostensible pur.
pose of enforcing the prohibition law
II had funds and force Of deputies
and it went into every county in the
ftate except this one. went before
that commission OF my own volition
and told them | knew they were play
Ing fayorites In their prosecutions. !
said ! KNOW and | am here to tell
you. The commission did not last
long, although II spent a large sum O!
money and did not suppress the liquor
traffic.
They Like This Sheriff.
II am a temperate man, but not a
teetotaler ! have held the view for a
long time that prohibition is a failure
and have preached my convictions
wherever ! was. | was FIRST elected
sheriff in 1902 and ran for reelection
on the platform that prohibition Is a
failure and was reelected. That was
In 1904. In 1906 ] ran for the third
time and on the same platform and
making the same arguments and again
was elected, this time by the largest
majority Of all, the county at the same
time going Democratic for the first
time In 80 years.
when speak OF insincerlty recall
the action OF the ministers of West.
brook, city in this county. They held
meeting one evening to discuss the
liquor traffic in their town. heard
OF It and attended was bitterly