Omaha daily bee., 1916-10-31

They figure that the law was made and
then God made man to keep it.
Men talk about the dignity of the law,
II there Is to e any dignity to the law,
/. must be dignified law.
If you want men to respect law. pass re-
spectacle laws. and they will.
Now these fellows on the other side an,
a maximum of law with minimum Of free
dom. This side wants maximum Of lib
erty and a minimum law.
Do you get met Long continued ap-
SANE GOVERNMENT means to take rea-
sonable control in the directing Of all social
activities.
Now as long as you are going to permit
me to bring it in by tine jugfull, or by the
barrel. or by the automobile. or the carload.
or the trainload. as your proposed law will
permit them hem to do. and you are going to
choose. and to use all their hides will hold,
does it not seem to you. using just ordi-
nary horse sense. that you should keep
control of the distribution Of i'll
snake. l would rather have it in glass
box where l could see it than have It in
hole or running around in the grass where
never know where 1t was going to strike
me or when 1t was was going to strike me.
And everything you say against liquor.
as long as you say that men can have
It to use; the very argument you put up as
to the danger of it, is Just that much
stronger argument for keeping control Of
the distribution of it.
| Why. can't see how a man who uses
his head for anything. or keeps his back
bone behind from unraveling, can't see that.
Now, some OF these good dry fellows are
afraid that they will be accused Of standing
ment.
Well. after the saloon. what?
The next thing that comes =. You have
got about how many voters here in this
town. About 10000 men. II you have
$4,000 men in this town. you have $4,000
drinkers: That is the lowest. You won't
find 5000 teetotallers in the town. =
4, now, then, that being true, suppose that
the state Of Nebraska out-votes the people
Of these cities; while this city will vote
law. (Applause.)
How, in the name Of common sense, do
you expect to enforce that law when the
men here are five to one against tit
force Of this town. What are you ae PUTTING nass
this town?
will tell you what wilt happen: Just
exactly what has occurred in Maine. and
this for any length Of time.
In the state of Maine. the sheriffs Of
counties are elected on a platform of en-
iorcement or nonenforeement Of the law. Yet
there are people who believe they can get a
and make them stand for It.
What next fellows?
| The organization of your whole pody
polite to create system Of corruption
and for the defeat Of your law.
That is what you get
You don't need to tell me that the ex-
| governors and the governors Of Kansas have
not had their frame-ups with the boot
iessers OF Kansas You don't need to tell
me II they never wanted to enforce that
law over there the governor of the state
would not know about It.
LOOK at the record of Oklahoma! The
most shameful and disgraceful of any new
STATE In America. Corruption without men,
ton and without shame.
The bootleggers Of Oklahoma are the most
powerful political organization in Oklahoma,
What is the result?
Nebraska has sent twenty men to the
asylums with alcoholic psychosis; Kansas
1879. ''a' ''"'
Why?
Because the people of Nebraska got their
liquor anywhere; getting away from the
! harder drinks they turned to beer. and
wines, to the lighter drinks But when IL
has to be sneaked In. in Bibles, and IN
suit cases and hearses and caskets and oil
tanks and box car and Irvine packages and
canes and everything else they will always
set the stuff that has the most kick In
1t for the least amount Of space daughter
Bootieesgers' paradise! Kansas and Okla
| homa.
That is what you will get in your govern.
| ment system.
| Now, why can't you enforce the law, .
Oh somebody says, of course we have a
law against killing, but then men 20 and
XIII each other, and we do not change the
| law.
You do not change the law; you do not
put in constitutional amendment that Il
can be used for medicinal purposes or sac
ramental; you do not say that II can be
used for mechanical or Industrial purposes
Now what is the trouble with that law?
After all, 1t is public sentiment that po-
Ices community, and the police with a
club in his hand only reflects public SEN
| timent.
Some men around here say. WELL look at
the saloon conditions In Omaha!
Well they are Just what you want them
isfied with. ~
I want to tell you that three nights In
vestigation by certain beloved gentlemen, in
the right spot, with good stiff spine will
do more to shut off the Omaha saloons than
sevepty-five sermons when there Is nobody
there. And the cancellation Of about three
saloon licenses will make the rest Of these
| fellows see daylight quicker than all the
elections than you can hold
| You do not want to enforce the law. II
might get you in bad You Just want to
vote. Nothing more. lust vote
This law is different from the other laws
| In regard to theft and murder and crimes
| of that kind, In that its Jurisdiction ia
| limited to the community that passes on It,
| man. in this state could steal an au-
| tomobile and go to New York and you
| could bring the man and the car and the
| fellow that bought It all back together, II
| he knew 1t was stolen car and send them
| all to prison and return the car to the
| owner.
And the fellow in the bootleg business.
when you start after him. he hears you COM
ing and he Just steps over the line into
Iowa and he says good night, and the Iowa
sheriff can't send him back, nor you can't
get him. And in the next place the fellow
that bought his goods don't have to give
/ them up. That is the difference between
him and the automobile fellow. He keeps
| the goods and don't have to appear against
him either.
Now let, me tell you. II you would put a
law on the statute books that II a man
| would purchase an automobile and didn't
know II was stolen car. II you put 1t on
the books that he could keep It in case he
| bought It without knowing that It was
stolen, everybody in Nebraska would have
car inside Of thirty days. Well of course,
everybody but the preachers. (Laughter.)
| The fault of this law is this you are
endeavoring to make one side Of a trans
action right. and the other wrong and you
| cannot do It.
This is what this law proposes to do, and
| will use this just as an illustration: !
| On this side Of the bar you have 90 900
men; 5000 In Omaha, In this city on this side
Of the bar; and they are not all drunken
buns; you have merchants and bankers and
lawyers all coming UP to this side of the
\ bar, and drys; the dry walks up and lays
| down his dollar, and the man on this side
| OF the bar puts down quart of the goods
that the dry wishes You say by your amend
| ment that the dry can do that and keep It
up. and he is violating no law; but the man
who puts down the quart and takes up the
a tn mali rtvx
out of him. Buying liquor will continue to
be fashionable and proper. but selling 1t
| under regulations will be a crime. You have
got $4,000 on that side of the bar and $50
on this side. You are voting on the $50;
why don't you tackle the 25,000i
| 1t Is Just as much a violation Of law
| to purchase stolen automobile as 1t Is to
steal 1t or sell 1t, but 1t is no violation Of