The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1916-12-30

gone dry" last month il the follovin,
story had been printed in the Detroi
News. and other papers, before, instead
of after, the election. The News ha!
just sent George E. Miller, staff cor
respondent, to Maine. the origina
dry" state. After a thorough investi
CATION, Miller reported that prohibition
in Maine IS a failure. writing from
Portland, Me. lie says:
"You can fill the palm of yoGr hand
with water and retain It there in plain
sight Gs long as you choose to hold
your hand still. But IL you strike tia;
palm with your other pain where is
the water? You will not have destroy
ed any OF &C. 1t will remain in exist
erce. Gr' ere VIZ Il Ec?
"Thot, I'd Sheriff william NJ
To1nei!. o. ihis county of Cumberland
"is tho illustration used to use in the
days when | was actively in politics
and ardently exposing the faliacy of
prohibition. 1t Is a graphic Illus ira.
ton. Under prohibition you can clcse
the saloon. But YOU can't stop the
traffic in liquor. You only scatter IL.
ou multiply the kitchen bars, you
start up tho boot!ogger, and know
from ny own experience and obrerya.
ton you draw into the trade in whisky
md beer numberless children and
minors.
Prohibition Is Wrcnr,
81 think few men know more about
.he evils of intemperance than I. ]
have been sheriff eight years in all
II prohibition would stop intemper.
'nce and cure the evils Of 1t wcul'
20 proh,b.tioulst. But II docs not.
and prohibition are not
terms. Although 7 am
Democrat, that Is point on which
10 not agree with Mr.. Bryan. lie
peaks as II the two words meant the
,amc thing TO h..2. E'ther he docs
lot know or he is ins.ucere. tl,'ak
10 does not know how The great mass
II the people live.
"Whep | was elected sheriff las,
ime ran against man who had been
earnest in trying to suppress the tras.
ic In liquor. II was claimed he hal
made Portland dry town. ! charged
Turing the campaign that at least 70
Italians were conducting kitchen bars
II the city. He said there were not
hat many. Yet between January /.
vixen | went into office, and the Grst
" the following May | had 72 Italians
n court for running that kind az
bar, and did not get all Of them at
hat. The principal OF one Of our
schools, in position to know some
hing about the subject, said at that
ime there were not less than 1,OCO
school children engaged in one phase
,r another OF the rum business. They
we're used as solicitors, spies, looliouts
md carriers. Blow was the word thay
to each other on the approach
If deputy sheriff, and they could pass
he word through n district Almost rs
asst az by wireless tclosraphy. They
made It extremely diidcult TO detect
he trade in liquor through the kitchen
,ar.
They talk about state constab.
llary. We have tried that once
hough 1t was so long ago that | do
lot know much about the way it work
ID. But we did have the Sturgis com.
mission, which fatter myself was
provided largely for my benefit. |
hen was sheriff here, as am now.
That commission was created by the
tate legislature for the ostens!ble pur.
'ose OF enforcing the prohibition law,
t had funds and force OF deputies
nd 1t went into every county in the
tate except this one. went before
hat commission of my own yolition
nd told them | knew they were play.
ng favortes in their prosecutions.
aid ! KNOW and | am here to toll
on. The commission did not last
ong, although 1t spent large sum of
loney and did not suppress the liauor
rafilc.
They Like This Sheriff.
VI am a temperate man, but not a
eetotaler ] have held the view for A
ong time that prohibition Is a failure
nd have preached my convictions
'hereyer | was. | was first elected
herif in 1902 and ran for reelection
n the platform that prohibition is a
allure and was reelected. That was
a 1904. In 1906 ran for the third
me and on the same platform and
laking the same arguments and again
'as elected, this time by the largest
ialorliy OF all, the county at the same
me going Democratic for the first
Ime in so years. =
When J speak OF insincerity recall
he action OF the ministers of West.
rook, city In this county. They held
meeting one evening to discuss the
Quor traffic in their town. l heard
1t and attended. ! was bitterly