The Muskogee cimeter. [volume] (Muskogee, Indian Territory, Okla.) 1901-19??, 1917-01-06
SHERIFF TELLS DETROIT NEWS STAFF CJRRESP0 0NDENT
OF PROHIBITIONS FAILURE IN MAINE, TIE
ORIGINAL DRY" STATE
K|DD|Es FIND THE BUSINESS PROFITABLE
Act As Spies, Look0rts and Liquor Carriers "Kcen Bars
Are fayore Ro5orts Officials PoWerio33 to CUYD Illicit
Traffic Which DebauChes Young ana Old

Probably Michigan wouldn't have
zone dry" last month il tho following
story had been printed in the Detroit
News, and other papers, before, instead
OF after, the elect on. The News has
just sent George L. Miller a stah cor.
respondent, to Maine, the original
dry" state. After thorough inresti.
fGtion, Miller REPORTED tDaJ prohibition
In Maine is a failure. W.t..s from
Portland, Me, he says:
"You can I'll the pain o. your hand
with water and retain it tho"o in plain
zht rs lorg as YOU choose TO hold
your hand still. BIT # you s,.-.c that
palm with your other palm Naere is
tt9 water? You Will not have destroy.
e any OF It. 1t viii remain n east.
enCa. u-' 7rc WI Z be?
"Thit, id Sheriff william VI
r-1nen, o. Ills county OF Cumberland
e. She Illustration ! used 20 use in the
do-s yhon I was actively in politics
and Gcder,ly exposing TIC fai'acy OF
prohibition 1t i1 2 graphic illas ira.
ton. Under prohibition You can close
tie saloon. Dut you can't stop rhc
traGlc in liquor. You Only scat,g" Il.
You multiply the kitchen bars, you
stort up the boot'cggcr, and know
frCm my own eXrcgien"e and oh-crra.
tion YOU draw Into the trade in whisky
and beer numbcrless children and
minors.
Prohibition Is Wrong,
81 tlirk few men lTcw moro about
tho evils of intempcraHca than I. |
have been sheriff eight years II al
II prob bition would stoD lntcmUer.
snce Gld cure the evils Cf II 7 wou't
30 prol.bitlonlgt. III. Il does not.
Temperance and prohibition arc not
Synonymous terms. A'ttou n J an n
Democrat chat Is n point on which |
90 not agree with Mr. Bryan HH
creafs as II the two words meant The
came thing TO hi-.. Either he docs
not krow or he 81 insncere. | tl.rk
he does not know how the srGat ..ass
OF the pcorle live.
"NFhon | was elected sheriff 'ar,
,'wC ran AGAINST q nan who he'd bn21
earnest in trying 10 suppress til t'ai
&c In liquor. 1t was claimed he LCl
made Portland a dry town. ! chalHa!
during tho campaign that at least 80
italians were conducting kitchen bars
In the city. lie said there were not
that many. Yet between January I
when | went into Office, and tho FIRST
OF tho following May had 72 Italians
IN court for running that kind of q
bar, and ! did not get al OF them at
that, rho principal Of one of our
schools, In a position to know some,
thing about the subject. said at that
time there were not less than 1000
school children engaged in one phase
or another OF the rum business. They
were used as solicitors, spies, iookOut-
and carriers. Blow was the word tlay
shouted to each other on the arprccch
OF deputy sheriff, and they could pass
the word through a district o'm0al ~
fast as by wireless teie graz ply. Ticy
mado II extremely difficult to detect
the trade in liquor through the kitchen
bar. "
They talk about a state constah
ulary. We have tried that once
though II was so long ago that | do
not know much about the wav IL wars
ed But We did have the Sturgis com
mission, which | hatter myself was
provided LARGELY for my benefit.
then was sheriff here, 90 ! am now
That commission was created by the
state legislature for TIVE ostenslble pur
pose OF enforcing the prohibition law
II had funds and a force of deputies
and it went into every county In the
state except this one. went before
that commission of my own volitior
and told them | knew they were play
Ing favorites in their prosecutions.
said l KNOW and | am here 10 tell
you. The commission did MOI last
long, although II spent a large sum oi
money and did not suppress the liquor
traffic.
They Like This Sheriff.
81 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 1899 and ran for reelection
en- rho 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 so years.
when speak OF insincerity recall
the action Of the ministers OF West
brook, city in this county. They held
Q meeting one evening to discuss the
liquor traflc in their town. I heard