Arizona republican., 1917-12-17
ARIZONA JUDGES APPROVE PLAN ID
 UTILIZE WH|SKEY

Two more judges of Arizona superior l courts have been heard from in con- nection with the plan of Governor | Campbell to save the confiscated li- quor in Arizona from destruction that l it may be redistilled and the alcohol l thus secured be used by the Red Cross i in the army hospitals.
 Judge John A. Ellis of Kinsman, ] judge of the superior court of Mohave county, replies to the communication of Governor Campbell as follows:
 T have your letter of December | in regard to the disposal of intoxicat- ing liquors received under the prohib- itory laws of Arizona The amendment to the constitution which became eff fective on December s, 1916, requires that such liquors shall be by the court ordered publicly destroyed, and the provision of chapter 63 of the Session Laws of Arizona, 1917, is that such liquor shall be by the court publicly destroyed.
 In the cases which have arisen in this county and where the liquor has come in the possession of the clerk of | the court as an exhibit or otherwise, | the order has been that the liquor | should be by the clerk Of the court publicly destroyed, and his certificate | that the order has been complied with | filed with the files of the case But where the liquor has not come into | the possession of the clerk of the court, | but remained in the possession of the sheriff, the order has been that that officer publicly destroy the liquor and 1 file his certificate with the files of the case, stating that the order has been complied with.
 If it is decided that such liquor can be made use of by the war department pr any Red Cross work and if some agent of the war department in the state of Arizona can be designated to receive the liquor and if that agent can furnish certificate that the li- quor received by him had been de- stroyed or altered in such a way as to render it unfit for use as a beverage. l see no reason why the spirit of our constitution and statutes cannot be complied with and at the same time the liquor made use of in the way you suggest.
 The only room TOT difference of opinion, as I see it. IS over the inter- pretation of the word destroy In a literal sense of the word we know nc physical matter can be absolutely de- stroyed. When liquor is poured out OIl the ground IL IS not destroyed, but the act of the sheriff or other officer oi
 the court in pouring the liquor out simply makes it impossible for the persons to gather it up and use it as
 a beverage The same result woulc be obtained if the liquor were in any , way changed so that 1t could not bt used for drink.
 T think your suggestion a very sen
 slble one. indeed. There are only ! about three or four cases of liquor now
 in the hands of the sheriff and clerl
 of the court of this county"
 Judge Alfred C. Lockwood of tho
 superior court of Cochise county a
 Tombstone announces his willingness.
 to order the cOnfiscated liquor saved
 from destruction. Following is his let
 ter:
 T beg to acknowledge receipt O " your letter advising me of my appoint
 ment on the local advisory board anC
 also lnquiring into the possibility O using liquor in Red Cross work whel
 they have been taken under the law
 am not prepared to state on sucl
 short notice whether or not the use o o liquors as suggested by you would b | strictly in accordance with the law. l a occurs to me, however, that in view o c the circumstances that there is no on f who would be likely to object to sue - action, and certainly it would be
 patriotic use.
 il So far as this county is concerne IF l am perfectly willing to request tn if sherlff's office to preserve all liquor s and to order that they be delivered t V any United States authority authorize V to receive them at any time