Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-05-22
PROH|BS DEMAND
|RON-CIAD RULES
TO ENFORCE LAW
ANTl-sALooN LEAGUE ISSUES 4
STATEMENT SHOWING ITS Al
TlTUDE TOWARD WET AND DRY
LEGISLATION.

Springfield, H., May Pleading
for stronger prohibition law enforce
ment by the legislature after July !, The
AntiSaloon League OF Illinois has is
sued the following statement
The next few years will be the
crisis years in the prohibition move
ment. Whether this movement is a
success Of failure will depend entirely
on the question of law enforcement.
The only opportunity the liquor in.
terests viii have to change public
sentiment in their favor will be b.
creating sentiment for the return o.
the liquor business under certain reg
ulatiOus because OF the discourage
ment OF the great mass Of people ol
the question Of enforcing this law.
There is no logical reason why il
should be more difficult TO enforce
the laws against the liquor traffic thar
to enforce any other criminal statute
and after a certain element of our
citizenship comes to realize that this
law is to be enforced the opposition
will very quickly disappear
The criminal known as the boot |
logger will go just as far as the laW |
abiding citizen OF this state viii ALLOW I
him to 90 in his efforts TO break down /
the laws prohibiting the traffic i'll in /
toxicating liquor, and no further Il
is of the greatest importance, there
fore, that at least for the period 0.
these crisis years these laws be placed
in a strong central state officer who
will be primarily responsible for theH
enforcement
There are many political units il
Illinois that are dry under the l0ca
option law where local officials REFUSE
or fail to prosecute violators of thi
law, inasmuch as their sympathies are
with teh liquor interests. These pc
litical units viii unquestionably bt
greatly added to when national pro
hibition goes into effect.
The state is responsible for the Ell
forcement Of all laws. 1t is conserya
lively estimated that since the loca
option law was enacted in Illinois tn
citizens of this state have spent
their own money, approximately
half million dollars in the employment
of private detectives for the enforce
ment Of this law. Private citizens o.
organizations should not be expected
hA of tbni,
to enforce the state laws, and mos
certainly no citizen or official OF
locality should be allowed to disregard
this law simply because he is not per
sonally in sympathy with it, as is nov
the case in some communities.
For over ten years Illinois has beer Il
attempting to enforce her local option n
law through the local machinery ant
in many instances has either PARTIAL.
or fully failed because of the attitud
of local officials as above explained
Other states in a shorter period hav,
in satisfactorily solving thu
problem through the establishment o
a state lew enforcement department
under competent commissioner
Attorneys for the bootleggers Al
ways endeayor to impeach the cred
bility of privately employed invest
gators before juries,- and too FIRE
quently succeed to the miscarriage o
justice BY clothing these inyestiga
tors with the authority Of public OF
tcers their evidence would have fan
greater weight with jury and III
of the conviction Of tbs h
guilty would be greatly increased. &
South Dakota, West Virginia. New +
Michigan and Virginia &
have either prohibition commits
;ioner or am official who is primarily
for the proper enforce
nent OF their liquor laws.
The testimony Of many prominen
officials of these states shows con d
the need of such an Office n
n order 10 properly secure the neces h
9ary law enforcement on this ques 4
ion" 4