Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1920-11-10
WAIiIIALIA, S. 9.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10, 1920
As TO PROHIBITION.

lania Constitution Of recent date
printed the following editorial. which
is not one whit more appropriate
as applied to conditions in Georgia
than ii is to conditions prevailing in
South Carolina, and in OcOncc C0un-
ty In fact. we doubt not that the
editorial is pcriincutly applicable to
every state and every community in
our whole country to-day. We re-
rroducv the ConStitut' on's article be
low:
"r0licc court records for the past
ten months of 1920. in comparison
with The record Of 1919. afford in
diSpu,ablc answer to the question.
Is Atlanta a prohibition city"'--the
answer being positively in the mega
tive.
"'rhis comparison shows that
crime has materially Increased dur
ing the year nearing its close. and
!hat thc most Of the crime is at!rib-
ntable, directly or indirectly, to vio-
ALTON Of the prohibition laws.
This proves, not that prohibition
is Il failure, but simply that Atlanta
has not had prohibition; and prohi-
bition cannot be proved Il failure at
least until 1t is tried.
'"The fact that men and women
continue to violate the prohibition
laws, and get drunk, and commit
all manner Of crime directly through
the influence Of, or superinduccd by,
liqnor-and the meanest kind of
liquor-proves only one thing: That
our prohibition laws are not being
enforced.
"A prosperous Georgia whiskey
trafhcker was heard to remark re-
Gently. following session with a
Judge by whom he had been assessed
a nominal fine, that he could we'll af-
ford to be arrested and convicted
once a month; that he could still
make big money out Of his disrep-
utable business.
The lesson that is taught by the
records Is that until the courts as
sumo a different attitude toward pro-
hibition enforcement, and adopt a
more vigorous policy in their hand
ling Of prohibition cases, it is impos-
slnle Tor the peace authorities to
make prohibition effective"
The same deplorablo conditions OF
which the Constitution complains as
existing in Georgia and Atlanta OBJ
tain in South Carolina and Oconee,
and to some extent in Walhalla. 1t
Is unfortunate indeed. And our
conrts--not the law enforcement Of
fcers-are to blame for existing con-
ditons. Our Judges are altogether
100 ienicnt in dealing out sentences
to those convicted Of violations of
inc prohibition laws. At almost
every session Of our criminal cour,
aDnnt nine cases out OF ten are for
violation or the prohibition laws, or
AT least are attributable. directly or
indirectly, to the Illicit traffic in con-
tfanand liquor. We're it not for this
damnahle trai!icking in liGuor Oco-
nee could easily take care Of her
CRIMINAL court business within III,
space OF week or ten days during
Hach year, with every case clrurrJ
from the docket. The tax-pavcrs of
our county are paying Il pretty penny
HS pcn2lty for the ridiculous lcn-
i>ncy Of our Judges. And there is
no deterrent effect on the law-brcal-
trS. Thc small fines imposed amount
10 less than Il "G;y .;Sh: license 10
do business. When our judges learn
10 deal out sentences that will bc
fclt-that will actually hurt-thev
will have learned the remedy for
our liquor troubles. And when the
judges apply the remedy that is in
thelr hands they will have laid a
sharp axe at the tap-rOot Of the
liqnor evil. When liquor-making and
hquor-sclling are .'endcred unprofit-
able, liquor will practically disap-
pear from our midst. 1t will be with
us until the teeth" that arc in the
law are made to sink deep into the