The St. Joseph observer., 1921-11-05
"MY BOOTLEGGER"
A Product of Prohibition Who Is
Doing More Harm Than Did Liquor
Before the Nolstcad Act.

Wherever we turn to examine the
working Of prohibition, there looms
my bootlcgger," clear or dim in out
line, working quite openly his i'm
mediate territory. as in the border
cities and Industrial centers or pro-
jecting his supply across long dis
tances, as into the prairie communi-
ties but in one way or another con-
irving to make the supply answer to
the demand. What are we going to
do about him? Arrest and punish:
that is the obvious, the superficial
solution. But even where punish
meut follows arrest, which is not al
ways nor commonly the case in many
localities, how radically effective is
it?
Either my bootleEger" reverts to
his well-rcwarded trade and contin-
ues to supply me, or. if he become
discouraged and quit, another comes
forward to take his place. his risks
and his profits.
Broadly spea,'ng, the profits more
than Justify the risk. There is at
least presumptive evidence in the
centers, where popular opinion is ad-
verse to the law. that the enforce
ment officials make only enough ar
rests TO keep the policy OF extortion in
force and the price of immunity high.
Punitive measures have not thus far
worked satisfactorily. Alone they give
no promise of leading the way out of
the morass Of lawlessness to the high
and dry lands OF acceptance and
obedience.
For they are directed against my
/ bootlegger" alone. And my boot
| logger" is not the parent but the
offspring. of liquor lawlessness. AS
correspondent put it; He is the
symptom; l am the disease" For
every seller-boouegger are ZOE buyer
bootleggers who hold themselves and
are held by the opinion of their peers
privileged to digregard and deride the
! Objectionable enactment without in
curing criticism, or censure.
know many people Of all classes
drinkers, some of them-who would
rot knowingly welcome to their
! Houses or their clubs a professional
| scller-bUotlegCer. | know no man
who does or would establish any So
! cal barrier between himself and the
buyer -bootleggcr--who may very well
be his next door nciEhbor, his fellow
church member, his physician. or the
mayor Of his city! Yet the buyer is
/ the center and core OF the problem
He is the true corrup,er OF the law.
Here it is that the professional pro-
! hib!rionists, whose militant political
and social strategy before the Vol
stead enactment We're of so high and
amazingly effective an order seem to
me to have failed dismally. Speaking
| frankly. they have shrked the job in
| its final and most important phase, so
that now It is grave question wheth-
| er, for better or worse. much of what
! the new dispeGsation was meant to
/ accomplish will not remain perma-
nently undone. The prohibition lead
ers most skillfully stimulated public
! opinion TO pass the law. They have
not inspired it to respect the law.
They ceased effective work just when
their missionary endeavors were most
needed. For--let me repeat 1t again
new and restrictive laws do not en-
force themselves
Hence my bootlegger." SO long
as the prohibition enactment remains.
in the minds of large, determinedly
rebellious, otherwise law-abiding and
self-respecting minority as your law
or "Nolstead's law" or blue law" II
will continue in its present slow poi
soning process of dry rot But II ever,
by a repetition Of the endeavors which
enacted it, 1t can be made to be re-
garded IN any wide sense as my
law" to be vigorously respected and
jcalously upheld, then goodby to my
bootlegger" and all that he implies
Golfers