The Denver Jewish news., 1921-05-25
Prohibition and the Law
Observance
is THE JEW A GOOD CITIZEN?


in America, and the Jews have al
ways stood on the side of law and
good government
But the prohibition law has had its
effect on the Jews the same as on
ether classes In this country. The
newer arrivals among the Jews. in
common with the newer arrivals Of
other races. have failed TO grasp the
fact that it is just as Illegal to buy,
sell, manufacture or keep intoxicat-
the old Mosaic law-'Tliou shalt not
kill
Many man says, II want n drink
and l intend to have it. 1 left Eu-
rope because I was oppressed, and
came to free America. and here they
say I can't drink" And he proceeds
to show them that he can. That drink
of itself doesn't harm anyone, but il
develops the traffic in booze. and we
have the bOotlegger as result. And
the average boOtleggcr is the vilcst
scum in modern society.
The other day some high-school
girls and boys had party" in Bear
Creek Canon. The girls were ruined.
and moonshine whiskey made it pos
sible. Do you want moonshine manu-.
factured for your girls?
There is an old adage about honor
among thieves. This does not apply
-, ne I,r
da. who was convicted in Pueblo in
1918 for murder. is typical of the
action of all bootleggers. 1t is found
on page JI1 of Volume 81 of the
Supreme Court reports of this State.
Blanda acted as the agent for some
bOotleggers in selling their whiskey,
and arranged to sell it to n man nam
ed Dragash. 4 rendezvous was ar
ranged for midnight on the outskirts
of town. Blanda lay in wait for
Drngash. and killed him for his money
before the whlskey runners, arrived
with their booze. 1t was the average
case of bootlegger waylaying bootleg
ger.
Ill lIlt Ttttllt S-D,VVp -ihis
case, one of the bandits visited the
ranch of bootlegger and took his
loot with him. The bootleggcr per
suaded him to put it in dresser
and his confederate stole the money
The bootlegger is close associate
of prostitutes, white slayers. gun men,
thieves and all the criminal classes.
His product is just as apt to be wood
alcohol as it is to be the pure stuff.
The safety of the home, the security
of life and property, the welfare of
the city. state and nation are alto
gcther dependent upon the law and
its impartial enforcement. All men
are presumed innocent until proven
guilty in court of justice: all men
are equal before the law. and all
laws have the full power of the state
and nation behind them. The police.
sheriffs. district attorneys, courts, ma
tional guard. army and navy are
created for only one purpose-the en-
forccment of all laws.
You may like the prohibition law
or be opposed to it, but it is the law
OF the land. We elect n president.
and the defeated candidate and his
followers acquicsce in the decision,
and do not resort to civil war. Yet
the man who violates the prohibition
law is poor sport and a cheap loser.
lie allies himself with all the Grim
inal elements of the community, in
sists on his own kind of law, and
starts a civil war of his own.
I come back to my original question !:
Is the Jew a good citizen? Does ho
violate the prohibition law or enforce
it? Does the Jewish race stand for
law and order in Denver, or is it
opposed to it? Your treatment of the
prohibition law in Denver will answer
the question. and Denver is watching
the result.
Any community can have a house
cleaning if it so desires. And any
community can eliminate the bootleg
ger in its midst any time that its citi-
Zens wish to do so.
The B'nai Birth is doing splendid
work to arouse the Jews generally.
The Jews are the first people in Den
yer to set the lead for law enforce
ment. and thru their example the Dis
trict Attorney hopes to stimulate other
races and sections of Denver to do
their part in solving the problems of
prohibition. Government is IL ques-
ton of team work, in which all have
their Job. And the job of all right
now is to insist that all law be en-
forced impartially, and that all law
hroolorc no nunishpl Inv an aroused