Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-08-25
FRIDAY, AUGUST Is, 1922

Readers of the Milwaukee Journal can be excused
if they should happen to infer that the series OF articles
running in that paper under the suggestive ue Oh
'Who is Your Bootegger? is propaganda designed 70
influence voters in their choices for congressman ana
senators in the states where primaries ana eectos are
to be held According to the writer Of the articles
prohibition is dead failure all over the country ana Il
continued will result in a OF criminals and state
of morality terrible to contemplate We presume the
Journal would vehemently deny that their appearance
just this time could have bearing on the approach
ing elections The Chicago Tribune once just as nalvey
declared that it's attacks upon Henry Ford were not
meant to injure his political chances
So far the election results of the past two years have
not shown that the people very regreu over the
country going dry. Personally doubt It they Will
this year, despite the doefu warnings that unless the
Volstad Act is repealed modified that the country IS
headed straight for disaster mental moral and physical
well as financial disruption.
The law has not worked out to perfection and 1t will
be many years before it does However, it does prohibit
the manufacture and of intoxicating liquors to very
large extent and about the best argument for It IS the
feeling of many drinking toward the law particular
ly those with who will be Of to meet
the temptations that their fathers faced before them
Most Of these men will never vote to repeal or modify
the law, though they may still take drink them
selves and thus are in minor way vioators OF the law
A good many localities complain about the way the
law is enforced by the local officials It is doubtful if
there is county in Wisconsin any other state in which
some of the residents do not think that the sheriff and
district attorney not unfolding and shielding OF
the voators of the Vostad Act just to make it inter-
estng the voators themselves at least those who have
been convicted of offenses along that lne firmly believe
that the sheriff and district attorney spend most of their
time carrying lantern around looking into dark corners
for jug bottle of moonshine and peeking into Win
dows to their neighbors nduging in the forbid
den beverage OF prunes rasns or whatever may be the
favorte brand of that locality.
We do not believe that very many of those officials
any where in cahoots with the booteggers but that
instead they honestly trying to enforce the law wher
ever sufficient proof is sworn to that will make action
started increase respect for the law rather than make
joke 1t does not increase respect for that law
when officers make raid and it falls fat though
there moral certainty that violations progress
moral certainty lacking legal proof is very apt to fall
down in any court room It has probably happened in
a hat fhn sheriff and
district attorney have had complaints made to them Of
liquor Violations which while they doubt occurred
the sworn evidence missing, in which the
officers scarcely be blamed for not taking action
While may be perfectly that his neighbor gets
drunk in violation of the federal law it is quite another
thing to go into court and it. The offender fire.
quenty has friends who would resent such test-
mOny quite forcby in business relations thereafter If
1T is case OF where petty spite dislike is really at the
bottom OF the compliments interest in law enforcement
and where enforcement would entirely innocent
people more suffering than and punishment would
justify then at least do not any officer for
the exercise of little true christianity The oaths of
office of neither the sheriff district attorney do not
imply that they must belong to detective force It is
the duty of others to furnish proof.
Left as is, the prohibition question will gradually
settle itself and become OF than now but
expect to the future shers and prosecuting at
torney do very much they have the past prosecute
Hagrant violations anywhere they found when accom-
panied by legal proof that violations have taken place
ana refusing at times to out and gather the proof
themselves The most important thing after ALL for the
radical dys to look after to be careful the kind
OF men they elect law Makers instead of the law en-
torcers Prohibition here to stay unless the voters go
to sleep about the time they marking their ballots in
November.