The daily Alaskan., 1922-01-24

Q
 not themselves slaves of the liquor habit
 But now the Pioneers, like the AIischievous Kid, not alone disclaim all personal responsibility for the law but even pretend that some trick has been played upon them and that some wicked Bogey Man foisted the Dry Law on Alaska en- tirely against it's will.
 The Pioneers also pretend to he Heye that every tqing would be lovely if they could only enjoy the full measure of personal liberty tha, the 18th Amendment affords thirsty people.
 Judging by those resolution, the Pioneers are either entering upon their second childhood or they never have emerged from their first in- fancy. Their resolutions arc ubso- IuteIy silly. The Alaska voter, hm- self. put over the Dry Law and there Was no Bogey Man involved in the operation.
 And if the Pioneers are still long ing for a revival of the dear old days of '9S somebody should explain to them that the 18th Amendment will not afford them the slightest comfort or assistance in that drec- ton.
 But now let us t-rn to the plight Of the Good Natured Man There are large number of people in Alaska who never required the pro- lection of either the 18th Amend ment or the Alaska Bone Dry Law to keep them sober. but they are a class of people. ne 5ertheless, who understand that the whole structure of civilization depeLds upon the just enforcement of law and that it is the sacred duty of every citizen of the United States tJ honor and up. hold the law of the land with the same fidelity and devotion that the soldier in the field pays 10 his flag
 Those people are now in the posi- ton of the Good Natured Man in the story after the Mischievous Kid took to his heels. They have be- come obligated to support the law that a lot of weak spiued brethren helped to wish upon them.
 Take my own case for example. I am not now and never have been crazy about either the 18th Amend meut or the Alaska Bone Dry law. I never advocated nor voted for eith- CT on of them. l never belonged to total abstinence society and have no personal aversion to wine and beer. l believe in the largest pos sible degree of personal liberty in au personal matters. But that is my limit. When law has been deliber- ately and legally spread upon the statutes of the United States, then am for it, first, last and all the time.
 It happens that I have been sub poenaed to serve upon the next grand jury and I am naturally in terested to learn how organizations like the Pioneers, for instance, are going to line up with reference to law enforcement here in Ketchikan.
 The point of the whole matter is this-many of us gre free to admit that neither the Alaska Bone Dry Law nor the 18th Amendment meas ure up to our notions of perfection, but we are not at all ready to admit after two-thirds of the voters of AL aska and of the United States re- spectively, have deliberately enact ed those laws, that they have done foolish thing, for such an admis- sion would be equivalent to admit ting that we are unfit for selr-gov- ernment as a nation.
 Neither are We ready to admit that after two-thirds of the qualified voters of Alaska or of the United States have passed a law, they can not enforce it-particularly when the opposition to that law mostly originates with least worthy and, in telligeut elements of the population.
 Let us be honect with ourselves and frankly admit that these prohi- bition laws have Ut been Slipped over" on us at aE and have only been enacted after years of open ef- fort which finally enlisted the sym pathy and co-opera ion of many vic tins of the liquor habit, themselves. And then let us be patriotic and re- member that if it becomes @ habit to break the law in America, untold Calamities await Ua