The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1922-02-10
OVER SEAS VETERAN PUTS
CRIMP IN MOONSHINING
Col. Smith Lands 90 Illicit Booze
Traffickers in Lake County,
Ill. Bastile
$4,000 FINES COLLECTED
Wet Gang Convinced Way of Dry
Law Transgressor is Hard in
Lake County
$4,000 FINES COLLECTED
(By Geo. McGillnisl

n DlDllCdt proNeFD Wrltcr IN the
long ago wrote "He that keepeth the
law happy is he
The vets i'll Lake County, Illinois
are finding out to their sorrow that
the proyerb writer knew the path
that leads TO the door OF happines.
Col. A. Y. Smith an overseas veteran
is states attorney Chasing the vets
out of Lake county is child's play
compared to his service with Riley's
Bucks--thc 10th Field Artillery of
the Rainbow Division, when he
chased the Germans through the
Argonne.
He has put SO moonshincrs, blind
piggers and bootleggers in Jail with
sentences of 80 days to 7 months. He
has put over 100000 cash into the
county treasury-hnes and penalties
collected FROM the vets and has about
$4,000 more to collect Aftey pay
ing the expense of the state at
torneys office there will be a large
surplus to go into the Lake county
school fund. Probably his record
has moi been equailcd by any state
attorney in America considering the
few months he has been in Office.
He reports that 90 per cent OF all
dry law violators arc foreigners and
20 per cent of these are not voters.
The sober, law-abding, Industrious
foreigners are an asset to the nation
but the iawless ones are a menace to
the republic and should be deported.
When bunch of aliens get it in
their noodles that they can tramp
with hob-nail shoes over the Consti-
tuition OF the nation and our state
statutes it is high time that they are
taught that obedience to law is
fundamental in our American life.
The Colonel has had some exciting
experiences. Once his house was
blown up. Vim. Peterson was chas-
ing rum-runners through the county
and while his motorcycle was going
20 miles an hour the rum hounds
thrust a sawed-of shotgun through
the back OF the auto curtain and
fired 81 buck shot into his body.
Peterson was legionaire and died in
patriotic service just as much as if
killed on the battle fields OF France.
The men who fired that shot fired on
the flag and fred at your home and
mine.
Paul Nator of North Chicago made
his fortune in booze before the
Colonel became states attorney, then
went to Austria to look after his
folks, and left his joint in the hands
OF another He sent back word to
have big night when he arrived for
he was coming by way of Detroit
and would bring home a new auto
loaded with booze. Unawarcs of
Majors arrival the states attorney
planned a raid on the place that night
and the arrival of the officers created
A riot. The mob tried 10 knock out
the officers but were themselves laid
out and auto, booze and law viola
tors were captured. Three times the
federal officers have gone to the
county scat and poured the captured
liquor in the cutters to make room
for the other captures.
There never was a time when the
words of Lincoln should be en-
phasizcd SO effectively as the present
wherein he said:
Let every American, every
lover of liberty, every we'll wish
er to his posterity, swear by the
blood of the revolution never to
violate i'll the least particular the
laws of the country, and never
to tolerate their violation by
others. AS the patriots of seven
ty-six did to the support of the
Declaration OF Independence, so
to the support Of the Constitution
and laws let every American
pledge his life, lis property and
his sacred honor. Let every man
remember that to violate the law
is TO trample on the blood of his
father. Let reverence for the laws
be breathed by every American
mother to the lisping babe that
prattles on her lap; let it be
taught in schools in seminaries,
and in colleges; let it be written
in primers, spelling books and
almanacs; let it be preached from
the pulpit, proclaimed in the leg
islative halls, and enforced in
courts of justice. In short, let it
become the political religion of
the nation.