The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-11-14

give $1,000 making a thousand dollars
in this little city, the fund TO go to |
the Anti-Saloon League, if it will send |
its hirelings or cause sufficient num- !
Der of the prohibition enforcement !
army to come into the first commits /!
sioner's district Of Lake county and !
clean it thoroughly Of moonshine stills |
and moonshine peddlers. And we
will join with nine others in the sec
ond district for the same purpose. The
money, however, will be paid when
the work is done.
When you get begging letters or
are personally solicited for funds for
this prohibition enforcement graft,
why don't you make some definite
proposition and get some results in
stead of putting in your money and
letting it go to swell the grabbag?
Make them come across with results
enough money has been grated in the
name of enforcement of the Volstead
act, to say nothing of what was
|squandered getting it on the books, to
pay the interest on the national debt
long enough for US to catch our fl
nancial breath and take a fresh start.
Come up like a man or woman and
meet this question. We have a law
the Volstead act-that hundreds of
thousands of people do not believe
was enacted according to the spirit of
& democratic republic such as ours is
supposed to be. Those people do not
consider that they are lowering their
citizenship by refusing to recognize a
law that has not received a publicly
expressed sanction of a majority of
the voting citizens of the United
States. But it is not difficult for some
of them and all others to realize that
il asserting this personal belief and
acting upon it they are lowering the
| morale of the whole nation. Weak
enforcement officials excuse their own
ipeccadillos upon the grounds that
prominent and respected people evade
and disobey the law, even to the point
of almost openly patronizing bootleg
gers. We are approaching crisis in
this situation, one that cannot be
lodged or even ameliorated when it
arrives, and it will be we'll to antici-
pate it and begin working out solu-
ton.
Personally, we believe that the peo-
pie of the United States will vote for
an anti-liquor law; whether it be to
ban all drinks or only those that are
rank with danger we do not know.
But when the people in all the nation
have been given an opportunity to
cast their votes, we will be through
with the farce that now confronts US.
The will of the majority will prevail.
1t is of no use for anyone to say this
matter is settled. No matter is set,
tied in a country where the peoples
voice determines everything, because
if the people change their minds and
demand that their voice be counted
IL inuSL D6 uOIlc. NO
can inveigh against this right and
certainly there is nothing in the world
strong enough to smother the voice
of the people of the United States.
Lest we be misquoted by some who
have formed that habit, let US say in
simple English this: The Commercial
lis not wet; it despises moonshine and
moonshiners; it despises strong drink
and bootleggers; it believes in law en-
forcement, even the strictest enforce
ment of every jot and little and syl-
liable of the Volstead act; which it
proves by the offer to put up 5000 in
company with others in order to get
; real enforcement in its immediate vi
cinity; but-and get this but-we re-
fuse to delude ourselves with sophis-
, try; we know a spade when we see it
, and we call it a spade; we have no de-
sire to bury our head in mawkish SEN
, timent like the sand the ostrich uses
| for this purpose, but we do desire to
, meet the facts of this as we'll as other
, questions face to face and, if need be,
, fist to fist.
Read US as we have written-and
think it over.