The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-04-06
WILLIAMS WANTS
BOOZE LAWS WITH
"TEETH" in THEM


March %, 1923. |
To the Producers News:
After reading article by some one, /
headed, "Strong Letter From Conner
town., we have this much to say to
this party: "You seem to be peeved
over he Volsead Prohibition Act. Now
my dear friend that act was the best
law enacted for many years. The
trouble is not with the act but lies in
the enforcement of the same. No, it
is not a Joke. The time is near at
hand when it will be enforced IigOr-
ously. You surely can remember
when the saloons here in Montana
were wide open. have seen crazy
drunken men running their teams on
the road with heavy loads, whoOping
and yelling like lunatics and most
every winter some drunken cuss was
frozen to death. These things do not
happen any more. We will admit that
the law is not enforced as it should be.
But you and I and everyone else
/ should be more careful who we elect
to Office to make enforcement laws.
It's disgusting to see boOtlegging go
ing on as it is in some places. We
need some laws with teeth in them
to handle such cattle and it is up to
you and the rest of the real citizens
to get busy and get such laws enacted.
If it were left for me to decide the
fate of a boOtlegger, he would get
three years for the first offense and
thirty for the second. That may
sound rather harsh. But why not
They are criminals in the eyes of the
law and criminal should be punish
ed and must be to secure protection
for the law abiding citizens of a COM
monwealth. If you remember, the
saloon men made this statement at
the time prohibition went into effect
in this state, "Taxes will be higher
than they are". Just the same, we
have saved a terrible lot of taxes
that would have had to have been
/ raised to prosecute men for crimes
committed while under the influence
of booze. Is that not correct? And
also, there is no one who would want
the poor booze crazed guys to stand
! the property tax anyway. Their fam
! lily could take care of the extra
F charge very handy if they had the
] chance. No, my good friend, dOn'i
! kick a good thing, but work to get
laws enacted that will handle the sit
o uation. Now we are told that oul
!. officers can not do anything unless
!. one sees the pigger selling anC
f swears out a warrant. Does it seen
likely that a boozer would swear ou
the warrant. Now we think that thu
law should be changed so that an of
ficer of the law should have the RICH
to search any building at any time re
: quested. And further, one foun,
drunk, should be jailed and held TO
g ten years unless he told where he go
'-l his jag I'VE are. told that the jail
al would be running over. No, no, no
o 8'at4allg IL the punishment was sever
e enough they would be rather shy
t But. fine Of $1D0 and a suspende,
n jail sentence - well, that's cheap
: Cheaper than saloon licenses. Tha
(. tbs why the law is laughed at. Nov
don't kick at the Volstead Act, bu
G let's all get behind a movement o
{, some kind to impress on our repre-
l. Esentatives to pass some kind of rigi
o laws to cope with this evil business i
e behalf of the rising generation.
l. Yours,
3 7. u. WILLIAMS.
P. S.-You may not print my nam
) for special reasons.
e Mote: Although Mr.. William
e asks not to have his name printed, W
s have printedeit any way The edito
y Of the Producers News believes tina
je man ought to father publicly hi
20 honest opinions. If one is not willin
# himself to. do this, how can he expeC
ir legislature to stand up and make
g fight necessary to get the laws enac,
t. ed he suggests. 1t takes intestines I
re have opinions in this world and il
a testines to put them into law, as wei