The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1923-05-18

the law will become an easy one COM
para,ively speaking. and the certainty
of its enforcement will be established.
Dry officials Appointed
The new mayor of Springfield has
appointed an elder in the First Pres
byterian church as chief OF police, who
has been member OF the dry COM
mittee ever since the time | first came
to Springfield twelve years ago, and
has appointed as city attorney man
who has been known dry Tor years.
They will not be able TO make Spring
field a Sunday school. but they will
make il as near what il ought to be
as possible. Thus through the cleo
ton of the right kind OF officials in
places where public sentiment is
strong enough TO bring about results
we have made great progress.
Derelict Officials Convicted
The second encouraging thing to
my mind is the fact that the federal
government ard the overhead state
government has succeeded in sending
TO the penitentiary the mayor OF
Gary. Ind, and his fifty associates on
the liquor conspiracy there, and the
mayor of Rock Island has gone to
the penitentiary to pay the penalty OF
his open refusal to keep his oath of
Office in relation TO enforcement of
law.
As a result OF these efforts the battle
lines for law enforcement have been
definitely drawn. The election OF the
right kind of officials where such of
fsials can be chosen and the punish
ment of officials by the government
who fail to keep their oath of Office in
those communities where the senti
mcnt is not strong enough to elect of
hcials who are at heart right point
the way to enforcement everywhere.
Federal Enforcement Handicapped
The federal prohibition Office has
only partly functioned. the chief
reason being the fact too many men
have been in charge of divisions of
that department who are not in
sympathy with the law. The Anti
Saloon League has consistently con
tended throughout the year and will
continue to contend that prohibition
can be enforced when given a chance
by entrusting its enforcement to the
friends of prohibition.
Enforcement Organization Formed
The League has gone within the year
into nearly every county in the state and
has built TIP organizations of citizens
for the purpose of carrying on legisla
tive law enforcement campaigns along
the lines that have already been called
10 your attention,
The Program for the Coming Year
The next years program will be a
big one. 1t is now only eleven months
until we will have another primary and
in that primary we will determine the
candiates for state offices, for Congress,
for the next Legislature and for the I'M
portant position of States Attorney.
Every county in the state will nominate
a states Attorney next spring and viii
elect one six months later. The States
Attorneys hold Office four years. They
are probably the most important law en-
forcing officers within the state
Like the year ending the present year
will have to hold the field entered AL |
develop the new fields having to do with
the complete program of the Anti-Sa-
loon League, Education, Legislation
and Law Enforcement.
The Field Force
Not many changes have been made
The call of Mr.. A. II. Post who has
served our League in the capacity If |
district superintendent, church secretary
ard assistant State superintendent to
become State Supt of the Missouri An |
{ Saloon League reminds us that IL
linois has its part in the work of the
entire nation Illinois has furnished !
fourteen superintendents for the states
and eleven OF them are now acting i'll
that capacity
The chief changes have been in the
boundaries of the districts. The south
ern district now has its office in East |
81. Louis, giving us because of that fact |
chance to keep in touch with the en-
forcement work in this wet community |
There arc now four districts in the city
OF Chicago.
Mr.. Danskin who was superintendent !
Of the East ST. Louis district is now
field attorney.
Bringing in the Sheaves
For thirty years the National and
State Anti Saloon League workers have
gone forth sowing the seeds of truth
i'll relation TO the liquor traffic They