The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-12

S < : = HOO years; Carthage for zoo years; Athens for 900 years. Florence was a republic for Is centuries. Rome stood as free republic for 300 years.
 Yet these great nations of an- tiquit.' perished. Their power waned. Their institutions crumbled to dust. Only their traditions were handed on.
 And why? Largely because their citizens, through self-indulgence, in- dolence, false pride, and false stand ards born of power. prosperity and luxury, stepped aside from loyalty and obedience 10 the laws which they themselves had evolved and written.
 Citizens and Laws.
 During the days when Rome stood at the pinnacle of her power, respect for and observance of Roman law was the outstanding characteristic of Roman citizenship. But. there grew up gradually a negligence out of which sprang disregard, contempt and finally defiance of the law. And
  of this spirit which fastened itself upon the structure cf the great re- public like parasitic growth, came veal. eninG of the Roman vii! and decline of Roman power.
 Prodigal luxury has been blamed by some for. the decline and dissolu- ton of that once great civilization Others have attributed it to over growth of the cities and resultant stagn9tion of agricultural life, Stll others have emphasized the failure of the Roman melting pot. For the assimilation of foreign races was problem then Gs now.
 No doubt all these played thelr parts But students of history the world over, and especially the ltal- ian historians. are in agreement on the essential fact that more powerful than al was that spirit of lawlessness and apathy toward law and the au- thority of government. Life was held cheaply. B&nditry grew com mon. Open revolt challenged the law and the law enforcers and broke down the established standards ol morality, art and social life. It was dry rot deep in the foundations that scrambled them away until the whole edifice toppled and fell.
 Only the blind can deny that sim liar tendencies are abroad in our country today. They may have come to us out of tAe World VT. From wherever or whatever they came, they are new to us. They can be destroyed, but only if an alert cit izenship will recognize them for what they are and tear them out: They are great groups that hold property rights in contempt. There is the same tendency to hoId llte cheaply that there was in Rome to shrur at American traditions, Amer ican standards, laws and regulations. There is an observable trend in the direction of lowered and degenerated forms of literature. art and the teachings of religion, disguised ana nrrtured Under the cloak Of mod ernism.'
 Amerlcn's "TestDg Time'
 It is often said that mans life is judged by it's crisis; that it is the crisis that makes for his success or his failure. His work may stand or fall by an hour, successful or disas- trous; or it may be, 8 day, week, month or year. What is true of the individual is equally true Of q gen eration of a nation, which is but an organized aggregation of individuals. Today America seems to me 10 De at the testing time, at moment In history when every citizen must be for or against the constitu- ttion and the laws Of the land, not alone as revealed in h:s convection and preachment, but as revealed by his acts and personal conduct.
 There is growing feeling among thoughtful citizens that Wo are ap- preaching Zc' hour. And thc1e IS g great nope that the efforts to en- force prohibition may 3rV into t1e ~g,s ip.,, [ 1n in evil influences directing their at tac,Ia at tho very heart oG the rer3b- lie. For no true American will take issue on this proposition: There ls only one constitution anu no part of that construction is less sacred than any other part,
 Citizen Az Guardian Of The Law.
 Consequently, we cannot permit the open violation of any specific law without at the same time fostering the spirit of anarchy that will event ually hold all law in contempt and disrepute We cannot evade, even If we would, the fact that every sign pointing to disregard Of the eighteenth amendment IS guide post to the hiGhroad of anarchy and lawIessness; and that road leads to the fulfillment 0: thc tragic prophecy OL hdNaANlflS VI .AO 'l NNN -'''' century predicted that the civlliza- ton of the United States would be destroyed by the lawlessness enSen- dered within her own institutions.
 Nor. I think, will any real Ameri- can challenge this proposition: It IS not enough that man shall obey the law and enjoy the privileges and blessings secured to him under the law, but it is the duty of the good citizen that he constitute hlmSeIi, so far as his abilities permit, q guardian and defender of the law.
 He is spineless American who will stand by and see the flag of his land scoffed at by the anarchlst' and he is short sighted American who fails to see in the bootleSSe the sDirit of the anarchist. More than we can reckon today, and more. perhaps than our children and their children win he able to reckon, depends upon whether or not the citizen upon whom we depend to uphold our Americanism awakens to the reallza D ton that bootlegging is not an ldle adventure, or even risky business but that it is nefarlous and traltot- ous blow at all we, as Amer!cahs' cherish most.
 The bootlegger, whether or the highest or lowest walks of life, Is a law-breaker. Stripped of his meaSer