Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-04-17
Instigators of Crime

Ii there was no uCiAEahN tOA
bootleg liquor, there would be
no bootleggers. 1t is the man
who BUYS that causes the man
who SELLS to become a law
breaker-a peddler of poison
GUS whiskey and the wrecker lot
homes and human life.
The buyer is guilty both be-
fore and after the illegal trans
action has been performed. Be
fore, because he is the instigator
of crime; afterward, because he
has, or has had, illegal whiskey
in his possession. He is NOR
ally involved. whether legally
liable or no.
This phase of the question
may not have occurred to pa
irons of two society hootleggers
of Hartford, Conn, whose tes-
timony caused the conviction of
the liquor vendors.
Supporters of the bootleggers
have reason to be interested IN
the remraks Of Judge Malttie,
of Hartford, directed at the two
informers The judge said to
them.
1.-THE. men here are charged,
and have pleaded guilty t. break
ing the laws of their country, not
in any accidental way, not in any
outburst of passion, but coldly
and consciously, in order to get
portion of the results Of an IL
legal traffic; and they have done
it to get your money; and not
only have they broken the laws
Of thei rcountry in this respect,
but the trade which they repre-
sent drags after it every manner
of violence up to murder, snug
Cling, piracy, and worst of all,
bribery and corruption which
reaches out to every man that
tries to enforce these particular
laws of his country; and the
trail of these crimes leads right
to the door of you who have
played your part in it, It is your
money which causes that, and
you who are supposed to repre-
sent property, responsibility and
social position-what are you, af-
ter all, but participants in crime,
instigators of crime? That's
what you are; and you set your.
selves up and say Il will choose
what laws | will obey" Well, if
you can choose what laws you
will obey, any other man can
choose what laws he will obey;
and if you do that, what becomes
of, your country? American citi-
gems, some of you with creditablc
military records digging at the
very vitals of your country. There
is many a man who sits in that
pen over there VINO is more de-
serving at the hands of the
court and the public than you
are"
/ am my brothers keeper.
In this enlightened Christian age
there's no denying that Biblical
precept.
The answer of those who
support and expect to continue
to support the bootlegging trade
can be foreseen, says the Val
dosta Times editor; they will
deny that they are participant:
in and instigators of crime; = . y
shat they merely ignore a single
unjust and tyrannical law which
must and will become a dead let
ter They will hold that this one
law can not be enforced, be
cause the sentiment of the ma
iority is against it.
Law is law. until it is repeal
ed; and he who breaks law i,
. law-breaker. Those who claim
to believe that "a majority i.
not in favor of prohibition, dc
no. know what they are saying
Business as business favor
prohibition. Bushes knows how
whiskey interferred with labor
skilled and unskilled. Bushes
knows the economic value O
prohibition.
Nor have those opposed tx
prohibition taken into considera
ton the fact that woman votes
and that she will vote almos
unanimously for prohibition
She and her children were tn
real sufferers from whiskey, anc
she and they have not forgottei
the days when much Of the con
tents Of the pay envelope founc
its way TO the money till of tn,
licensed bar room.
To those who claim that pro
hibition is not being enforced
we can merely say that neithe
are laws against murder or lar
ceny. counterfeiting or bigamy
But that's no reason why thc
Jaws affecting these crimes