The Omaha morning bee., 1925-02-23
City Pillars
Blamed for
Bootleggers
Former Mayor Scores so
Called Good Citizens" for
Difficulty in Prohibition
Enforcement.
Differs With His Partner

Ed. P. Smith, former mayor, speak
ing Sunday morning to members OF
the mems Bible class at First Central
Congregational church. asserted that
if it were not for the "so-called good
citizen" the bootleggers could not
operate in Omaha. lie stated there
are men who are professedly good eiti-
zens and even leading business men,
not In sympathy with certain laws
and will not take a stand against
pm.
Mr.. Smith made it clear in his i'm
passioned plea for observance of law,
that he is not in accord with his law
partner Frank S. Howell, on the sub
ject of the 18th amendment. He did
not refer to Mr.. Howell, but his state
ments ran counter to expressions
made by Mr.. Howell at the annual
banquet of the Walter Head Bible
class in First Presbyterian church
two weeks ago.
Differs With Partner.
Cn that occasion Mr.. Howell stated
that some of those before him were
violators of the 18th amendment, that
the methods of enforcing this law
were contrary to the spirit of Christ,
and he attacked the efforts of the gov
ernment to exercise a control over do
nfestic affairs. At the following regu-
lar meeting of the Walter Head Bible
class n. II. Loomis stated that the
passage of the 18th amendment was
the result Of cooperation by churches,
big business and science, all working
for greater efficiency in the economy
of human progress.
The most personal reference the
former mayor made in his talk Sun
day morning was his allusion to the
support of good citizens to boot
Ieggers and also their opposition to
The 18th amendment as a law.
Urges Cooperation.
"If the Chamber of Commerce, Cen
trail Labor union, Omaha Bar associa-
ton and the newspapers would band
themselves together as unit, and
would say that crime must cease and
criminals must go, we would have an
irresistible force, against which moth
49, could stand" Mr.. Smith said. IF
we could combine these forces ! have
mentioned, we would have a citizen
.hip in Omaha that would be the best
in the land. / don't say that this
great force would abolish all crime,
but 1t would exert wonderful influ-
ence for the observance and respect
OF law.
1.-THE question of dealing with crime
is not a ne~ question. The world has
always combatted crime. There has
always been a weakness in human ma
ture. The laws as given by Moses
to the children of Israel are written
in substance into the laws of Ne
braska today / have no panacea to
offer; if I had. | would be the man
the world is looking for. but l am not
that man. I don't believe the police
are even looking for me.
Cites Decatur as Model Citizen.
1T has been the tendency to make
laws more humane. There are only
Two laws in Nebraska which impose
she death penalty and they are for
treason and murder in the first de
gree. Let us stop to consider the
old blue laws. There was time when
it was against the law to kiss your
own wife on a Sunday, and l suppose
that some men would have a connip.
tion fit today If there was law pro
hibiting kissing another mans wife
on Sunday.
I'VE need 10000, 900 men in the
United Sttaes, to stand up and say
with Stephen Decatur. May the laws
of my country always be just, but
right or wrong, they are the laws OF
nv country and must be obeyed.
(Turn to Page Five. Column One)