Las Vegas age. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1947, 1925-02-28
BOARD NOT
FAVORED BY EDUCATORS
Legislature Requested to Do Its
Duty BY Refusing to Tam
per With School Laws
[Reno Evening Gazettel


To the Editor of the Gazette: 1 OBJ
serve that you made mention of the
fact that | have introduced a prohi-
bition enforcement bill in the state
senate. Permit me to say in this con-
nection:
In introducing this bill, / do not
wish to pose as reformer or up
litter, for i am neither. / realize that
neither religion nor moral reforms
can be forced upon a people by leg
islation. l have always been tolerant
of others in their religious views and
in their habits and ways of living.
That is their business and not mine
so long, however, only as they keep
within the law. The law was made
for me and for you, and it is our
duty to observe the law and see to it
that others do the same. The law
is for all of us and not for the few.
The Eighteenth Amendment is the
law of the land. 1t was adopted by
the people of the country in the man.
ner provided for by the constitution
for its amendment, and it is now a
part of our constitution as muc has
the fourteenth or any other amend
ment. Congress passed an act known
as the Volstead act which provided a
method for putting the Eighteenth
Amendment into operation. This law
was made for all the people as well
as was the Eighteenth Amendment
and is, also, the law of the land Con-
gress contemplated that the various
States of the Union would pass leg
islatiOn conforming to and supporting
the amendment and the enforcement
law, and it provided therefor.
All the States of the Union have
passed supporting laws called Little
Volstead" acts but two. One of these
is Nevada. The other, New York; it
has now an enforcement act before
its legislature, and in the bill l have
introduced there is now an enforce
ment act before the Nevada legisla-
ture. My act is only the Volstead act
made applicable to Nevada. In no
particular is it more drastic.
My bill is introduced with two
main objects in view. One is to put
this State in line with all other
States in their patriotic regard for
the constitution and established law,
and thus merit the respect of sister
States and of the people as whole,
as well as to merit our own self
respect. The other object l have in
mind is to give the people of the
State the benefits of their own courts
which, without State law, are now
denied them.
Should my bill pass, the main
change in the present situation would
be that the state and county peace
officers would cooperate with the
Federal officers in enforcing the liq-
uor law, and the trial of offenders or
reputed offenders would be held in
the courts of their own communities,
instead of the Federal courts at Car
son City At the present, without a
state law, our citizens are directly
subjected to the operations of the
Federal law through Federal agents
and Federal courts. Our communi-
ties are infested with Federal spies
and suspects are dragged past the
open doors of their own courts, to a
distant community, to be tried by
Federal court. l am opposed to sur
rendering our police power to the
Federal government AS Governor
Scrugham said in his message to the
senate two years ago in vetoing the
Scott repeal bill, ""even by implica-
ton the state should not lightly sur
render its sovereign right to regulate
its own domestic affairs
In introducing this bill, l also had
in mind the proposed Transcontinen-
tai Highway Exposition at Reno. I
want this exposition to be a notable
success. l would like to see it recog-
nized and participated in by other
Western states. The exposition COM
mitteei hasasked the government to
mittee' has asked the government to
ment exhibit. 1t has asked neighbor-
ing States to participate with exhib-
it's and buildings, but it is not reason
able to suppose that the government
would consider cooperating with a
state that fiouts the Federal constitu-
tiOn or that Congress would make an
appropriation, when Nevada, treats
the laws which it passes, with such
contempt as we do. Nor is it to be
expected that sister states would
warm up to US when we refunse to
join with them in upholding the law
of the land. Let Us put our house
in order" and thus deserve respect
and attention before we ask it of
others only to be refused.
Whether the Eighteenth Amend
ment is salutary legislation, whether
II 10 Su1OTC0u, OT 0ulOTC0dDl0, 0lC.,
does not enter into this matter. The
Eighteenth Amendment is constitu-
tional law and cannot be changed by
the Nevada legislature, nor can it's
operations be evaded. We are obliged
to recognize it and accept it, whether
we like it or not. The question be-
fore US is: "Shall Nevada gracefully
acquiesce and accept the law and
show ourselves loyal American citi-
zens, or shall we continue to flout the
constitution and Federal statutes, be
an outlaw state and be Stunned by
government and sister states alike?"
The good name of the state is
matter taken very seriously by most
Of the people whose homes and in
terests are here. And the question of
local enforcement of the law is also
taken very seriously by various COM
munities, like Las Vegas for instance,
which petitioned the legislature
(COntinued on Page Two1