The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-08-30
Law Ridden Alaska.
Seward GafewaY.l

Under the heading "Volstead Act Iniquites in Alaska" the Jneau Empire waxes wroth. A we'll l-known business man and respected American citizen of that town stopHed by prohibition agents recently while driving from his home to his place of business and his searched pre- sumably for contraband liquor. No liquor was found, but the search thorough and took some time while the business perforce to suffer the indignty in outraged silence. Inci- dentally the "searchee' has wife and children and a host of friends in Juneau, and many the protestations of indignation at this high handed procedure on the part of the so-called law enforcement officers
 The Empire is fair to state that the United States Supreme Court had handed down five to four decision permitting search of automobiles without warrant, but if recall this matter raised such storm of protest against invasion of personal rights, that General Andrews, then chief of the prohibition enforcement division, issued a general order to all "Prohs'' from the bottom up to lay off the picayunish stuff and leave the harassed American citizen alone in the enjoy ment of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness That followed for while but it seems they are drifting back to the old strong armed methods here in Alaska, maybe because they are so far from Washington because the chief of this division is willing to let them use their own sweet way
 Ye gods, what ghastly joke it all is! Am erica established on the foundation rock of lib- erty, the most outrageousy law ridden nation on earth and the most intolerant! Governed by
 
 them former law-breakers, with their palms ex- tended behind them, and who take the most vicious kind of revenge if they don't get theirs | All of this vast organization working over substratum of lot of rats" or stoo-pigeons known 'under-cover' men, the most dispicable company of near-crminals ever employed to do the dirty work Of any government. The so-caled secret police of Paris and Russia, apparently I would not stoop to of the rotten practices lof the proud U. S. Governments unprinciped bunch of "under-cover" men,
 And what are they trying to enforce? A law that vote after vote has shown is not desired and is openly spurned by majority of the people, We all know the law was slipped over on us when we were not looking in the hysteria of the early war days and now they are trying to shove it down our throats, while respect for all laws rapidly deteriorates; while the whole police system of government is being rapidly corrupted ana prosttuted and the ordinary citizen sub- Jected to the humiliation of the most fragrant Vloatlon or personal rights in the history of the world In addition to that we get rotten booze at exhorbitant prices bootleggers get rich and spineless Congressmen who drink plenty wet ana talk dry, cover behind an attempted showing Of virtue, fearful less an honest expression of opinion would oust them from office
 If they can stop your automobile without warrant why can't they stop you on the side walk ana go through your pockets? Why can't they invade your home while you are away and scare your wife into mysteries? And this they nave done in many places in the States Is there l any limit to what they cant do, if this thing is n to continue to be part of American lfep ITnder t cover men indeed fine breed and right n fully named, who should stay under cover and f never dare to show their faces in the light ot {, day Is It possible that such fostering sore as thls should be allowed to exist in this I, nd or the free and home of the brave?