The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1929-07-01
A LETTER TO THE EAGLES"
Eagles" Editor Reminded of Re-
sponsibilities Toward Law OBJ
servance and Law
Enforcement

Dear SV. fellow travelling salesman
recently handed me a copy of the Eagle
Magazine in which I read your article on
the enforcement O the Eighteenth
Amendment
Under separate cover I am sending You
an article taken from the Christian Ger
ttry for May Is, concerning the deKing
tragedy, which goes TO show that you evi-
IDENTIFY have not had access to these facts.
When man has intelligence enough to
edit magazine the presumption is he
should be fair enough Ito hear the other
side thing which. it is quite evident.
you have not done. I am not rampant
dry, but 1 aim to learn both sides of any
question before rendering a final decision.
The manner in which you present the
question shows that you are opposed To
the Eighteenth Amendment which would
easily explain why you have presented the
case in an ca pdrte manner, knowing full
well that your views would find ready &C
ceptance by your readers, which is easily
understood am not in sympathy
with unjuStifed killing by vets or drys;
but after reading both sides of the de-
King tragedy 1 have yet to be convinced
that the officer who shot Mrs decking did
wrong He had a desperate situation to
deal with ard could afford to take no
chances with a woman reaching for a re-
volver to kill him.
am strongly for the enforcement of
all laws, dry or otherwise Will you also
be fair enough to say that? 1t is my
guess, after reading your article, that you
do not want the Eighteenth Amendment
enforced, and therefore are indifferent to
it if not openly antagoniStic to it. We
have come to a pretty pass if citizens will
aid in enforcing those laws only which
they like. The Eighteenth Amendment
years of temperance work, and the World
War simply afforded a good opportunity
to have it placed in the Constitution. You
may pull the wool over the eyes of some
who know nothing about the history of
the temperance movement in this cour-
try, but it won't work with those who are
acquainted with the facts No other
amendment was ever enacted with so
large a majority for it, and Congress was
never SO dry-politically, at least, as it is
to-day If that isn't conclusive proof that
the prevailing sentiment in this country
is dry, I don't know what kind of proof
the vets want. Even if many in Congress
vote dry and drink wet, they have sense
enough to know that their constituencies
are dry, which explains why they vote as
they do. Wise guys
The vets have tried every method that
f1endiSh ingenuity could suggest to I'M
pede, embarrass, ridicuIe and prevent the
full enforcement of the Eighteenth
Amendment and then have the brazen
audacity to stand back and twit the gov
eminent for not getting farther in its en-
forcement efforts. What might not be
the situation to-day if the cumulative in
f1uence of our metropolitan dailies were
on the side of law enforcement instead of
siding with the bootleggers If 1 were
bootlegger I would be ticked pink after
reading hundreds of wet editorials 1t
never occurs to thcse wet editors, includ-
ing yourself, that they are plainly aiding
and abetting crime.
The drys believe in the enforcement OF
all constituted laws. Obviously their main
efforts must be in the enforcement of
prohibition laws. If you were fair
minded man and citizen you would call
on your thousands of Eagles to help en-
force all laws including prohibition laws
SO long as they are on the statute books,
while still having the right to work for
the repeal of any law they dislike in
legal and orderly manner. ANY other
step is mobilization by indirection."
Your article is so unfair and so partisanly
presented as tn be unworthy O man Of
your mental caliber
Yours truly
JAMES RIACK