Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-04-02 | Page 9 | Liquor Case will go to Highest Tribunal

LIQUOR CASE WILL GO TO HIGHEST TRIBUNAL Special to The Tribune. OGDEN, April 1. That the Utah liquor law will be tested before the supreme court of the United States, is promised by George Halverson, attorney for Otto Meek, charged with having liquor in his possession, who today served notice upon Chief of Police Thomas E. Browning not to destroy the liquor held by him as evidence evi-dence in the case. - In view of the recent opinion of the supreme court of Utah, which upheld the state prohibition law in its entirety, the appeal will be taken to the highest court. Mr. Halverson said today: "I believe the construction placed upon the act by our supreme court is unconstitutional, uncon-stitutional, and I am going to take the i case to the United States supreme court." i The liquor in question was seized by members of the police department in the office of the Ogden Smiles company, of which Mr. Meek is the general manager. The seizure was made early last October. The officers gained an entrance to the building and after a search found the liquor in a closet. The liquor was taken to the police station and Meek was charged with having liquor in his pos-, pos-, session. : When the case was called to trial 1 Meek was found not guilty, declaring j that the liquor in question had been purchased pur-chased before August 1, 1917. Action was commenced to recover the liquor and I it was upon this phase of the case that I the ruling of the state supreme court was made.