Show As It Operates 1 j TWO business houses and homes in TWO E j li Kansas Kansas City have been ordered closed by byJ byth J th trie Missouri circuit court in an effort to suppress sup sup- i press press press' ress the sale of liquor News Nevis dispatches indicate indi incH dUe cite that the action of of or orthe the the court cout had a a sti still l wider Wider effect as it induced I 00 property owne owners owners own- own e ers ers s' s to get rid of bootlegging tenants and compelled com corn pelted another hundred bootleggers to cease tI their err activities With liquor establishments establish- establish t ments closed overnight Kansas City ought to tobe b be fairly dry Still we suppose K City his ls' s' s a good many residents who are li like e those of many y other communities believing ving t that at pr prohibition has prevailed ever eve since the VolsIe Vol- Vol Vol sIe st stead ad act was passed i There ought to be lesson alesson of f some ome kind i the l'-the Missouri action At first blush it would seem seem to indicate that prohibit prohibition enforcement in in iii Kansas City in the P past st has beeh something some some- I thing of a joke The question of whether the tile co condition is is peculiar to Kansas Kansas City City- nat naturally vi pilly arises Neve Nevertheless the action of the cour court would seem to indicate that Kansas City iS is is not completely without conscience There re would v uld seem to be a determination n now to tor r wipe out the illicit traffic in liquor v People who have been inclined to the belief that prohibition is more nore or le less s self 1 operative e must be amazed at the figur figures s from rom Kansas City This amazement ment should result in soine some casual inquiries in other cities where no doubt be found that the new era supports a Similar number of bootleggers Perhaps it if will be found foun that padlocking the premises where liquor is sold will wilt have a more wholesome effect than the policy of attempting attempting attempting attempt attempt- ing to punish the vend vendors rs which has prevailed in the past 0 We Ve are reaching a point in prohibition where it either ought to be enforced or abandon abandoned aban aban- I don dod d prohibition rohi which permits of the maintenance of nearly bootleggers gerS hi iri a single community is laughable It is a tribute only to our hypocrisy reflecting alike on our morals arid and our intentions if it does not actually actually actu actu- ally impugn our loyalty to the laws df if f the land We doubt if the padlock order will wilf h have ve lasting results for the simple reason that few of the bootleggers own the property in iri which they operate and they will not hesitate hesitate hesitate hesi hesi- tate to invite similar orders orders' on other property which h ch belongs to others The only effect th the order can have is to compel landlords to give closer scrutiny to tc their tenants Always of course the question arises as to how far the landlord should be beheld 0 held responsible for the acts of his tenants But inasmuch as the the theother other system of en en- forcing g the dry laws seems to have ave failed perhaps the Missouri departure deserves a tr trial There is only one way to bring prohibition prohibition to a fair trial and that i i is through thorough enforcement enforcement that not only reaches reaches' the bootleggers but all c connected con connected con con- n- n with the industry enforcement that mands n identical account accounting ng from all conj conc con con- j c Partial artial enforcement t will accomplish I nothing Prohibition that supports 52 liquor establishments in one city is b bound und to be subject sub sub- lect to continual criticism 6 |