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Show BACK IT UP, OR REPEAL IT A few days ago, a man gave it as his impression that this paper was for Al Smith and booze. We are not. In the March 23rd issue of the News, we said that the' Democrats Demo-crats could do worse at Houston than to nominate Senator Walsh, of Montana, because he was DRY, western, and honest. But we at least give Al Smith credit for being frank. We are for law enforcement and can see ho reason why one section of our law can be violated with such impunity as is being done now all over the country. Certain prosecution prosecu-tion should follow a violation of our national constitution just as quickly as it follows a violation of a village ordinance. ordin-ance. ' If Al Smith be nominated on a wet platform, it will give the people a chance to vote individually on the wet or dry question, and if there really be a sentiment that after nine years time, the 18th Amendment is not serving the purpose for which it was made, then it should be repealed. Our liquor laws can then be amended in proper fashion, and not by the employ of personal liberty in action. To our mind, a firm stand of the people should somehow some-how find expression at the general election, and . that a , strong policy should be advocated instead of vacillating methods of enforcement. Health and happiness of. our growing generation have not been so much endangered as has our traditional respect for law. This sort of speech is construed by some as giving aid and sympathy to bootleggers. But it is not. Bootleggers do not want the legalized sale of liquor any more than they want bone-dry enforcement. Present conditions satisfy them to a 'T Writing a law- into our constitution does not make it a law unless it be enforced. Why pass off the danger of a growing contempt for law by closing our eyes to it and saying, "everything is all right"? It would seem from observations ob-servations gleaned in traveling about the country and mix- ing with people in all walks of life, that more liquor is being be-ing drunk this year than in any year since 1919. And while Utah is the third dryest of our states, it has been whispered that its liquor problems are far from being solved |