Evening star., 1917-11-10
D|SAPPROVES METHOD
UNDER ''BONE-DRY' LAW
Attorney General Stops Practice Of
Searching Private Baggage by
Federal Agents.

WhtIe the Attorney General holdS TO
the opinion, despite contrary ruling of
courts that the transportation Of liquor
in suit cases from wet>1nto dry terri
tory Is a violation of the Reed bone
dry" amendment, he does not counte-
nance the seizure and search Of bag
gage of individuals by federal agents
without warrant.
Attorney General Gregory has stop
ped the employment Of such measures
for the enforcement of the law. He
has issued orders prohibiting federal
agents from searching baggage and
pockets Of passengers on railway trains
running from wet into dry state
and adopting similar means to detect
the individual and personal carriage
Of spurious liquors without a warrant.
Will Test Court Decision.
He proposes, however, to test the de-
cision Of the court, which holds that
personal carriage of spurious liquors
from wet to dry territory is no VIOLA
ton of law. The case will be carried
to the court OF last resort.
The attitude Of the Department of
Justice is set forth in the following
statement of an assistant attorney gen.
eral:
THE Department of Justice holds the
transportation Of liquor in suit cases
on trains. in automobiles or in any
other way from a wet state into dry
state is a violation of the Reed act A
federal Judge in the western district
Of Virginia has ruled the personal car
riage Of liquor from wet into dry ter
ritory is not violation Of the law.
The department holds a contrary view
and intends to make out test case
and carry this phase of the Reed act
through the courts for its legal inter-
pretation.
1.-The Department of Justice also holds
that federal agents haveNno right to
seize and search baggage of passengers
on trains without warrants This prac-
tice has been stopped. Where the fed
eral agent sees the liquor, he has the
right to seize it. But in cases where
he does not see the liquor, he cannot
seize the baggage without a warrant"
Order Result Of Wholesale Raid.
The order to stop rustling passengers
and their baggage and to bar the right
of search was issued as result of whole
sale raids upon passenger trains run
ming from Washington, when the Dis
trict was wet. into Virginia, and upon
the steamers running from Washington
and Baltimore to Norfolk. Agents of
the bureau of investigation of the De-
partment of Justice are reported to
have recently boarded two trains at
Richmond. searched every piece of
baggage, found a quantity of liquor
and conflscated it. Federal agents also
are said to have boarded the boats at
Baltimore and searched the baggage of
passengers without warrant.
Storm Of Protest.
These complaints have raised a storm
Of protests In Virginia from people who
carried no liquor with them. They Wig
orously objected to having their satch-
els and other baggage gone through In
an effort to f1nd liquor. The storm
against this practice grew so strong
that President White of the Richmond,
Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad
asked Attorney General Gregory for a
ruling on the authority of the federal
agents to search baggage without war
rants under the Reed act. Mr.. Gregory
promptly replied that the federal agents
had no authority to make these searches
without warrants and accordingly in
structions were issued to that effect
In view of the fact that Washington
is now dry. Baltimore will become the
wet terminus of the baggage squads
that come from the southern dry states
for liquor