Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-31
Decrease in Other offenses.

There has been also great decrease
ness. su"h as disorderly conduct, as
sault. housebreaking, carrying con-
cealed weapons, cruelty to animals
and petty thievery. .l--4
THE biggest need Of the city at
present is a specific regulation MAX
ing the Reed bone-dry amendment ap-
ply to the District of Columbia, as it
does to all other prohibition territory
in the United tates. If this regula-
ton cannot be effected a declaration
Of an embargo on the carrying Of
liquor on all common carriers will
be effective and will make it possible
to prevent much Of the traffic which
goes on at the present time between
Washington and Baltimore.
Pending the giving to the city
declaration Of liquor carrying en-
barge. the police will continue to
make arrests wherever sufficient evil
dence is obtained to arrest these law
violators. During the past year we
have gotten splendid cooperation
cooperation. together with the
police Investigations which are car
ried on intensively in all precincts,
has resulted in the arrests Of hundreds
Of men who try to make a living by
selling rot-gut. bootleg whiskey in
q.
Protest "Booze' Specials.
Mr.. Shoemaker spoke of what he
termed deplorable conditions brought
about by the Washington. Baltimore
and Annapolis Railway Company put
ting on the so-calfed Booze specials"
The Anti-Saloon League has not been
asleep, he stated, numerous confer
ences having been held and a letter
testing against the hauling of persons
carrying large quantities Of liquor.
Possession Of such large Quantities
of liquor, he said. should be taken as
prima facie evidence Of guilt. It
stands to reason, he stated. that such
persons are not bringing the liquor
here for personal use. It has been re-
ported that certain persons made al
most daily trips to Baltimore and re.
turned with large quantities Of liquor.
Does anybody suppose that they
could consume all that liquor!' he
asked.
While conditions arc not salts
factory. he stated, chiefly because of
the traffic between here and Balti-
more, SO much good has been ac-
complished by the law that no good
citizen can condemn it Tho Anti
Saloon League expected there would
be bootlegg1ng engaged in, but not
to the great extent to which It is
being carried on
Mr. Shoemaker said he thought the
Police Court should dispose Of the
vast number of pending cases as
speedily as possible, and suggested the
holding OF night sessions as means
of clearing the docket Imposition of
maximum penalties vas suggested az
another means Of reducing bootleg.
ging to q minimum.
Search and Seizure Clause,
Unfortunately" said Mr.. Shoe
maker. -all the machinery Of the law
has not been employed to bring about
better conditions. The Auti.Saloon
League has been told Of liquor viola
tons in hotels and near-beer places.
and resort to the search and seizure
clause Of the prohibition law is the
way to put a stop to that class Of vio-
lations.
when intoxicants are found in busi-
ness places under that procedure" he
added. ut is not necessary to prove
sales In order to get convictions. pos-
session Of the liquor being all that il
necessary. Resort to the search and
seizure provision Of the law il abso-
lutely essential to Its proper enforce
ment"
Counsel for the Anti-Saloon Leaxus
said it was his intention to call at.
tention Of members Of Congress to the
conditions brought about by hauling
liquor and passengers on the ~booSe
specials" and he also thought the
photograph taken by the police pho
tographer might servo a good pur-
pose.
IF members Of Congress win &C
quaint themselves with existing con-
ditions," Mr.. Shoemaker added, they
would see the absolute need Of ap-
plying tho Reed amendment to the
District Of Columbia"