Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-25
nation WIDE CAMPAIGN
AGAINST M0ONsH|NERs
Illicit Stills Working Overtime in
Southern Dry States, Federal
Officers Discover.
GOVERNORS ASKED no AID
War Department and Department OF
Justice Cooperate in Efforts 20
improve Liquor and Vice Condi-
tionS-Big Business in Virginia.
tBy Associated Fress.

Zeal to Governors and members Of Con-
gross TO support nation idc cam
paiEn against Illicit liquor 1iatillcrics
nuo Commissioner Roper. whose reports
show 'rnoonshinc" traffic increasing
rapidly. The campaign Will be directed
mainly against Southern dry states
where the location Of most Of the mill
,ary camps has added a special rea-
son for the cleanup movement
Commissioner Roper will ask Cover
hora to furnsh state agents to CO.
operate with government inspectors in
putting illegal stills gu, OF business
and to prosecute tho campaign actively
curing tho next t~o months, ordina rily
the busics. period Of tho year for
HoomShincrs. Tn" appeal probably w:ll
be issued In few days.
IN line with the movement 10 i'm.
prove liquor and vice conditions about
military camps, new restricted zone
regulations have been prepared by the
War Department and tho Department
OF Justice. and will be announced soon.
The" have been drawn in an effort 20
make IL moro difficult for persons vino
buy liquor and give il TO soldiers 20
escape penalties Of the law. More So
we're penalties also may be imposed on
soldiers who drink liquor.
The Department OF Justice to-day re-
ported that United states attorneys
have prosecuted more than 500 per-
sons during the last six months, for
violating the barred-zonc regulations
about army camps. Most Of the Of
tenders were accused Of sellin: liquor,
and in many cas"s tho liquor was found
10 be OF moonshinc variety Reports
OF such cases were sent TO government
revenue agents. who used them as tips
on running down tho places OF manu-.
iacturc.
The military camps where moon
shine liquor has been sold most. in
spite OF precautions BY military and
civil authorities arc Camps wadsworth
a; Spar;anburS. 5. c.; Sewer. Z;
;rccnvillc, S. g: Jack son. at Colu,n b;a.
). G. and OElethorpe. al Chattanooga.
Investigations about these and other
camps still are under way. The cam
paiEn already has resulted In arrests
OF hundreds of moonshincrs in South
crn dry States. State laws forbidding
importation and the Federal tax OF
$40 gallon have driven the price
OF crude corn liquor about many camps
10 IS and 5l2 quart, according 10
evidence gathered by revenue agents.
Commissioner Roper has obtained
from many Governors specific indorse-
,nient OF the an,iliquor campaign. Some
state executives and local officials.
however, were reluctant 10 furnish the
state agents required for tho wor.
LIQUOR MAKERS THRIVE
IN SOUTHERN DRY STATES
Special efforts viii lie made 10 clean
out stills in the dry States where CON
ditions arc reported worst; Illegal
manufacture is thriving hes, in Viz
S!nia. North Carolina. South Carolina
Georsia. Tennessee and Arkansas. ac-
cording TO reports OF revenue agents.
State agents already are AT work. in
vestisatins some OF these cases.
To lesser degree the traffic in
mountain dew is reported from Flor
ida. Ala bama. Mississippi, Kentucky,
oklahoma and a number Of other
states. Officials have gathered evil
dcncc that in Kansas. Iowa and ore
con Illegal manufacture is on the in
crease.
The campaign now planned is the
result or special canvass OF dry states
started several months ago b. direc-
lion or Commissioner Roper An ex-
perienceo revenue agent was sent to
confer with the Governors OF dry
states and TO gather evidence OF un-
curbcd liquor manufacture in those
States.
The Governors were told tina, The
Iofce OF Federal inspectors is made
uuaie 10 ferret out the thousands Of
which to base prosecutions The task
was made particularly difficult because
the scheme of giving bonuses to in
formants on Illicit stills hos hocn
abandoned. The government has ceased
TO have revenue interest in dry
states, it was explained and the bur
den OF maintaining proper malice
service rested on State onici.,e
'hihCfT DISTIILERS ARE
NOW BREAKING MANY LAWS
Oihclais pointed out to-day that
'noonshincrs in dry States now arc
breaking not only Federal revenue and
state prohibition laws, but also the
1901 act forbdding use of grain and
fruits in manufacture Of LIQUOR.
me open refusal or ill-conccaled
reluctance Of many county sherifs and
olt'I FOCAL OtnClalS to assist COrcrn-
mont agents in running down moon.
sinners was a factor in causing Com
missioner Roper to announce the omen
campaign. The case of a North Georgia
Shcrif who refused to aid on the
around that the county officers were
IN favor of whisky was cited in this
connection.
report presented to-day TO Com
missioner Roper by Chief Revenue
Agent Mutt shows that nearly so pcr
cent or the illegal stills seized recently
in Virginia were in Patrick. Wise.
FRANKLIN, Pittsylvania, Halifax and
Henry Counties. Conditions have been
found to be bad in Mecklcnbur., E'loyd.
carroll, Grayson, Nelson, Amherst
Madison, Green, Dickinson and Euch
anan Counties.
In North Carolina. ff:y-four or the
100 counties arc known as good moon
shine territory" and nearly 700 stills
have been seized and DESTROYED IN :,
year. Conditions arc bad in Hendcr-
son, Polk. Wilkes. Orange. Johnston.
Pennsylvania. Alexander. Yadkin. Nc