Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-09-18
EDITORIAL PAGE
HASKIN LETTER
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN


gagged making plans for his work after
| next January. Since the bureau came
| into existence long while back, its
principal work in this line has been fer
! reting out moonshiners in the mountains
of the south. They are not so numerous
perhaps few thousand in all. After
| the eighteenth amendment becomes ef-
| fectiye, the revenue agents will have sew
| eral million potential moonshiners to keep
under observation.
The invasion Of the city by the hated
and dreaded revenue" made famous ip
stories of mountain life in Kentucky,
| will be one Of the interesting features
of national prohibition. 1t will probably
be permanent engagement, too, for the
city will have great advantages over the
wilderness as a place for the illicit dis
stilling of high-power Hkker.'
The government in keeping down Illicit
distilling in the mountain districts of
the south, employed hundreds of men,
all the year round. Occasionally the
force was augmented by special detec-
taineer, outwitted the regular revenue
agents. Then some special expert from
the secret service went down and after
varying adventures, made the moonshiner
prisoner. The mountaineer was pun
ished for his violation of the law by
long prison sentence.
But the problem in the city will be
entirely different.
The kitchen sink and family gas stove
will serve to produce an alcoholic bev-
erage deadiier than the kick Of mule.
And it will be different proposition for
a, revenue officer to go into mans
kitchen and catch him in the act.
About fifty cents is the price of raw
material enough to make a gallon Of
whisky The gallon can be retailed in
small lots for at least one dollar half
bootleggers are said to be getting in the
national capital. There will be quite a
temptation for man to set up a still
in his home and sell his product for
sixteen dollars a gallon.
On the other hand a heavy fine and
long term in prison are the penalties if
he gets caught.
In the mountains the people seldom
squeal on each other. They have a high
sense of honor, in that regard and no
help is given the revenue men. by any
one living in the neighborhood of the
suspected man.
1t may prove different in the city.
Mrs. A. knows that Mrs. B. is running
still in her kitchen. There is very
distinctive odor about a still. which is
lost in the mountain air, but which would
be very plain in the city street Mrs. B.
breaks out in a new suit of clothes. Mrs.
AS clothes are very shabby. VIII she
tell the revenue officer how Mrs. 3.
got the money for the new suit?
This is one of the questions that is
being considered by the men whose duty
it is to keep us dry next January. 1t
is probable that the tip given for spite
or malace will be one Of their chief
sources Of information as to violation
IL =
face a tremendous task. Think Of the
nnnmerable hiding places that great
city offers to such enterprises. and of
the impossibilty of patroling them all
There is no doubt that liquor will be
made. and in large quantities at that.
Whether it will be good liquor is an
other question. It seems probable that
bad booze at a high price will be the
leading product of national prohibition,
and it may do more in the cause of tenn
perance than the enforcement of the law
itself