Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-12-19

be ready to enforce prohibition.
While Mr.. Kramer will not be the
head of the entire organization charg-
ed with the duty of enforcing prohi-
bition, he will be in a position to make
life miserable for violators of the law.
Commi: .,ioner of Internal Revenue
Daniel c. Roper is the head of the Or
ganization. But Mr.. Roper will only
advise with Mr.. Kramer on matters OF
policy. Commissioner Kramer is the
Federal Prohibition Commissioner for
the Collector of Internal Revenue and
| il will be up to him to enforce the law.
| For the enforcement Of national pro-
hibition the country has been divided
irto ten districts, with Federal agent
at the head of each district. The
number of men to be employed in each
district will depend upon the nature
of the district. In certain mountainous
districts which invite the making OF
"moonshine" it will be necessary to
have quite a number of men. In Ger
tain districts where there has been
local prohibition for some time the
force will be very small.
In addition to the ten district agents
and their forces. in every state there
will be a Federal director and under
him a small number of inspectors. The
first steps in the way Of action in put
ting the Constitutional Amendment
into effect will be with the inspectors.
They will be expected to keep them
selves informed as to conditions exist
ing in the state in which they are
located; to see whether manufacturers
are observing the provisions of the
law; whether druggists and physicians
are conforming to the provision apply
ing to them, and whether there Is Illicit
making or distilling.
In cases where violations are found,
the local authorities are to be notified.
If they fail to take action, then the
Federal authorities will step in. In this
way the commissioner anticipates that
the whole nation can be made dry and
kept dry. OF course, great deal de-
pends on the moving spirit back of the
more immediate enforcers Of the law;
in other words, upon the commissioner
himself The correspondent supplies
some personal details:
Commissioner Kramer is not pro
fessional prohibitionist." In other
words, he is not a member Of the Anti
Saloon League or any Of the other pro-
hibition organizations. He has never
lobbied for prohibition. At the same
time, he says, every one who knows
him knew exactly where he stood on
the question, and that was against
liquor.
Honest John" is what they call the
commissioner in his home town, Mans
field There he practiced law for a
number Of years, stood we'll with his
fellow citizens and for four years
represented them in the Ohio legisla-
ture, two years of which he was the
minority leader. He also represented
his county in the Fourth Ohio constitu-
tional convention in 1912. When Mr..
Kramer was announced as the First
Federal Prohibition Commissioner, a
friend of his in Washington was asked
who he was.
"He is a lawyer, a Sunday-school
teacher, an orator, a confirmed dry, but
not a fanatic" was the reply. He is
Democrat in politics and Lutheran
in church-membership."
Commissioner Kramer will be fifty
one years old on February 10, next,
having been born on farm in Rich
land county, Ohio, in 1869. Leaving
the farm at twenty, he went to the Ohio
Northern University, where he obtain
ed the bachelor of arts degree. He has
Just been elected a trustee of his alma
| mater. For seven years he was a
school teacher, being superintendent of
number of rural school systems.
Then he entered the Ohio State Law
School, being graduated therefrom in
1902. He opened an office in Mansfield,
which he maintained until picked to
fill the job Of making and keeping the
country bone dry.
| 1t was during his service in the Ohio
| legislature that he gained the sobri-
quet of Honest John" He served four
years in the Legislature, from 1913 to
1917, the last two years being minori-
ty, or Democratic. floor leader. He was
the father of Ohio's reform election
law, and after he put through that
measure to prevent frauds at the bal
lot-box he became known as Honest
john"
| Commissioner Kramer is the oldest
of family of ten. He is the father of
three children, two girls and boy.
The oldest daughter and the son are
now in college in Ohio. He has the
reputation of being hard worker, his
| friends declaring that he has never
taken a vacation. 1t is not expected
that he will take one in his new job
| for some time to come.