Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-12-12

|
! October 81. The repor, was made pub.
| lie yesterday.
Recommends Change, in Law.
As required by Section 81 OF the Pro-
| hibttion law, Commissioner Peters has
| the law. These recommendations will
| be presented at the next session OF The
! General Assembly.
| They arc six in number: % making
| he Illegal manufacture and iranspor-
tation OF ardent spirits fclonies; t2)
scribe more than pint OF spirits for
! any patient within the space Of ten
! olys; go providing for the coniisca
! ton OF small steamboats, and the crea-
| tion OF a lien against more valuable
boats used IN liquor traffic; 90 remov-
| ing the privilege of individuals TO store
! Spirits; CD prohibiting the sale OF
liquors by drug stores; and t6) provid-
| ing that clerks Of courts send to the
Prohibition Commissioner copies OF or
| transportation of liquor.
/ Argues for state Enforcement
\ sharp rap is taken by Commiss ION
J er Peters al those who declare that
there is no necessity for the state PRO-
| hibition Department because the Fed :
eral government has set mp machinery
| Tor the enforcement OF the war-tim G
II the Federal authorities enforced
/ the law exclusively. every case would
! DC tried In Federal courts and fines and
! United States Treasury. he says
! The school fund OF the State would
when @ I it is now now recenv,n ,nan eGSoG y year
The enforcement OF the prohibition
laws by State authorities.
,css each year throughout n genera
zion and MAY be suspended altogether in
nc iutnre: the report reads. This is
appropriation for the ensuing two
Years should be more adequate than II
hos been in the past and the reerlts
arc here 70 assist the State and do not
nave exclusive jurisdiction. the report
sets forth.
Unft for Medicinal Use.
nf the li0uor seized by officers of tn"
! Prohibition Department is dest-oved
Commissioner Peters reports a total
,,, io 400 200 ,GaliGns was set aside and
are licensed 10 MI prescriptions for
erI"nt snrits.
housc in Richmond because the placc is
| so insecure that II has twice been
robbed, reports Dr. Peters. He adds
inai n,, W. mhensvsr M,s there is lianor stored
! guard ii. SO eagerly is 1t sought by
! thirsty souls
Anticipation of the effectiveness Of
war time prohibition enforced by the
Federal government tended to stimu-
! late traffic in liquor "as nothing else
has ever done" the report reads. The
| those who wished TO lay in stock to
| tide them over tho dry spell that boot
| ieggers" were desperate in their efforts
| TO supply the trade. A load" from
! Baltimore or New York is now rare,
! commissioner Peters comments ironi-
| cally.
| Men Sent to Dangerous Duty.
But the demand for whisky before
the Federal ac; went into effect was so
ovcrwhe lining that "moonshining" in
creased and railroads and steamship
routes had TO be blockadcd by agents
oi the department TO prevent the
most dangerous work ever assigned Il
mortal man" was the blockading of
niehways over which 'bootlcgcers"
raced under cover of darkness in nigh
powered automobiles is tho way Com
! missioner Peters describes the WORK
Of some OF his agents. II was while
engaged in this work that two boot
lcsgcrs were shot at Woodstock.
Speaking OF the trial Of his men
FOR these murders. Commissioners Peters
says: IT is actually. II hired prosccu-
are behind II. For the defense of these
men pursued by Baltimore liquor deal
Srs and by a maddencd public. innamed
invent. secured the best defense at
torneys / could find. I have been criti-
cized for this. ] cannot help it. / have
learned to bear criticism. :"
Inspectors Arrested ns Rinse.
isNs''S uStu ny lOCai OfncerS 10 pre-
vent the detection Of "bootlcCccrs''
by agents of the Prohibition Depart
ment form an amusing intcrludc in
the report 1t is declared that two OF
the inspectors were once arrested for
carrying concealed weapons, ONLY for
the purpose of finding out why the
strangers were in town. The arrest
compelled them to disclose their idcn-
tity, and the arrest of the worst
"bootlegEer" in the neighborhood was
prevented.
On another occasion one of the
agents was stopped while pursuing a
"bootiegger". with n barrel of whisky
on wagon and was quiZzed by a local
| officer until the violator Of the law
| had ESCAPED. Inability TO get fair trials
| of offenders in rural communities by
local juries is stressed by Commits
| sioner Peters.
Only 1,7l5 prescriptions for liquor
| were filed in the State during Septem-
| ber, 1919, the report states. Most of
| these were for n quart, but many were
| for a gill, pint or half pint, IL adds.
| The average for each drug store in Vir-
ginia selling liquor was ninety pre-
! scriptons n month. No druggists were
prosecuted for selling illegally.
DR.. Renncr In Paris.
| PARIS. Dec. i1.--Dr. Karl Renner.
| Chancellor Of the Austrian ropuhlic.
| arrived In Paris tOday to Law before