The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1919-04-18
Power to Enforce Prohibition
Law May BE Delegated to
Revenue Bureau.
MANY SUGGESTIONS MADE
But All of Them Do Not Change
Materially the Air of Uncer-
tainty Over Enforcement of
Liquor Laws.

Washington, April Illegal ad
visers of government agencies inter
ested In liquor regulations exam
ined statutes and executive orders
without specific legal authority by
which the internal revenue bureau
might enforce war time prohibition
after July 1.
President Wilson, under the Ov
erman act, giving him power to
transfer functions from one depart
ment to another might delegate the
authority to the revenue bureau.
some lawyers declared However.
this still would leave the bureau
without adequate funds to paw the
costs of maintaining n large fed
eral police force, unless there is some
legislation at an early special session
of congress.
Suggestions received did not
change materially the air of uncer-
tainty over the question of how pro
hibition is to be enforced after JULY
L, as caused by Internal Commits
sioner Roper's announcement that
his bureau had not the authority nor
the funds to carry out the enforce
ment measures properly Many tele-
grams received at the commissions
er's Office reflected keen interest bv
individuals and officials throughout
the country in the status of war time
prohibition. Mr.. Roper added moth
ing to his statement in replying to
these queries, IT was said
Legal advisers of other agencies
discovered that an executive order
OF the President dated September Q.
1917, issued under authority OF the
Overman act, delegated to the rev.
enue bureau and the customs divis-
ION the enforcement Of the provision
OF the food conservation act of Au-
gust 10, 1917, which prohibited the
use OF food materials in production
of whiskey, and paved the way for
restriction of beer brewing. These
agencies, acting under the treasury
were authorized by the President to
employ such additional assistants for
this work as the secretary of the
treasury might deem necessary.
The amendment TO the agricul-
tural appropriation act OF November
21, 1918, by which war time prohi-
bition effective July, was establish
ed, did not become law until long
after that executive order was is
sued and consequently the order
would not apply to the prohibition
measure.
The act OF November 21, 1918.
provided that after June 80, 1918
until the conclusion of the present
war and thereafter until the termin-
alton OF rehabilitation. the date OF
which shall be determined and pro
claimed by the President OF the
United States-it shall he unlawfui
to sell for beverage purposes any
distilled spirits" The act also spe-
cifies that in that time mo beer. wine
or other Intoxicating malt of vinous
liquors shall be sold for beverage
purposes except for export"
This distinction between this act
and other war time liquor restr!c-
tons. as pointed ont by officials, is
that IL relates to the sale of liquor.
whereas the others related to manu-
facture Consequently it was ex-
planned that the revenue bureau viii
not have power TO take action
against Illicit sale, but will retain
its present powers to prevent Illegal
production of liquor