The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-04-14
WOULD PREVENT
PROHIBITION
Friends Advise President to
Declare Generalization
Completed
ENFORCEMENT OF
LAW BEING EVADED
Internal Revenue Commissioner Roper
Says It Does Not Come Under His
Direction-Is Up to United States
Attorneys.


WASHINGTON, April IA mum
Der cf administration officials and adj
visers of President Wilson recently
urged him to prevent wartime prohibi-
ton from going into effect July /, by
proelaiming the completion of demobili
cation at that time.
This group is understood to include
Internal Revenue Commissioner Roper,
who is said to believe prohibition can
not be enforced adequately without
specific legislation establishing an en-
foreement agency.
| An intimation that because of the APP
parent difficulty of enforcement there
might be a postponement OF the law s
operation was given by Mr.. Roper in
a statement saying:
g The issuing of licenses for the man
ufacture prohibited by the wartime
prohibition act will naturally cease
with July /, assuming, of course, that
neither the president nor the congress
STAYS the operation of the law
Commissioner Roper declared that en-
foreement of this war time prohibition
is not lodged with the internal revenue
bureau or with any other government
! agency, but is merely left to the United
States attorneys. He had reached this
conclusion after an analysis of al
. statutes and regulations.
After explaining that congress had
failed to pass bills authorizing admin
!, istration Of the wartime prohibition
. provision of the agricultural bill APP
: proved last Nov, 81, Mr.. Roper said:
Il enforcement of the prohibition
contained in the act, therefore is not
! placed with the, commissioner of In
; ternal revenue, or lodged anywhere il
the government, but is naturally lef
] to the United States attorneys 10 en-
!, force by prosecution under the section
of the act which provides that an,
J, person who violates any of the fore
) going provisions shall be punished b,
r Imprisonment not to exceed one year, o
: by fine not, TO exceed $1,000, or bot
! such imprisonment and fine.
An anomalous condition exists
brought about by the failure of con
greSs to enact at the last session tn
necessary legislation and provide tn
/ necessary money for the enforcement
: | of the wartime prohibition.
Existing revenue laws with regar
to the control ef illicit manufactur
I and sale will. of course, remain in fore
! until repealed -by congress. Their Ell
: forcement will continue to be given III
= vigorous attention of internal reyenu
. officers until repealed"
The commissioner also expressed til
view that thc only authority given t
HI. -
% time prohibition act related to regula
! ing the manufacture and sale of di'
Il titled spirits for other than beverag
Ie purposes and the distribution Of VIII
A. for saeramental, r,'dieinal or 9th,
a than beverage purposes.
t. This statement by Commissioner RI
al per threw a new element of uncertain
ID ~ into the status of prohibition b
or tween July ] and Jan. Ii, when prob
s. bitional constitutional amendment b
n. comes effective. Some officials said til
re uncertainty might be partially 7
De moved by enforcement legislation. if
e. special session of congress should
of called soon, although revenue bure;
he officials doubt whether an adequa
Of fierce of agents could be whipped in
ne shape between the passage of such le
ne islation, even If it were speeds
be through congress and July /.
u 1t now developes that the reven
- bureau will be unable to assign all
its 1900 revenue agents to liquor wor
p. owing to the necessity of cmployi
=, most of these men on tax collects
eb business. Reports that 5000 agen
nd would be assigned to prohibition {
IS. forcement work after July l now Q
/. pear erroneous in the light of the re
n. enue commissioner s decision that
II. has not authority nor appropriatio
he necessary to carry out the task