Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-03-04
Work of Roper

Daniel G. Roper, United States
commissioner of internal reve-
nues, aided by the truly remark
able work Of the "hying squad
ron," a group of picked revenue
agents, organized and led by Col
onel Daniel Porter, have done
much in the last year to show
"moonshining" in its true COL
ors.
They have worked quietly and
without press agents." No troop
Of correspondents followed, their
operations. They stunned pub
licity no less assiduously than the
moonshiners sought to avoid con-
tact with them.
No more brilliant chapter OF
war work" has been written
than is recorded in the reports OF
the flying squadron" which sell
dom get nearer to the public eye
than Commissioner Roper's office.
Colonel Porter--he since has be-
come Major Daniel Porter, Unit
ed States army, the higher title
having resulted from an appoint
ment to the staff of Governor
Stuart, Of neutrality-suspicious.
task no less important to the gen.
eral cause of America in the war
than generals in the field. His
men encountered greater danger
than many soldiers in France, and
some made the supreme sacrifice.
Those that live do not expect t.
wear military crosses. Those that
gave their lives lever hoped to
have their names appear in the
nonor roll of the casualty list.
The Modern Moonshiner
Let us understand what moon
shining really is as it exists today
in prohibition states.
For more than century the
government has been raiding
mountain sections, destroying
stills" and taking moonshiners
dead or alive.
Excise taxes on distilled spirits
were imposed in 1871 and lust
three years later the famous
whisky instruction" in western
pennsylvania claimed national no.
tee, when an attempt was made
to avoid payment of the tax. The
trouble spread into the border
counties of Virginia, ut was sup
pressed without serious difficulty.
Again, the spirit of the moon
sinner arose in spectacular form
in the whisky ring" scandal OF
President Grants administration.
when d1stillers and government
OFFICIALS were in league to defraud
the government of excise taxes.
During the life of the present
generation of Americans the
spread Of prohibition has brought
the moonshiner into new promi
nece, along with his allies, the
"bootlegger" and the blind IT,
ger" 1t was not so bad when
states voted dry" but trains
were running on fast schedules.
Even after various legislatures
began putting the quart-a-month
limitation on 'importations for
personal use," the "bootIegger''
worried but little. There was too
much OF disposition on the part
OF state officers to wink" at the
manifestations of personal lib
erty."
The Reed "bone-dry" amend
ment, which was adopted by con-
gress in the spring of 1917 as a
rlder" on postoffice appropria-
ton bill, prohibited the shipment.
even for personal use, Of whisky
into states where The manufacture
and sale Of liquor was prohibited.
Inc amendment had the effect of
making 20 states "bone-dry." or
at least of putting such a premium
on whisky that moonshining be-
came highly profitable enter
prise.
Mountaineer Lost Monopoly
The mountaineer lost his mo-
nopoly on the Illicit Still" Com
Detltlon appeared IN the lowlands.
Inc new candidates for admission
to romance's hall of fame were
drawn from the lowest tvpe nj
criminals. The negro entered the
lists. ~ '0
Then the United States went to
war. Eight southern states drew
10 OF the 80 national guard and
1atlonal army training camps.
The soldiers sent to these camns
we're drawn from many states.
ana many, if not actually a ma
.orlty, were used to drinking. II
vas hard to make army regula-
ions check the inclination. Moon
<r,4.