Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-19
TO ASK POLICE HELP .
AGAINST BREWERS
Kane Expected to Ask Assist
ance in Arresting All Sa-
loon Operators
CITY IS WILLING TO AID

cooperation Of the police authorities
mere and elsewhere in the eastern dis
trict of Pennsylvania will, it is said he
asked for by United States District At
torney Francis Fisher Kane in corrv-
ing out the orders issued by the De-
partment of Justice at Washington to
arrest all sellers and makers Of OK
per cent beer.
IL is tremendous task that devolyes
upon government agents in this CITY to
aPprehehd and prosecute all brewers md
s"iooiikecperS. who, it is contended. yio-
iate thc provisions of the congressional
enactment by making and selling any
beer. '
without the co operation of tbe No.
lice authorities the local government off,
clals would be unable to make a brgs
.iunoer or arrests. With police help it
Is expected there will be little difficulty
III rounding up the beer sellers and
lodging information against them, to
winch they will have to plead.
Judges Comment Significant
Significance attaches to the terse com.
inent made by Judge Dickinson in his
decision in the "beer test" case in
view of the prompt action of the De-
partment of Justice in Washington in
ordering the arrest and prosecution Of
all sellers of beer. Judge Dickinson
said
Speaking for both its members
tJudge Thompson is meant) this court
would willingly render all the aid within
its power to compel it's observance and
to save the people from the scandal of
being obliged to witness attempts being
made to experiment with the criminal
law in the effort to find out how far its
violators could go before inviting pun
ishment.
'The people should also be saved, IL
possible, from the scandal of witness
ing violations of law by n large num-
ber of persons seeking to be justified by
the plea that there is a doubt of the
crimnalty of what is being done,
whether the doubt is real or mere pre-
tense
While the Department of Justice or
der is unqualified in it's wording, it is
believed to be the plan of the federal
officials in this city not to nal whole
sale arrests of beer sellers, but to seize
brewers making and selling the product
and enough saloon men who dispense it
over their bars to awe the others into
closing.
The machinery of the courts Is
cumbersome, and the drawing of COM
plants takes time. though each COM
plaint will be substantially like the in
formations laid by District Attorney
Kane against the Bcrgner & Engel
brewing Company in the first test case
brought in this district.
May ImpaneI Jury
The arrest and prosecution of fifty
or 100 brewers and saloonmen will. it
is believed by the federal authorities,
nut the fear Of the law into the hearts
of sellers of the taboocd beverage.
Coincident with the plans under way
for apprehension and prosecution of
offenders. consideration is being given
to the idea of asking the consent of
Federal Judge Dickinson to the sum
moning of special panel of petit
Jurors, from which jury could be
drawn for the trial of the Bergner &
Engcl test case.
Such procedure could not be UNDER.
taken without the consent of the court.
1t would take some time to set in mo-
ton the legal procedure, but it was said
today at the Federal Building the trial
could undoubtedly be arranged, were the
court to give its sanction to such pro-
ceeding, before August 10.
Ordinarily the case, even if advanced
upon the calendar, would not be reached
until late in September. The appeals
from the New York and Baltimore beer
test cases now awaiting action of the
United States Supreme Court could not
be heard until October, and decision
might not be handed down until
month later.
When the demurrers in the Philadel-
phia beer test case were argued, week
ago today. Assistant Attorney General
Frierson, who appeared for the De-
partment of Justice and who has charge
of the enforcement of the liquor law,
told Judge Dickinson he wanted the
court to rule upon the issue, as his de-
cision would be the prevailing law
throughout the eastern district of Penn
sylvania. pending decision in the
matter by the United States Supreme
Court. The prevailing law in the west
ern district of Pennsy lvania was estab-
lished by the decision of Federal Judge
w. II. S. Thomson, of Pittsburgh, who
overruled the demurrers in the beer
test case brought by the government
against the Pittsburgh brewing Com
pany. and who held the nineteen de-
PENDANTS for trial.