New-York tribune., 1919-06-21
Prohibition Law
To Go Into Effect
''Without Teeth
Il enue Commissioner
Roper Says Enforcement
Rests With Palmer; s'Twi-
light Zones'' in Cities
Neso York Tribune
WdshinatOn Bureau

WASHINGTON, June 2O-War-time
prohibition will unfailingly go into
effect July 1, in the opinion of Con-
gressmen and executive officials-but
without teeth. There will be law,
but no government agency will be spe-
cially instructed or authorized to en-
force it.
81 see no reason to doubt that the
wartime prohibition act, as provided
for in the Agricultural bill, approved
November 21, 1918, will become effec-
tive July l." said Daniel C. Roper,
Commissioner of Internal Revenue. to-
day.
Mr.. Roper's position has been all
along that he had no special mandate
to to en- enforce the law, and that it would,
therefore, be the duty of the Attorney
General to enforce it. This is con-
ceded by Congressman and others to
be the actual position, but the Attor-
ney General has not been provided
with special appropriations or instru-
mentalities to undertake such a task.
Not only does the Internal Revenue
Commissioner feel that the respon-
sibility is not his, but the Treasury
Department thinks that the proposed
prohibition bureau should be lodged
in the office Of the Attorney General,
as the enforcement of prohibition is
in no sense fiscal matter, and if put
into the treasury should be a bureau
separate from that of internal revenue.
This position was set forth clearly
by Secretary Of the Treasury Glass in
q letter of June to Representative
A. j. VOlstead, of Minnesota, chairman
of the House Judiciary Committee,
which was made public to-day.
In this letter Mr.. Glass said that
under the advice of the Attorney Gen
eral he will have to continue to sell
revenue stamps after prohibition goes
into effect, which puts the internal
Revenue office in the dubious position
Of accepting revenues from traffic
that it prohibits.
Mr.. Glass, therefore, recommends the
suspension of Intoxicating beverage
taxes during the prohibition period.
lie adds that while the sale Of stamps
will continue it will be with the dis
tinct understanding that the purchase
and possession of such stamps in no.
wise authorizes the manufacture or
sale of beverages for which such
stamps may be intended"
Representative Vostead disagrces
with Secretary Glass on this point He
said tonight ho thought the commits
fuse to sell stamps after the law woes
into effect and thus be in the position
to prosecute persons selling liquor in
defiance of the prohibition law on the
ground that they were violating the
revenue laws.
There will undoubtedly be twi-
light zone after July l." said Mr.. Vol
stead, Sin which the prohibition law
will be mere scrap of paper in some
communities, because there will be no
machinery with which adequately to
enforce the law. Some states have al
ready prepared for state enforcement
of the law, but in those states that
have not and particularly in the large
cities, there will probably be about as
much liquor sold for time after July
as at first, though all who sell it will
be taking chances, for the prohibition
law carries a penalty and is subject to
enforcement, so far as is physically
possible, as any other law of the
United States"