New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-24
Golfer Charges
u. S. Fails to
Back Dry Law
No Attempt to Catch Those
i'm High Places Who Aid
Violations and Traffic
Flourishes Here, He Says
Hospital Gases Increase
Act Has Dome Away ''With
Decent Booze and Given
Poison,'' Doctor Reports

From The Tribune's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23.-If the
present Administration does not want
to 60 out in disgrace, besmirched with
a worse scandal than the old whisky
ring of twenty-five years ago, it must
get on the job and enforce the pro-
hibitory amendment, Bird S. Coler
Commissioner of Public Welfare of
the. City of New York, declared this
afternoon. He arraigned vigorously
the alleged lax enforcement of the
Eighteenth Amendment in New York
in an address before the international
Congress Against Alcohol.
"We either have a law in the United
States or we haven't it," Mr.. Coler
said. eve have had the prohibition
amendment for almost a year and it is
being generally ignored, due to the
failure of officials to enforce IT'S pro-
visions.
"1n the Internal Revenue Bureau OF
the government itself there ere vio-
lators Of the amendment. Officers are
making no attempt to catch the people
in the high places who are responsible
for the failure of the laws enforce
ment. If I were prohibition commits
sioner would reach out ana get first
those in the government; then Sem
ators, Assemblymen, Mayors and
others all over this nation who are
guilty.
1.-THE City Of New York could he
cleaned up in sixty days if the Deaart-
mcnt OF Justice and the Internal Reeve
nue. Bureau were working together"
Kramer Asks for Evidence
In answering the attack on the gov
eminent enforcement officials Commits
sioner Of Prohibition Kramer. who
spoke after Commissioner Coler, asked
for bill of particulars of the failure
of the government dry agents to wipe
out violations of the law.
Lawyers from New York have come
down in droves to tell me that all pro-
hibition enforcement officers in New
York are corrupt, but they have not
given to me bill of particulars" Kra-
mer said. I'VE have had eight Secret
Service men in New York City for four
months trying to- get evidence against
prohibition enforcement officers. There
was a special grand jury that was 60
ing to indict all our force, but there
was no true bill returned. You give
me the evidence against any of our
force and will be the first to get
them out of the service"
Commissioner Coler was compelled
to delete part of his prepared speech
by E. c. Dinwiddie, chairman Of the
congress, on the ground that it injected
personalities into the discussion. Coler
had prepared q vigorous attack on
William II. Anderson, superintendent
of the New York. Anti-Saloon League.
MIR. Coler, after delivering his cen
sored speech. gave out the following
attack on Anderson:
"The desire Of this person to turn
the prohibition movement into an anti
Catholic and Jewish program" the
statement said, SHOULD cause his
Punishment from every civilized ma
tion. Anderson uses the Anti-Saloon
League OF New York to launch a
crusade Of bigotry, which is nearer his
heart than the cause which he is paid
TO represent.
with saloons wide open under his
own eyes. he attacks another faith and
(ceatinusd on psse ssur)