The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1920-09-03
RUNItlIES FORM POWERFUL COMBINATION .
FOR The UNLAWFUL SALE OF LIQUOR
Resort Forgery Bribery and Evasons of All Kinds Efforts
Get Liquor Out of Warehouses
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS MORE EFFICIENT AND RAIDS
= AND ARRESTS ARE NUMEROUS
Increased Arrests Do Not Signify That Enforcement Law No
Effective But Rather That it is Getting Big Results

Raids against liquor law violators
are numerous. Accounts OF these ar
rests and the prosecution and punish
ment OF offenders are found in every
newspaper Then. iees there are
theits OF booze from homes, supply
Idepots, and bonded warehouses.
Some of these thefts are real and
some are no doubt bogus. There is
no question but that in many in
stances there is collision between the
so-called thieves and owners OF
liquor.
There has been unearthed cases i'll
which officials. local and federal, have
been bribed by persons who are eager
for the large profits from whisky
sales All manner OF schemes are
tried to get liquor from BONDED ware
houses. Deception, fraud, and for
gerry are not rare. Large amounts
OF this whisky arc secured for al
legged non-beverage purposes and the
stuff is then placed in the hands Of
bootleggers and speakeasy keepers.
Conspiracics OF all sorts arc en-
tered into to defraud the government
and evade the dry law. Companies
arc formed. backed by immense capi-
tai, to get hold OF liquor and the most
daring schemes arc concocted to carry
out the plans OF those in these con-
spiracics.
Such instances seem to be more nu-
merous as time goes by. At least
more of them are recorded in the pa
pers because there are more success
ful raids and more arrests and prose-
cutions. The ingenuity of these law
less persons is being matched by the
cleverness OF Prohibition officials who
are becoming acquainted with the
desperate methods of those who
would defy the dry law.
Probably more stills are being
found than in the earlier months of
Prohibition-not because there are
more of them, but because officers
are better prepared to cope with this
form of evasion. One estimate is
that in Virginia there are $4,000 illicit
whisky stills. There may not be that
many by thousands. The chances
are there are not. Speaking OF this
violation of the law, the Richmond
News-Leader says:
1t does not prove that the law
is not enforceable 1t does not
even prove that the law is not
generally desired. All that such
violation shows is that the tram
sition from state to National
Prohibition is not yet accom-
pished. 1t may mean that some
change OF method in enforce
ment OF Prohibition by law is
/ necessary. 1t may mean that
public opinion has been modified
as to the best way OF making
Prohibition effective. But the
News-Leader is assured OF one
thing. The fact that there are
thirty thousand violators of the
revenue law i'll Virginia does not
portend the return to the open
bar-or to pre-Prohbition cond-
tons. Come what may, nothing
can efface from the mind and
memory of the United States the
fact that this country as a coun-
try went dry and means never to
return to the conditions of waste
fulness and idleness that were
national before the Eighteenth
Amendment went into effect.
Public opinion must and will
strengthen; the extreme rigors OF
the Nolstead Act may be abated,
but the United States is going to
stay free OF the liquor interests
be those interests legal or
Illicit.
This is the correct view OF it. Con-
ddence in the dry law is not under
mined by violation The people have
no thought OF surrendering to gang
OF lawbreakers. The country eX
pected there would be violations and
many OF them. 1t knows compare
lively few men are trying 10 enforce
the law. Appropriations for this pur
pose are inadequate and so more
men can not be engaged. The gov
eminent has to do the best it can
with the little money giveu it by Con-
gress.
And at that, Congress has no rea-
son to be niggardIy in appropriating
money to enforce the dry law FOR
Prohibition is sclf-sustaining and i'll
reality the convicted violators are
paying for the cost OF enforcement
and more, too.
il OF course wet newspapers claim
that the numerous violations is be-
cause OF the unpopularity OF the Vol
stead law and are ciamoring for its