Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-09-11
KRAMER SAYS NEW YORK
HAS 1000 DRINK GASES
Volstead Law Openly Violated II
Ten Big Cities, Prohibition
Chief Declares.
CONVICTIONS HARD TO GET
Many States Have No Dry Statutes
and Federal Judges Resent Trial
OF Police Cascs-"Skirt Squads"
Do Good Work.
IBy Uniycrsal scryice.l

sand places in New York. Approx
matoly one-tcnth OF tho drinkin.
places in tho ten biggest cities arc
doing bdsincss. About $4,000, 900
gallons OF whisky arc stored in $50
small bonded warehouses In various
sections OF tho country, and It Is be-
ing smugglcd out and sold in spite OF
all that government officials can do
to prevent 1t.
New York. Chicago. Baltimore and
Philadelphia are wet cities. Accusa-
tons of bribery. graft and general dis
honesty have been SO general that
not government agent is free from
suspicion. although by far tho vast
majority arc innocent
This startling condition OF affairs
was revealed by Prohibition Com
missioner Kramer here today.
Made Over 1000 Arrests.
The most puzzling problem we
.acc Is punishment OF violation Of
tho Volstcad law. We have made
moro than 900 arrests in Scw York
alone. and I am sure that practically
every ono arrested Is guilty. Still
NO have tho greatest difficulty in
obtaining convictions. Very few
States have prohibition la VS.. This Is
tho case in New York, Illinois. Louis
lama. and Pennsylvania SO VIC must
go TO tho Federal courts. Federal
judges resent having their courts
turned into police courts. and many
OF them arc not sympathetic
"Violators OF the law operate with
tho most startling boldncss They
know the law requires that liquor
ant, q
duccd In court. Many OF our men
round pl:cins liquor in small bot
Ties are openly attacked and tho
liquor taken away from them. Agents
who merely drink tho liquor arc
not disturbed. Tio!ators OF tho law
hnow such liquor cannot be used as
evidence"
STund Operates on Brondway.
y brsnd-new kind of 1quad is opcr-
atins along Broadway in Sew York.
and state Street in Chicago. I; is
known as the skirt squad" and CON
iincs it's activitics to exclusive res
tanranis. a beautiful young woman
sweeps In. escorted by handsome
man in evening clothes. She has
cocktail and tho man takes his
straight. While tho damecl plays with
her glass and keeps UP "A running con-
versaton her escort sccretcs parts OF
his drink in tiny phisl. Then comes
an arrest.
The skirt squad" Is amazingly sue
cosstnl. Two classes in particular
seem 10 find the liquor business profit
Ho!c The first is composed mostly
OF foreigners who have stills and
wineries In their kitchens and sell
LIQUOR about town. Tho other class
which includes many small capitalists
and criminals OF various sorts. oper-
atca in far more ambitious way.
Il cannot understand the attitude
OF many persons who come 20 us with
stories OF law violations, but who
positively refuse 20 give us the evil
dr7ce necessary to bring about ar
rests" said Mr.. Kramer. Many New
York people have oven come to Wash
inSton TO see me personally They
relate that such and such cafe IS
selling liquor wide open. But they
don't want to he mixed up in It, 1,
isn't hostility TO the law so much as
II IS apathy with which the public
In big cities regard the law.
Medicine Makers Give Trouble.
The law allows patent medicine
makers 10 Withdraw whisky and al
cohol. Thousands OF permits grant
ed should never have been Issued.
Wholesalers and their lawyers from
all over the country come" fockinE
here every day to saddcn me with
their sorrowful stories OF impending
ruin TO their cough drops and sootn-
ing syrup enterprises But wo are
Issuing no more permits"
Discussing his difficulty in obtain
Ing sufficient number OF agents of
tho right type 10 enforce the law,
commissioner Kramer said that the
entiro appropriation. including that
for enforcement OF the Harrison mar
cotic law, aimed to suppress traffic in
cocaine. is S4.500.0oo.
We have altogether about 1900
workers. The bulk of them receive
from $500 to $4,000 year. Some
special agents are paid as much as
$4,000 year. but they are few. We
are unable to pay more than $4,000
10 any one individual save super
vising agents"
Tho commissioner is much discon.
cortcd over the attitude OF some
newspapers. which, he says, insist
on treating the Volstead act as a
Joke. He added: Yet. the Volstcad
act is Just as great an integral part
OF the code, as the law furnishing
murder. forgery and burglary. What
would we think OF newspaper that
scored at murder and treated every
Item of news concerning a murderer
as gay Jest?
what would we think OF news
PAPER that published humorous para
grarhs concerning activities of Fed
Graz agents In arrestinS smugslers.
traitors or other vioiators of Fed
eral laws?"
IL is my job to enforce the law
just as 1T is the job of other de-
partment heads to enforce other laws
enacted by the Congress.
Tell the public" concluded Mr.
Kramer that the law is actually
p'ihs enforced In 90 per cent of the
aouhtrS IN ten big cities the ma
chinery OF the government 10 ,a,"