Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1920-03-26
Law Enforcement
Act
SPECIAL TO THE SIGNAL.


back up the state and federal
amendments. Not only was q
drastic law.enforcemeut law en-.
acted, modelled on the Volsted
national prohibition act. but a
statute which will make NOON
shining risky, as we'll as un
profitable business also was put
on the statue books, and still
another law levies a tar Of so cts
a gallon on whisky In bonded
warehouses, to be paid on its re.
moval for any purpose. such as
it's sale for medical uses. and
from this latter tex the state will
derive a considerable revenue.
Party lines were disregarded in
the vote on these bills. Few of
the members of either house OPP
posed prohibition enforcement,
only six senator's voting against
the law.enforcement bill on tlnal
passage. While the vote in the
House against 1t was larger. some
Of 1t was on account of certain
provisions rather than to express
opposition to the enforcement of
of the prohibition law. The bill
was offered iu..the House by Rep
resentative Homer c. Mel. elan, of
louisville. a Republican. The
Senate bill, which provides heavy
penalties for moonshining. was
introduced by J. D. Whitaker. a
Democrat. and J. Wood Vance,
of Barren, another Democrat, was
the author of the bill to tax
whisky removed from warehouses
for use so cents a gallon.
The great danger of bootleg.
geo whisky, or alledged whisky,
and saany frauds perpuJrated
on the buyers Of such booze have
cperoted to reduce that business
greatly. Those who in former
years wanted their drink and
would have 1t, one way or another
will not now buy from bootleg.
gers, even if that gentry had real
whisky to bootleg. on account of
the wood alcohol scare and the
bogus substitutes that have been
palmed off as whiskey on deluded
worshippers of Bacchus.
Robberies, however, continue
in different parts Of the State, lin
which whisky is stolen on &C.
count of its great value. or rather
the great value placed upon it
by its devotees. Many q private
stock, laid away against the state
and national drought. has been
invaded by night intruders aud
either completely wiped out or
greatly reduced. Distilleries in
Kentucky. thru the connivance
of employees. have been robbed"
and a number of prominent men
In the business now are being
prosecuted for having q part in
some of these "rObberies." The
lax enforcement of the law the
first six months of wartime pro-
hlbition by local authorities has
given way to vigorous and watch
full enforcement on the part of
federal officials under the direc-
ton of Of the Office of Prohibition
Director, James H. Combs, not
only In the mountains among the
moonshiners, but in the cities Of
the State.
The decision of the Supreme
Court of the United States in
cases In which tn liquor people
have resis ted the new prohibit
ton laws uniformly have upheld
these laws. ard the decisions in
the cases involving the validity
of the national amendment now
pending are awaited with consid
cradle interest, but with cont.
dence, by the prohibition advo-
Gates.
First violations of the PROV.
sions Of the law. enforcement bill
are punishable by a fine Of $50 to
$500 and imprisonment In jai!
for not less than 80 days nor
more than 90 days. Second VOL
atoms are punishable by confine
ment In the penitentiary for not
less than one nor more than three
years. and for the third violation
the penalty is not less than Eve
nor mere than ten years In the
pspitentisry.