The Washington times., 1920-10-05
BOOZE INRUSH
.LOWERSPR|CES
BootIeogers Speed Up Prior to
eIection-Product Falls
to $65 a Case.

heAliSink thAt as soon se 1oneieos
meets. drastic action will be taken to
curb the liquor runners, the men en-
gagged In bringing whiskey into the
District Tor unlawful purposes, have
begun to speed up and as a conse-
qusnee. many truckioads OF whiskey
are arriving In Washington every
day SO much whiskey has been
brought into Washington during the
past two weeks that the price has
fallen from 800 a case TO Ss5 a case.
with the prospect OF going still lower
between now and election day.
The men engaged In the Illicit trade
have spread the news around That
politicians In Pebnsylvanis and Ohio
have aided In releasing whiskey from
the bonded warehouses In order to
obtain funds to carry on the campaign
and IL Is now very easy TO obtain
liquor. After election, the boot
leggers say. the regulations will be
frightened again, and the price OF
some TO be merely a talking argu-
ment on the part of bootleggers to
induce persons to buy their stock.
but on the other hand, the same srgu-
ment was used by the bootleggers last
spring before the Pennsylvania pri-
maries were on, and their reasoning
was borne out by facts.
HOW PRICE HAS FALLEN.
Last winter whiskey WAS selling
for SIS and SIS u quart In Washing
ton. During the early. part of April
vast stores of liquor began appearing
In Washington and the bootleggers
said that they were obtaining II in
Pennsylvania. Such great quantity
Of whiskey was dumped into Wash
ing that the price fell to IS and $40
a quart.
After the primaries whiskey again
rose in Washington and nearby Mary
land to sl5 a quart. Before the pri-
maries whiskey could be bought L.
Philadelphia in some OF the bucket
shops run AS brokerage houses for
as low as 345 case. After the pri-
maries 1t rose almost overnight to $40
| q case.
Liquor is now selling at from $40 to
| $50 case in Philadelphia, the boot
leggers say. and will go even lower
between now and election day.
The prohibition officials in Wash
ington say that there Is no connec-
tion between the coming election and
| the drop in the price OF whiskey.
They do not even admit that vast
stores of it are coming into Wash
| ington, although they do admit that
there is a plentiful supply here.
LITTLE ONES ELIMINATED.
One of the peculiar incidents in the
| bootlegging business in Washington
is the gradual elimination OF tn.
| small bootlegger. His activities have
been cut short by the Washington
| police, but the big fellows still are
plying their trade without Interrupt
| ton. This is caused. IT is variously
stated by prohibition officials. by
! the method Of liquor permits and the
| fact that the men are well supplied
with money and do not have to take
the ordinary risks the small fellows
| do in order to get money.
On January l, wholesale liquor
dealers will have to renew their per-
mits, and the system which has been
| in force during the prohibition per-
iod is to be radically changed. The
change, it is said at prohibition
headquarters, will eliminate many
| thousand licensees who are under
suspicion Of being engaged In an un-
lawful business. 1t will also make
possible a complete record Of every
permit that has been issued. At the
present time, the prohibition officials
do not know how many permits have
been issued or where many thousands
of them go. A few weeks ago, a
revenue agent followed a consignment
of whiskey which had been with
drawn under a permit from Balti-
more bonded warehouse to IT'S destin-
alton in New York city. The destin-
alton was a large garage, and the
owner of the permit was not known
there. 1t was said at the garage
that trucks came there frequently
loaded with liquor, but that they had
the necessary permit to transport and
withdraw 1t, so the garage officials
thought the transactions were legiti-
mate.
PUTS BLAME ON CONGRESS.
Prohibition Commissioner Kramer
| In answer to critics of his bureau, has
| repeatedly stated that he was unable
TO strictly enforce prohibition with
| his small force. In the estimates to
| Congress this year, he will make a
| strong plea for a larger appropriation
and if Congress refuses to give 1t to
him. he will place the blame squarely
on the shoulders of Congress. 1t is
argued that II Congress really wants
| prohibition enforced, 1t will give a
larger appropriation. But whatever
happens in Congress, officials con-
nected with the Treasusy Department
say, the lack of strict enforcement OF
the prohibition law Is being criticised
| everywhere and something will be
done this winter to put a stop for all
time to much of the Illicit whiske ey
trade.