Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-11-04

PROHIBITION.

-
Judge Rellstab by the federal grand
Jury regarding the violation OF the
tNolstead act goes direct to the roo,
Of the present trouble.
IT, "A primary mistake In connection
with the administration of the VOL
stead act" It says. twas In the issu-
ance of permits" These permits got
Into the hands of persons utterly un-
nt TO handle such q business under
Such restrictions as are provided in
the volstead law. Many of those
having permits were old-time liquor
meant to limit their sales to medicin-
81 n religious purposes. They In
duiged in wild speculation In liquors.
selling It to other dealers who, in
turn. sold It to still others. So 1t has
been passed from hand to hand and
has been carted from city to city,
Ill under permits issued by the gov
Sernment.
When the authorities have at
tempted to make arrests, knowing
full well that conditions were not
they should be. there permits have
been presented and there was moth
jng to do but let the traffic 20 on.
Here in Perth Amboy. for instance.
there are five permits to deal in
liquors. Yet the only purpose for
which the liquors can be used legiti-
mately is in medicine and religion.
It is foolish to think that there is
enough of such business to provide a
living for five liquor dealers.
We all know that there has been
an enormous trade in liquors going
ON here and the city has suffered
greatly as a result. 1t is heard on all
sides that Perth Amboy is a center
Cor the so-called 'whiskey ring" The
story is brought back from Washing
~ by some of the people who were
there attending the bankers conven-
ton recently that when a taxicab
driver was asked where the booze on
sale In the city came from, he re-
piled that 1t came from some place
in New Jersey called Perth Amboy."
Another story has 1t that a person
\ &c cling to any of the first class hotels
hr Baltimore and registering as COM
Ing from Perth Amboy is asked to
cave. the hotel proprietor not desir-
) ing to run the risk of being raided
Tor harboring "bootleggers."
A person who visited the Fulton
. market In New York recently was
Asked by one of the merchants there,
What kind of a city was being run
ldown here he having learned of the
reputation of the city as a whiskey
center.
All of these things do the city I'M
told charm. Perth Amboy can never
hope to build up a reputation for a
clean. high class city under such a
handicap. Those who are engaging
in this traffic certainly are not in
terested in the welfare of the city
and have no regard for the reputa-
ton the city has. as long as they
make a few paltry dollars.
But it is more than a few paltry
dollars that is being made In this
Illegal traffic. Stories are told of
fabulous sums being made with each
trip to Baltimore or Washington.
The figure is placed as high as $3.50
a trip with often two trips a week.
Men who but a short time 6 were
merely making an ordinary living
have suddenly become the owners of
handsome sedan automobiles and
have had so much money to deposit
in the banks that they were afraid
to put it all In at one time because
Of the suspicion that It might arouse.
Strange. indeed. that the federal
uutioiAliSS nave NV SVEN "a ALI
boy more attention than they have.
Little or no help has been given by
local authorities anywhere and the
force at the command of the pro-
hibition enforcement officers has
been exceedingly small. Yet raids
have been made in some places and
much good has been accomplished.
Why Perth Amboy has been over
looked in view of what is common
knowledge, is hard to understand.
But a new federal grand jury has
lust been sworn and there are three
high class Perth Amboy men on 1t.
Judge Lynch in his charge to this
jury yesterday. laid great emphasis
to the violations of the Volstead act
that are going on and told the jury
men that they have unlimited powers
20 conduct an investigation. The
.hree Perth Amboy men OF the jury
ought to be able to summon some
very Interesting witnesses.
AS The last federal grand jury
stated in its presentment. the per-