The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1920-09-28
HOLY JOES BLAME CHEF FOE
ENFORCEMENT FAILURE.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27.-Pro-
hibition enforcement officials, the
New York branch of the Anti-Saloon
League and it's Superintendent, Will
liam H. Anderson, alike shared
| vitrolic attack Thursday by Bird S.
! Coler, New York Commissioner of
Public Welfare, in speech before
the International Congress Against
Alcoholism.
Mr.. Coler's prepared address, al
though censored by officials of the
Congress to eliminate personalities,
charged "open violation" of prohi
bition laws and accused Mr.. Ander-
son Of attempting to incite race and
religious hatred.
| Prohibition Enforcement Commits
sioner Kremer, also on the program,
answered the attack on his bureau
personally, and Mr.. Anderson, who
was absent, replied in a formal state
ment in which he accused Mr.. Coler
of injecting "Tammany politics" into
an international meeting.
Mr.. Coler explained, as preface
to his speech, that when he reached
the hall where the sessions of the
Congress are being held he was in
formed by Chairman Dinwiddle that
he would not be permitted to deal
with personalities, but that the re-
mainder of his speech should be de-
livered.
Launching into his speech Mr.. Co.
Ter leveled a bitter attack on the
mass of dry workers, particularly
those associated with the Anti-Saloon
League, saying they were "buck-
passers" and had not forced the can
didate of either of the major parties
to take a definite stand as to reten-
ton and enforcement of prohibition
laws.
AS for Federal enforcement of pro-
hibition the speaker demanded that
something might be done right now"
There is no reason for quibbling, he
added, because Everybody knows
liquor can be bought at most places
and at most any time if you've got
the right look in your eyes"
"If the prohibition enforcement
officials don't take hold of this stu
alton quickly" Mr.. Coler continued,
''thereNl be a worse scandal when
this Administration goes out than
there was in the old whisky ring
| twenty-five years ago. I'm tired o.
going after the poor little devil. ]
want the enforcement corps to get
somebody that cOunts-even among
their own numbers in the very heart
of the Government.
81 could give you many names
right now myself, but they Chose
named) would know before / left
this platform that they would be
sought-the leaks are just that close
here in the Government.
"The Prohibition Commissioner, if
he wanted to, could take one or two
men and round up Senators, Govern
ors, Federal officials and scores of
others for violation Of the liquor
laws.
"New York could be cleaned up in
sixty days. But the Department of
the other Government departments
have got to work together.
GAS it is everybody's ducked. The
Anti-Saloon League has ducked.
Even Cox and Harding have ducked
except when heckled, and that's
not satisfactory way to get assur-
ances."
Replying to Mr.. Coler's charges of
violation of the prohibition laws Mr..
Kramer said that "to a considerable
extent they were true, but he in
sisted the New York Commissioner
should provide bill of particulars"
in order that the small force of the
bureau might know where to go on
the trial of the bootleggers.
He told the Congress he was doing
his ''level best" to enforce the laws
and explained that his force number
ed only 1 1000 adding "think of that
number policing 100000 people,
for that is what it is, policing"
After officials Of the Congress had
declined to permit delivery of that
part of his speech referring to Mr..
Anderson, Mr.. Coler gave it out in
the form of public statement, in
which he charged Mr.. Anderson with
an attempt to "get religious and races
at each others throats."
'The desire of this person to turn
the prohibition movement into an
anti Catholic and Jewish program"
the statement said, SHOULD cause his
Punishment from every civilized ma
ton.
Anderson uses the Anti-Saloon |
League of New York to launch cru
SADIE OF b1gotry, which is nearer his |
heart than the cause he is said to rep
resent.
"With saloons wide open under his |
own eyes he attacks another faith and |
cries wolf, WOLF when there is no
wolf, in order that his own failures
may not be known.
"He has destroyed the veracity and |
respectiability of the league in the
State of New York"
Anderson Denies Charge.
Mr.: Anderson, in his reply to Mr..
Coler's charges, said:
"Any statement that I have made
any attack on any church is utterly
untrue. But fear of misrepresenta-
ton has deferred me from exposing
and thwarting the Tammany scheme
to capitalize politically against pro-
Inhibition the influence of a great
church, many of whose clergy and
lay members have been noted lead
QrS in tho fiUht fO 1octrox, Tho 1;n,,o.