Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-10
HELPLESS To STOP
LIQUOR SMUGGLING
Customs Service Has 5000 Men,
Needs $4,000; Enforcement
Handicapped.
Special To New York World

Special To New York World
Washington. Aug. 10.-From every
branch of the Prohibition enforcement
service comes the cry that adequate pro-
vision has not been made for the deten-
tion and punishment of the new breed
Of law breakers.
There are not enough officers to trace
down the moonshiners or control the
hOotleggers: the Custom House people
say they need $4,000 inspectors to stop
the whisky smuggling, whereas they have
only 600. More important OF ;nl. Con
gress. while providing for the enforcement
az the law. cut out Si00,000 from the
Department Of Justices appropriation
that was 10 have hired special prosecuting
officers 10 relieve District Attorneys.
II is 10 the inability to devote adequate
time and attention to the present cases
against liauor law offenders that the law
officers attribute the dlsproportionate
number of acquitals in comparison with
convictions There is no reluctance In
making arrests or bringing prosecutions,
or any evidence Of purposed sackness
Fyen Prohibition Commissioner Kramer
admitted that his forces were adequate
n some localities but wholly inadequate
i'm Others" As he is using every man hls
appropriation allows. this obviously means
there is no chance Of properly carrying
out the law
Assistant Secretary Of the Treasury
Shousc said whisky smuggling and other
smuggling had attained such proportions
that IL no longer can be handled by the
customs service men. who nunnpeF SIN
thousand. but will require $4,000 at least TO
g,,ard the coasts and the borders against
the flood Of hquor that IS being brought
IN by the opportunities for vast prohts
There is an unlimited market for
smugglcd whisky and thousand per
cent profit IN its sale.
"Thc customs service charged win
protecting the country from smuggiers,
has found itself wholly inadequate 10 meet
the situation. MIR Shousc SAID. We are
handicapped both in men and IN money
because of refusal Of the last Congress
toapproprIate additional funds with which
the service could he expanded.
Mr. Shouse added that it would require
y small army Of men 10 patrol the coast
and border territories, but that Is the only
way 10 cope with the situation. lie said
n IS no secret that vast quantities OF
whisky have been coming IN. although
customs officers have coniiscated thouls-
sands upon thousands of dollars worth
from ships.
The larger supplies, however, have
not come through parts, officials say,
but bv landings Of launches and small
boats IN secluded spots along he Atlantic
coast The Canadian border traii1c
while admittedly large, was declared not
tn compare with the smuggling SAID to
exist along the Atlantic seaboard
To meet the slutatlon disclosed by
these admissions complete reorganlza-
tlon of the three services Prohibition, |
4 ..,I 1g fora |
..st One plan that has been suggested |
,. that the three forces be merged under |
ouc head IN order TO permit distribution /
~ the available agents to the best advan-
gr
- far enforcement efforts have re
lted in little more than diminishing
the supply and thereby increasing the
pri,c and the profits of bootleggerS
moonShiners and smugglers.
Tho AntI-Saloon League blames the
lnedequacv of the enforcement on the
lack of cooperation between Federal
and state officials Anti-Saloon officials
s,v there is a steady sale of liquor going
on an over the country, and they are
7 lanning Nationwide campaign to put
an end to It.
The trouble with the enforcement Of
no law IS that neither State nor Federal
Z ffClaiS have bcen WntiHE - aooui4' l''ti
lcsponsiblity, said l.. {. Dinwlddle,
former President of the Anti-Saloon
] caglsc.
The Anti-Saloon League he con-
iinucd, rs going to begin campaign
~ education which will in the end force
some one to assume the responsibility
fpr the enforcement of Prohibition and the
\ olsicad act
There IS today in bond 54,600000 gal
lons az distilled liquor. Prohibition Com
missioner Kramer admitted that liquor
+ hcing sold in large cities but denied it
vas being sold IN any great quantities
lIe said the enforcement OF prohibition Is
being aided in some cities by the State
authorities but that in others he has
found State and city officials who are
not IN sympathy with the prohibition
movement.
Meanwhile here is probably no. city
IN the Tnited States IN which there are no
favored places where anybody with the
price can buy whisky, and the ignorance
of the police Of these whereabouts Is
about the most transparent of modern
fiction.