Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-12-20
BY w. II. Atkins.

washington, Dec. 2o.-- "Hooch'
puryeyors view the New Year with
uncertainty. ''Dry' law enforcers
are set to make their game an ex-
ceedingly hard one to play. Daring
exploits Of bootleggers, conceived
ana executed with a cunning that
almost defies detectionis have MADE
prohibition almost a farce, so far-
cicial has prohibition become, Petn
in the eyes of the law-abiding ana
the lawbreakers, that government
officers, in a frezy Of dismay, are
ready to propose to congress
amendments that will virtually
Danish whiskey, making It practl-
callv impossible of sale for bev-
erage purposes.
Bootleg liquor now flooding the
country has its source in such
"wee' strongholds as pennsylvania,
MARYLAND, New York, New Jersey,
Ohio and Illinois. Dry law chiefs
here today admitted, with lack or
police cooperation and adverse
public sentiment in those sections,
they are making losing fight, ana
their efforts in future are DOOM
ed to failure, unless congress tight
ems UP the dry law.
Wiping away of many of the so
called "liberaI' provisions OF the
law. extending wide latitude toI
dealers who obtained permits for
sale and distribution of intoxicants,
will be sought by internal revenue
bureau officials. Amendments con-
templated revamping of the Vol
stead law, as the loopholes through
which liquor seeps out to the public
are inextricably woven into the
laws provisions.
Police Are Apathetic.
Police apathy in prohibition cases
prohibition officials declare, is re-
sponsible for not only a large pro-
norton of evils that have sprung
up in the dry era, but have lent
announcement and support in the
varied schemes now carried on dar
ingly in defiance of the dry law
and with enormous profit to the
schemers.
Onlf1llSSlOlltI IA NNha1S 80
ed the record of cases covering en-
forcement work in the state of II
linois. 1t is but a sample out of
lengthy list Of states, and offers
some eloquent proof of the bold
ness Of liquor law violators, and
the ease with which they get away.
In Illinois alone dry law officers
have secured only fifty convictions
since national prohibition became
a law. This, in spite of the fact
that dry law agents gave federal
district attorneys 'eocksure" evil
dence In 1875 cases. Jury hostility |
ds the answer. officials said.
Can't Get Convictions.
"a bootlegger, or an illicit dis
tiIler, or a smuggler Of %hiskey, as
things now stand, has odds of 10 to
/ that ne will gain an acquittal,
said Kramer and his aids. I'm some
OF the wet centres there Is scarcely
a ghost Of chance to land these
eyildoers in Jail. Jail them, even
the worst of them, and they are out
like a flash through the aid of pro-
fessional bondsmen and quick
Wie.eu ia"yeis, ~ w. ;,
that gnu ~ plao.. - .ho .hat
hrainer ieoo,us nv" S1." 80 80.
SONY LAWYERS os,sai,, nav a1,, ,ao,thv liz
through fees made from practice
devoted almost exclusively to de-
iehuihs poo'iessei', o,"s9 o"'.u.sis 49,,
lawyers ~ oieieS, ii0suHtt'7 sASn7. 'no nTo
ol we slNe ...,, =, i''l,a' ca,,ae -"
aotk Guy ''soue ~, 81,
bai'llnore nav 1ea''eu noo spo - 80 80
.ne way rom e"V'oVV " giVo'VpO
~ Iees Slhce January ~ wien .no
uly lu mas ,''iu oG.iie :. ia"' sis,