Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-10-04
CHICAGO IS UNABLE
To ENFORCE DRY LAW
BY II. r. BUCK
(Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
DOWNRIGHT 1921

(Copyrlgnt, 192l.)
CHICAGO, Oct. with Chicago's
supply of bonded liquor on the wane
the thirsty amateur IS forced to seek
tipple from strange denizens of the
underworld, in back alleys and on
side streets and content himself-or
herself-with weird connections of
killing, tainted moonshine or diluted
alcohol made by manufacturers of
BARRIERS supplies, tinctures and ex-
tracts.
This is the statement of John
HIGHLANDER, enforcement prohibition
officer of Illinois. But the demand
does not diminish and even the flap
per's vanity box is not without it's
"shot" of synthetic gin.
Kellander is gathering his forces
against the new element as we'll as
the big fellow" but the task ahead
of him is a big one.
Let the government do it," has
been the motto of Illinois officialdom.
The federal staff numbers only fifty
agents and investigators. The CO.
operation given them is meager. A
host of imposters, usually we'll
known criminals posing as govern
ment officers, have by wholesale
shakedowns given the staff an I'M
enviable reputation. The lawful
staff is beset with temptations that
surround bootlegging imbedded in
and protected by politics, and the life
this personnel leads on $3.50 month
salary is the life Of SIS bank clerk
turned loose in the vaults Of a mint
Quality Becomes Worse
AS the quality of good whisky In
Chicago has dwindled the number or
Substantial citizens" engaged IN
supplying club members and Glen
tele of business and professional men
and politicians. has diminished pro-
portionately. A daily increase is re
ported to bootleggers unable TO
speak more than a few words OF Eng
lish. Grimy Europeans who would
otherwise be shining shoes, rustllng
baggage, sweeping streets or COP
bling, form a long line of laWbreak-
ers picked up in alleys back of hotels
and in the vicinity of railroad sta
tions and brought in for questioning.
Despite the loss of prestige that
has attended a certain falling off in
sales of good liquor. it has by no
means passed out of existence. Most
quantities of bonded stuff now are
brought in from other states. A fleet
of auto trucks is operating from va
rious Kentucky points and steady
stream of contraband fluid passes
though that well known sieve, the
Deroit river, and is reconsigned to
points here and beyond. Apparently
the fact that Ontario has gone dry
has not materially affected the ouSl-
ness of bootleggers operating on the
frontier.
the police has and continues TO pc
a real menace in the city. Its roots
extend to cliqueS of politicians allied
with the political faction In power,
and the protection achieved has come
from the ward politicians who nave
control of numerous police preclncts;;
Hundreds Of police have been used
to guard and protect booze shipments
MANY police thus engaged have I'm
ished the nights work by steallng
the booze shipments they were guard
ing. They now fear Chief OF Ponce
Fitzmorris, who has sworn to take
off the badge of any policeman E-l-
plicated and to take it before his
trial.
Many involved
Dishonesty is not confined to the
police alone if certain public offlclals
who should know what they are talk-
ing about are to be believed. If an
eral building, you would see lots OF
people jumping out of the windows
said one public official whose sources
of information are many and varied
The saloons continue to sell more
or less openly what is gulped down
mayhap a bit fearfully, under the
name of good liquor. In the ma
iority of cases it is not, but col
ored concoction hawked as such;
A few cafes still sell diluted drinks
but only a few. Generally it is neces-
sary to carry hip" liquor to parties
or to deal with ones favorite boot
logger waiter.
The younger crowd. flappers and
their escorts, are perhaps the most
thorough "hooch ttrailers" and the a5
success is evident on every gl!deo
dance floor, and in every public hal
in the city. There was time when
a likely looking four-cylinder bus
would attract boulevard vamps tax
ing the air, but now the common
question is not where to-" but "got
anything aboard?"
The youngster affects liking Io1
gin, or what has come to be known
as gin, a white fluid passing under
the name, often reposes in the ret-
Guile. It appears that most Of the
stuff Is made from juniper oil, but
few can distinguish that fact who
have not had access to cellar OF
honest liquors.
Bootleg whisky in Chicago has re-
vamped that old saying "cherchez la
femme" to find the bootlegger" in
the case of many murder mysteries
and other major crimes. In fact, the
latter appear to originate in bottle
of new liquor The more spectacular
tragedies are continually being found
to have a connection with the whisky