Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-10-07
Prohibition and Crime

| used to he that liquor was held u0 TO
view as one OF the chief, if not the
chiefcSt, causes of crime in the United
States Few denied the banefu effects of
It's improper use. But, following adopt ion
OF the eighteenth amendment liquor has
been displaced in its role OF national trou-
bemakcr and homc-brcaker The Qucs-
tionabic honor OF ascendancy in crime in
'entive. paradoxical as it may seem, has
been seized and is firmly held by prohibition.
liquors arch enemy. The fact of prchibi-
tion $ premier position among the causes
az law violation will be disputed perhaps
as vigorously rs were the claims to this
distinction by the evil il sought to dsplacc.
The ardent pros will dissent while the unrc-
constructed vets will join v0cifcrouslv in
rroclaiming the disastrous effects OF pro-
hibition as it is now administered Tho
fanatics on both sides may be disre Earde,I
in the consideration OF other calmcr and
less prejudiced evidence
That prohibition is the chief cause of
the present American crime wave il the
unanimous opinion Of United States Judges
ana district attorneys who have replied TO
qncs'!onnaire submitted TO them by tho
department of Justice These iursts have
bccn studying the problem not from the
viewpoint OF the dcsirabiliy or the undc-
possible relief from The jamrning Of the
court dockc,s, every one of which is
swampcd by prohibition cases Attorney
General pauShtery is prepared TO show that
law violations within the purvicw OF the
tcderal courts has increased 500 pcr cent
since l9l2, the liquor law violations con
shutting the largest single class The re-
SUIT IS That every courl docket is congested
ana no less than 10000 cases are pending
i'ccVusc OF this unprecedented lam in
the F"derar courts, the Department Of Jus
licc Will press for the creation of at least
eighteen district judges AT large. That of
course. would help in a degree hy relieving
the congestion and perhaps by making nos
slh!e Il promp,er enforcement of tho law
acl as 4 deterrent TO Violations Eut i, will
not prove IL solution. The problem for The
Federal government 10 solve is ono that
reaches far beyond the mcr? Supplying OF
Judges 10 facilitate the hearing OF offanscs
""l'h aye multiplying in ratio 10 the grow
ing dsrcspcct for all laws One phase Of
the difficulty Of tho situation is s,rnse.d
by Judge Groncr sitting in the Fedora,
court in Richmond who admits i'm, ,ro
enforcement division is practicall,. HELPLESS
geior' The rum runners on The coast who
are hoodlns virginia with liquor brought
III from the ships. while tie inadcuuate
iu'cc oil oihcers is necessarily uccupving il
! sell with an cndcaYOr to break IN Illicit dis
filling
1t Is shameful. distressing situation
IRON which one may draw his own moral as
u" views II. II Is not truc. as vet that pro-
hlbl'i"h is failure. 1t is true only that il
has not been fairly tried because her. has
been no real enforcement. Perhaps there
never can be real Prohibition enforcement
uh'l pubic sentiment is nodded again into
'ha' respect for the law which it seems to
nave lost since the eighteenth amcndmcu,
"ec"me fact. That will he a work of
, >"ar" Viewed in that light. tho prohibi-
/ u"h experiment is only IN its incipicnt
! Stages and the hour for final verdict as
! ~ rs success or failure is far in the future
/ Wo,,,.u .r,r,.,.