Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-29
HOOCH AND THE POLICE

TT is clear that part of the argument to
i be presented before the Civil Service
Commission in defense Of policemen in
Frankford who appear to know too much
or too little about the conditions behind
the tale of a $4,000 whisky burglary in
their district will be a complete exposition
of the art and science of bootlegging. The
investigation urged by Superintendent Mills
is to be two edged. The superintendent
contends fatty that there was no burglary
of the dimension reported.
That rctort does not dispose Of the matter,
even temporarily. But It is suggestive Of
desire in the Police Department to give the
public view of the seamier side Of prac
tica Volsteadism.
The very painful experiences of Federal
enforcement agents have been such as to
Justify any one who takes reports Of great
whisky burglaries lightly or with suspicion.
Doubtless there have been such robberies.
The Frankford treasure house may have
been cleaned out by sure enough thieves
But the fact remains that Government
agents have a wry, unhappy sort of smile
with which they almost invariably greet
the news of such disasters. And any news
paper reader with memory knows that the
skill and daring Of burglars seemed TO in
crease amazingly when the dry laws first
went into effect. Truckloads Of hooch van
ished on the highways. Warehouses were
broken open almost every night. Enforce
ment agents could do no more than send the
record of these thefts to Washington and
strike the vanished liquor out of their esti-
mates.
Under the law as II Is now applied any
man who provides the required bonds may
go into the wholesale whisky business and
withdraw virtually unlimited supplies Of
ha Nua 10
sumed, Of course, that such q man will dis
pose of the stuff only in legitimate ways.
He is in business ostensibly to sell to drug
gsts and medicine makers. The Govern
ment keeps a record Of his Withdrawals.
Its agents are likely to appear at any mo-
ment to survey his stock on hand and to
compare it with the proof Of legitimate sales.
But a whisky wholesaler who obeys the
law works with small profit margins. In
the restricted markets competitive laws still
rule. So, confronting the individual who
has taken hundreds of barrels of liquor out
of warehouse there is always the tempta-
ton offered by the bootleggers and bootleg
syndcates.
The holder Of n stock of genuine whisky
can get almost any price he asks for the
stuff from those who keep it in circulation
as a diversion for the crowd Great quan-
titles of bonded whisky withdrawn ostensi-
bly, for legitimate uses have gone straight to
the headquarters of the outlawed trade,
and the people who made the sales quad
rupled their working capital overnight.
The day of reckoning for such transac-
tions comes when the wholesaler has dis
pensed his stocks without having receipts
from authorized purchasers to protect his
bond and keep him from Jail. An account
ing of some sort must be made to the
regional enforcement Office. And in in
stances such as that just described the ac-
counting comes in the form of wild nara
tive of burglary and despoliation.
In the prohibition enforcement Offices here
and everywhere else there are stories of
empty warehouses broken open by burglars
hired by the owner of the place. Whisky
barrels-flled with water-have been rolled
out in the sight Of astonished observers.
Revolvers have been fired-in the air. But
even the enforcement officers cannot arrest
a man because his warehouse was robbed
Superintendent Mills is obviously disposed
to view the Frankford burglary in the light
Of experience gained by the Federal agents
But rumors of policemon's coluson with
traders in Illicit whisky continue to come
from a few of the districts. II the super
intendent proceeds with a sincere desire to
show up the bootleggers he may incidentally
let a little wholesome light into his own
organization.