The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-11-08
WASHINGTON IS VERY
WET" FOR ARMS MEET
ALL KINDS OF LIQUOR CAN BE
BOUGHT, EVEN IN SENATE
AND HOUSE BUILDINGS.
LID is LIFTED FOR DIPLOMATS
Prohibition Officer Contends Capital
Is Tighter, However, Than Ever
Before. Women, College Graduates,
Ex-Service Men and Others Includ-
ed in Army of Bootleggers.

| Ex-Service Men and Others Includ-
, ed in Army of Bootleggers.
WASHINGTON, d. C.-With the
approach of the disarmament confer
ence, with its host of foreign guests,
the national capital is flooded with
bootleg booze.
Despite prohibition officers efforts
to squelch this illicit trade and refute
stories of the trade in Americas wet
test cities-with the lid lifted for the
conference bootlegger army includ-
ing women, college graduates, ex-avia-
tors, negroes, whites, foreigners, is
pursuing a systematic sale and distri-
button OF liquor.
1t can be obtained at from So to $40
a quart on an hours notice.
Women are among the cleverest of
the bootlegger's aides. They live in Sc
lect apartment houses, distributing
their illegal wares from that point.
|. There is plenty OF liquor in
Washington and it can be had even
in hotels" In hotels bellboys charge
$50 a quart
2 Routes like milkmen's or bakers
are established to facilitate distribu-
ton. Armed automobiles, with wo-
man for blind" sneak booze in from
Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jer-
sey.
Courts to Blame, Too.
3. The courts, according to district
Prohibition Commissioner Stephenson,
due to laxity or over-crowded dockets
are hampering enforcement Over 1000
bootleg arrests were made in the fiscal
year 1921, ending i'll July. Since then
there are already 500 new pending"
cases; in $50 cases fines have been
imposed; 200 forfeitures of collateral
have been made; 80 booze autos have
been seized but none permanently con-
f1scated
4. Booze can be found in the con-
gressional Office buildings, the senate
office building brand is a bit better
than the house office kind, some say.
5. Two prominent Pennsylvania ave
nue. restaurants were filled Saturday
night and Sunday morning early with
drunken students-more public drunks
than have been seen in nearly three
years in Berlin, Paris, Brussels and
London.
6. The lid, according to Commits
sioner Stephenson is tighter, largely
because National Commissioner Hay
mes efforts to stamp out the main
wholesale supply sources is making the
bootleggers' efforts more difficult.
Only Small" Imports.
Stephenson pointed out the Wash
ington bootleggers import only com
paratively small auto shipments. The
largest haul his office ever made was
a 20 barrel lot hidden in box car
shipment with auto tires.
81 admit" he said, that there is
plenty Of booze to be had and that it
can be obtained in hotels, but | con-
tend Washington is tighter today than
ever. 1t is harder than ever to get real
liquor. Most of the stuff sold is either
poisoned or faxed"
He displayed a warehouse full OF APP
parently good liquor, but showed how
the revenue stamps were forged and
the contents faxed.
I'm every case, however, we have
found heads Of embassies ard legations
ready to cooperate with us, and to
follow the laws insofar as they are al
fected," said Stephenson.
Two Negroes Amass Fortune.
Stephenson admits the district is
plotted off in routes but asserts there
are few or no master dealers" The
only real master minds" uncovered
were the Butler brothers, negroes, now
under arrest, who had amassed thous-
ands Of dollars and a string OF IA auto
mobiles for booze transportation as
result of their operation, the police
say.
1t is declared to be increasingly dit
fcult to buy liquor, but Washington
visitors find it is still simple mat
ter to get a quart in short time. And,
despite recent raids on hops and malt
holdings brewing and distiling at
home proceeds merrily in the nation
al capital. Pure Scotch costs $13; rye
and bourbon SO to SIS; corn liquor
(moonshine) about half as much and
the negro bootlegger, guarantees it to
be double distilled and twisted.