New-York tribune., 1921-02-10
e. ood Assails
Kramer ON Cost
OfEnfOrcerr1ent
Chairman of Appropriation
Committee Tells House
Prohibition Supervisor
Doesn't Know Business
Charges Breach of Law
Says Officials Encourage
Ruse to Swell Expenses:
Volstead Defends Agents

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9.--Prohibition
Commissioner Kramer knows nothing
Of his job, and the waste OF money in
prohibition enforcement should be
stopped at once, Chairman Good Of the
Committee on Appropriations told the
House to-day. Mr.. Goods declarations
were made during debate on the de-
ficiency appropriation bill, which al
lows only $1,000,0oO, instead Of the
S1,600,oo0 asked, for enforcement. He
charged prohibition officials with en-
couraging their inspectors and agents
in violating law.
"Just think of i'll" cried Mr.. Good.
Here is a great force, costing S5,000,-
900, appointed to enforce a specific las,
and yet when they employ these men
and send them out they say to them:
we will give you for your services as
agent or inspector Sites year, but
we will place you at soma little town
where you will never live, in order that
you may get SIS day additional COM
I pensationi' Right at the inception they
tell a man who is paid TO enforce the
law that he can violate the law in or
der to get additional funds out of the
Treasury"
Does the gentleman know Of but
one instance of this kindP" inter
rupted Representative Volstead.
Having found it in one case where
they are doing it in one Congressional
district, I assume that it is something
of a rule" replied Mr.. Good.
Charge Was Denied
Mr.. Volstead again interrupted and
said that this was denied during hear
ings on the bill Mr.. Good declared
that .the man who appeared at the
hearings knew nothing about it,"
That's the trouble with this en-
forcement; the men who are at the
head of it 20 not know anything about
it," he continued.
"I went to gee Mr.. Kramer about
| it broke in Mr.. Volstead.
"Why didn't he come before our
committee ?" shouted Mr.. Good
81 never had charge of bill so dis
tasteful as this" continued Represen-
tative Good. ''The estimates aggre-
gated s478, 100000. We reported out a
bill carrying S2o3,o00,00O yet those
! items are confined to practically four
or five classes. There is $4,000, 900 for
the Internal Revenue Bureau, $48,-
100000 for the military establishment,
$4,000, 600 for the Navy Department,
$4,000 600 for the postal service, $16,-
100000 for audited claims, s1,000,00o
for judgments and $4,000 900 for mis-
! cellaneous items.
claims that the $21 900, 900 carried in
| 10 :.
ing excess and income taxes was not
sufficient, as there was much more worl
in connection with collecting the 1911
returns than was anticipated.
Accused of Being Wet
"They also asked for $1,6Oo,o0o fol
enforcing prohibition. They have thi:
year $5,5o00Oo for that purpose anc
asked for the S1,6O0,00O additional. We
gave them $1,0O0,000 more and have
been criticized by the officers of the
Anti-Saloon League as being wet anC
all that sort of thing. I care nothing
and ! know the other members Of the
committee care nothing, for such accu
sations. When we came to this item
we looked into it and found that 81,
100000 would give them sufflcien
force to enforce the law adequately.
; ave found other things. 1 do no
n believe that Mr.. Williams's admfnistra
tion of the prohibition law is on pa
with his splendid service with regarc
) TO income taxes and the other work il
his department. Maybe it is becaus,
of the number Of new men engaged OF
the work.
"We have on the statutes a law pro
viding that when a mans duties are il
the place designated as his oficia
place of duty he is not entitled to an,
expense or per diem in lieu of expense
, here is a case: We found a town O
$4,000 persons. They do not place
prohibition agent there. The town h.,