The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-09-21
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington, D. c.
\ SEA OF RUM AND A GOVERN.
MENT SPOON.

would take fair sized standing army
to enforce it, is the statement of one
of the officials who is charged with
that onerous duty.
These men of the bureau Of internal
revenue feel like the prince in the
fairy tale who was handed a spoon
with hole in the bottom of it by an
old witch, and told that he must dry
up the ocean with this instrument as
the price of his liberty.
Others, of course, say that a much
larger percentage of the population
really favors prohibition, and that the
future will see a great change. Every
one, however. admits that a great
change is necessary, and the men who
lare trying to enforce the law are es-
pecially convincing along that line.
They do not pretend to be enforcing
the law more than a few per cent.
There are enormous sources of con-
traband liquor which they know all
cause they have not the men, They
make no pretense of combating the
small retail bootlegger. He is left to
the local police, if they care to bother
him. The government goes after the
big fellows, and it. can only go after
a few of them.
The officials compare the proh.bi-
ton law to the anti-narcotic law TO
show the difficulty of enforcement.
Despite the fact that the problem was
infinitely smaller, the number of
offenders a mere fraction of those in
volved in bootlegging, it was found
impossible to enforce the anti-narcotic
law until public sentiment for it had
been aroused by publicity.
Public Sentiment Rules.
The same branch of the government
the bureau of internal revenues
charged with the enforcement of the
Harrison act and the Volstead law
enforcement. This is being patterned
after the experience secured with drug
laws for many years past. But unless
congress and the people of the United
States are willing to put up many mil
lions of dollars, it will be long day
before thisNcountry really is dry.
Except for the fact that drinking is
far more common than addition to
drugs the enforcement of the Vol
stead law would be easy in comparison
with the drug law. Enough morphine
| or cocaine to kill a dozen men can be
hidden easily about a mans or wo-
| mans clothing without the chance of
attracting attention. The ordinary
dose of either given by a physician
to a non-addict is a quarter or half
grain, and hiding hundreds. of five
grain tablets is not difficult.
The necessity for keeping the con-
traband in as small bulk as possible
has resulted in practically all of the
bootleg business discarding beer and
handling only whisky and gin. Every
modern means of transportation is
brought into play in moving the stuff
into the country and from city to city
The price which could be secured for
| a thousand gallons of beer is not high
enough to tempt the bootleggers. but
| on a thousand gallons of whisky or
grain alcohol they can make a small
| fortune.
! The bureau of internal revenue is
Sware of many avenues of entrance
| for liquor from Canada. Booze is now
regularly brought into the country in
airplanes. the points of landing being
| many miles away from the border so
as to allay suspicion. The extent of
the rum running from the Islands
| bordering the South Atlantic coast is
well known also. but the money pro-
vided for enforcement of the law has
been too small thus far to make any
| serious dent in the activities of these
! rum runners.
A large part of the business of en-
Iforcement has to do with moving
| liquor about from city to city on
| forged permits. Officers questioning
the movements of big quantities of
| liquor, and attempting to seize it, have
| been confronted time and again with
permits showing apparently bona fide
ownership of the shipments, and ap-
| parently perfect but actually forged
permits to move specified quantities
from one place to another. Much of
this liquor sold and moved on forged
permits is obtained from distilleries
which are flouting the law.
| Probably the worst result of the dry
amendment and the Volstead law is
| the utterly constituencies money-mad
| brand of bootlegger who does not take
the trouble to get real whisky or even
make a substitute containing pure
| grain alcohol, but puts together a con-
coction containing the deadly wood
| alcohol. A little of this terrible dose
/ means certain death. The newspapers
every day contain accounts of death
| resulting from drinking this poison,
! but it is doubtful If there has been a
case where the dispenser of this stuff
| has received more than the penalty
prescribed by the Volstead law. AS a
| matter of fact, bootlegger knowingly
selling this kind of stuff is guilty of
plain murder.
Government Hunts Big Game Only.
The bureau of internal revenue is
not going after the little fellow, the
| retailer of contraba and forbidden
booze. This is not because of any
! sympathy with him or his machina-
tons. Regardless of their personal
views on the subject, the officials OF
this bureau are sworn to detect and
prosecute violations of the dry law
and they DO that to the limit of their
funds and capacities. Knowing it is
impossible to go after every violator
it has been found necessary to leave
the smaller offender to be dealt with
by state and city authorities, and con-
centrate attention on the wholesale
liquor manipulation.
A flying squadron has been organ
lied. and is moved from city to city tC
try and break up the bootlegging sys
TENS. Recently this squadron made
important arrests in Baltimore, ant
went from there to New York Somt
arrests will be made, but Baltimore
is not dry nor will New York be
Revenue officials know this, but plus
away at their jobs as hard as the,
can, knowing that complete success
can be theirs only when a preponder
, ant percentage of public opinion is il
favor of hard and fast enforcement o.