Evening journal., 1921-03-14

pre-eminence in the extent of the
trafhc. the ingenuity and audacity OF
the Illicit traders. and the huge prof
its they have realized.
No more favorable situation for
such a traffic could be conceived.
What is called "the border" extends
a distance of forty miles from Stony
Point to Amherstburg, along the De-
troit river, Lake St. Clair and the st.
Clair river. For much of the dis
tance there are flats covered with
reeds and a maze of channels. la
goons and small islands on which
are the huts Of fishermen. The
river is only 500 yards wide, which.
as has been said, is merely "a buzz
and a leap" for a launch which goes
fifty or sixty miles an hour, as do
some of the boats engaged in the
traffic.
Along many miles Of the water ex-
tend Detroit and its thickly popu-
lated suburbs of Crosse Point,
River Rouge. Wyandotte and
Ecorse. Many of the houses are
built out over the water on piles.
with lighthouses underneath. It is
estimated that in Detroit and its
suburbs are over million people.
Farther south is Toledo, as thirsty
as the communities along the bor-
der. while in all these American
centres there is a large foreign pop
ulation.
on the Canadian side is the city
of Windsor, with the towns of
l.
way and Tecumseh, with a total
population of over $4,000, all under
separate municipal governments,
each jealous of its authority, and
each with its force Of police. Be
hind is a country district of which
license officials at Windsor declare
90 per cent of the population are
engaged in "bootleggng."
The conflict of authority and the
attitude of the people in this part
of Canada have made any effective
enforcement of the law a sheer inn
possibility. As one official said:
The public mind is demoralized.
The people have no respect for the
present liquor law, nor would they
have for any other liquor law. They
seem to think that 'bootlegging' is
a patriotic duty. They say it brings
/ in American money, and they en-
phasize the war debt and the de-
probation of the Canadian dollar as
an excuse or justification of their
operations"
The ferries crossing the river are
used by the petty smugglers, who
wear bottles next to the skin or
under the skirts, or, for those who
have motors, with a secret chamber
under the wind shield or a double
! bottom.
One American official who has
devised a wonderful screwdriver
said: Il find that even the screw
| heads of the false bottoms are
! painted black" Hundreds OF
/ American cars cross the river night
/ after night. Where do all the
American cars go?" has become a
parody Of the song, Il know where
the flies go in the winter time"
Many Of these cars when returning
are stopped by the officials and the
occupants forced to stand on the
dock while the search for liquor is
prosecuted. In a summer cottage
not long ago an officer discovered
nine barrels of beer, all tapped and
the pumps ready. A young French
I Canadian woman who appeared in
court at Windsor had 100 bottles OF
beer, and it was explained that the
supply was for "a party Of friends
The magistrate suggested that the
supply was excessive. but the lady
said graciously and insinuatingly.
"Oh, no; not too much for a party
like mine"
In a stretch of seven miles along
the Sandwich road are eight road
houses. The signs read: Fish and
chicken dinners, frogs legs, meals
at all hours of the day and night"
All those places receive the vigi-
lant attention of the police. Along
the river are frame cottages, which
rent for $3.50 for two months in
the summer. Many of the resi-
dents Of these cottages have fast
launches which are used for more
than pleasure riding on the riVerA
The rum runners" and boot
leggers" have telephone systems and
} storing posts and a force Of spies
and agents far better organized, ai
the license inspectors admit, than
. the provincial and municipal police
Ecorse is the most notorious distrib-
| uting centre Of all the suburbs O,
{ Detroit The launches under covef
of night ply through the Rouge and
Ecorse marshes. The backyards a
the houses are on the river, ana
many a humble dwelling is a SNUG
/, glers depot. Many of the runners
: wear rubber boots. Silently tht
launches slide into their berths ana
silently their cargoes disappear.
, In roadhouse one said casualI
to an old darky, You seem to havs
! nothing exciting around here" Th-
: darky chuckled. Better sticl
\ around" he said, things don't be-
gin till y. Between II and
: the time"
amount can be spent in bribing Of
) As serious is the fact that grea'
e hcials and securing protection fc
the runners. There is no doubt thg
some of the public officers were sin
= gularly inactive in the pursuit ant
. prosecution of offenders. In sony
: cases there has been reason to sus
u pect active collusion. In other case.
: there has been actual fear of re-
prisals If undue curiosity OF vigt
: lance were displayed. There he
l. been, too. a general demoralizatiol
!; of public opinion. and an organized
! movement to discredit prohibition
! and prevent it's enforcement.
J