The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1921-10-28
THE BATTLE WITH BOOTLECGING
TIE NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATION, on

THE NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSOCIATION, one Of the ma
survey Of the illicit rum running industry. What this survey dis
closes IN presented IN series Of articles now appearing in The Herald
foreefuliy the necessity for q fat more vigorous campaign of enforce
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cause il has been impossible up TO this time to stop wholesale rum.
because il has not yet beea done is not conclusive evidence that il has
not been attempted or that il viii not be accomplished eventually
Nor Is this failure Of law enforcement a reason for eeasing the sup
preston Of small stills and local law violations
The favorite and tremendously powerful argument Of the liquor
hroksa down that disrsspeet Of prohibition law IS causing disrespeet
Of all law; and the conclusion Of these is that because prohibition has
Prohibition enforcement has not broken down for the very sim
pie reason thai Il has never been established. The significant fact
outstanding throughout has been that through our respect for law,
we, as a nation, expected bone-dry prohibition to be accomplished
merely by the enactment Of a constitutional amendment and a statute
We expected a miracle Miracles do not happen
Wholesale rum running, Bookkeeping, political influence in their
behalf, were to be expected. Graft was to be anticipated. The won
der is that there has not been more graft. The temptations were hound
to be enormous. Yet the vast majority of enforcement officer. have
have been widely exploited while the serious and persistent efforts to
little comment. This is not surprising. Law breaking is unusual,
therefore i : news and for that reason newspapers print il.
whisky i was TO be expected that a large majority Of such would
continue % Try TO get T. Furnishing It TO diem, in violation of law
Of those willing to take the risk
Such 2 battle wa not to be fought out in a day, a month or a
year. Such an expectation was as unreasonable as to expect accom-
phsbment Of the millennium by constitutional amendment and an en-
Tine and tremendous effort were bound to be factors in this con
A prohibition enforcement officer, in a recent address. complain,
ed that when a bootleegcr appeared in court his friends came with
him and law abiding citizens stayed away. He said il often seemed
that the prohibition officer and not the prisoner was on trial.
There was a time in the west when cattle rustlng was regarded
as a not ungenuemanly occupation, when one could get away with
IL and friends Of an apprehended rustler usually appeared in court TO
lend him their courage and support, while law abiding citizens stayed
safely at home. That time has passed.
The period of public tolerance Of violation of the prohibition law
viii also pass from thS,country. We are not without signs of its
passing There is a steadily growing demand for enforcement of law.
II is making itself felt throughout the nation. Ii is evidenced by ex
posurss Of bootlegging operations and violations of the enforcement
laws. These are coming with Increasing frequency. There has been
no breakdown of enforcement Of the law against Bookkeeping because
no adequate machinery for enforcement has been established. Such
machinery IL being established. 1t is steadily becoming more efficient
So is the sentiment supporting i constantly becoming stronger. If il
were otherwise the news Of prohibition law violation and the battle
against Il would not occupy the space it does in every issue of every
newspaper throughout the length and breadth of the land.