Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-01-13
THE WAR ON RUM GRAFT

The greater the difficulties in the
way of the enforcement of a law, the
more potent the temptations to nom
enforcement or to favoritism in en-
forcement, the more necessary is pub
lie vigilance.
Lax and corrupt enforcement of pro-
hibition in New York has been motor
ious. Some months ago it developed
into an intolerable scandal.
On every hand we're Caring signs
that a Rum Ring of rascally polite
ians, working in collision with crooked
or complacent Federal officials, were
making law a mockery and plllng up
great fortunes through bootlegglng.
The illicit profits ran into millions
of dollars. The sky seemed the only
limit.
Conditions became so vicious that
this newspaper decided something
should be done.
1t proceeded to do it.
working with the United States
District Attorneys Office, it made a
fearless investigation, successful
against great OuuS.
AS the result of information col
lected by American editors and re-
porters and placed in official channels,
the first instalment of indictments has
been announced.
) They include a former Federal Pro-
hibition Director for New York State,
Judge Harold L. Hart, of Binghamton,
conspicuous in upstate politics, ana
william A. Orr, for foul years secre-
taray of Governor Charles S. Whitman.
Indictment of Hart and Orr raises
the inquiry whether other men also
prominent in state politics and power
full in the inner circles of authority at
Albany may not be involved. Perhaps
in time we shall see.
The American, while waiting for
these indictments to come, has not
been idle. 1t will in due course pre-
sent further facts about the damnable
corruption of public officials. The UNI
covering has just begun.
In making these exposures, and in
cooperating to bring about these nee
essary indictments, this newspaper
feels that it is doing a very important
and an urgently necessary public SER
vice.
Hundreds of shocking deaths are di-
rectly traceable to the unlawful
traffic in which men sworn to serve
the public betrayed their trust for
money.
Not alone is the public health being
menaced, but the entire framework OF
law and order is being undermined by
these conspicuous evidences of the
contempt into which this n law has
fallen.
Respect for authority soon ceases
after those in authority themselves
show disrespect.
Moreover, the spectacle of the swift
enrichment of official crooks and graft
tiers, their ready and often Haunting
display of easy money has been thrust
ing a tremendous and cruel tempta-
ton upon other public servants strqg-
Cling on modest salaries to make ends
meet.
No strain upon honesty is harder to
bear than the sight of ~rascality get
JlnS away Will gran.
is determined that some of these ras-
Gals shall not get away as easily as
they have expected. 1t is also deter
mined that honesty in office shall have
a fairer chance. The issue is not
whether prohibition as a policy is wise
or unwise, but whether a government
can stand whose agents, after taking
oaths to obey and enforce the law,
fout and betray it for hire.
The people will make short work OF
these Shiny little grating rats in the
seepy cellars of rotten politics.-From
the New York American, one of the
chain of newspapers published in the
United States by William R. Hearst.
BASKETBALL