The Washington times., 1922-03-29
LIQUOR
DECLARED ONLY
COLORED HOOCH
Georgia Sheriff Says Tales OF
Rum-SmuggIing Are
Spread to MisIead.
BY DOUGLAS G. TINSLEY,
international News Service.


SAVANNAH, Ga, March %
While Federal prohibition agents ma,
ture plans for destruction of the
u iuor running traffic between the
Bahama Islands and the Georgia
coast, which they say is going on on
a wholesale scale. local authorities,
though admitting the situation Is
Lad, minimize It's seriousness and de-
clare the :tual rum running is con.
sicerably l,ss than 1t is said to be.
According to Sheriff NJ. w. Dixon,
OF Chatham county. a considerable
quantity of the "choice" brands OF
standard i;qIors reputed to have
been run II off the Georgia coast and
sol. at bottled -ih-bonu rates, with
'E.uropea, y. Gipree." never saw the
outside Of Chatham county.
Only Georgia MOonshine.
According TO the sheriff, lots OF
the much-tuuted red" liquor is moth.
ing more than Georgia moonshin@,
distilled in TIE swamps and morasscs
~ Chatham county, colored and boz
tied in STANDARD bottles, with counter
felt labels. to give 1t the appearance
Of having como from Overseas.
THE liquor running situation
about Savannah is bad enough
he said. Just as II Is In every
Southern port and Northern. too,
for that matter. but to say Savan-
nah is any worse than other port
towns in this respect Is nothing
but wilful malicious lie. Lots
OF people who pay big prices for
what they think is choice European
liquor are getting nothing but
the common moonshine variety.
Distillers themselves, finding
their product going begging as
against the struggled liquor. are
as much responsible as anybody
for the exaggerated" reports OF
rum running. he said. Their rea-
son for spreading these reports.
he added. was to give the impress
sion that bonded liquors can be
obtained in large quantities. thus
enabling them to dispose OF their
colored moonshine at better prices.
No Enforcement Enthusiasm.
Apparently there Is no great en-
thusiasm on the part OF State and
county officers toward aiding Fed
eral prohibition agents In enforc'
| ing the law. The State officers
say this Is the fault OF the Federal
agents. who, they say, seem 20
prefer to play lone hand in the
/ liquor enforcement game.
Ability OF the Federal Govern
ment to make any serious dent In
the liquor traffic. either with or
without the Use of Government
boats. is frankly secuted by State
! officers. They profess to see In
ability Of the Government 10 supply
enough boats to compete with the
wiles Of the liquor smugglers. As
on officer put IL, sit would take
a separate Government boat TO
keep tab on each whiskey boat
and II the liquor boat knew 1t
was being followed II would keen
outside the three-mile limit and
sail all the way to Canada. without
unloading. and maybe back again
and what could the Government do?
1t can't furnish separate boat
to watch every liquor ship"
Landing OF liquor on the Georgia
coast. without ever coming near Sa
vannah, is a simple process, they
say. there being seventy-five points
at which whiskey can he run into
the 365 square miles Of Chatham
county.
The general attitude Of the people
around Savannah. according tc
county officers, is that the prohibi
ton law In Federal Government legis
lation. that "the Government has
the money to enforce the law, and
let II do it,"