The Washington times., 1922-11-18
FLAYS DELAY IN
RUM PROBE
+. LETTER
NY. Grand Jury Foreman Sees
Mystery in Hold-up Of Note
q. 49,, To Treasury.
by UniyeisaI Service.

~ NEW YORK, Nov. 1S.-Prohibi.
tiona scandals barred by Federal
grard.s jury 10 the United states
;. Treasury Department have oeeh
nassteriously ignored, w. DE Saus-
asuRe frsnholm. foreman OF the poay
Investigating the enforcement OF the
Volstead ACT. announced today.
Delay In transmission OF the let
tel. & to officials at Washington
whtch charge tile affairs OF the Of.
flee of the Federal prohibition di-
. rector for the State of New York
have been conducted in an ineffi'
cient and disgraceful manner has
defeated the entime purpose or the
Investigation. Mr.. Trenholm said.
He added: ...''..,.
!" Meant TO Hold Them.
\ : ."The purpose of the letter so
strangely delayed was to have the
!, Treasury Department refuse to &C.
t.cept the designations OF Prohibi'
aioR- Commissioner Ralph A. Day
! and his chief assistant, Ralph =.
parsons.
E.9"It was the plan of the grand
tury to keep these men under Its
SJurisdiction and so place on them
sothe responsibility Of the serious
ssharges.esF ,s-"aI .. .r
dstter' passed on by Presid-
htg Judge Foster Of the United
States District Court was approved
10y the jury and forwarded to the
Treasury Department. October ~,
last. =" -
81 Letter Acknowledged.
ftsMr. Trenholm said that last Mon,
!, day the Secretary of the Treasury
Informed United States Attorney
sHayward that q copy Of the letter
had been received. When It was
treceived. was. not revealed.
In the interim between the send
ing Of the letter and it's acknowl-
sdgment the designations of Day and
Parsons took effect November l.
- That Day and Parsons were al
lowed to resign. Is the chief COM
plaint Of Mr.. Trenholm. The letter.
signed by the foreman of the grand
jury charging political influence in
regulation of the liquor traffic, fol-
lows in part:
1.-The grand jury has heard tes-
timony,. believed to be reliable, in
that the affairs of the
office of Federal prohibition d.
rector have been conducted in an
inefficient and disgraceful manner.
ft, Appointments Political.
Apparently the, agents, selected
for 4he active work Of suppressing
illegal traffic In wf1iskey have
been chosen principally for political
."The testimony mentioned shows
definitely ri4at the agents operat-
ing directly under John s. Parsons
were treated unfairly and with
Partially.
I'm one instance. one of the
agents whom he favored. COM
mitted a serious violation of de-
partmentnl relations which was OF
such a character that he should
have been promptly dismissed. but
he was retained in the service at
least until the grand jury investi-
cation. now in progress was in
stituted.
Say Day Knew,
Mrs. Parsons and John D. Ap.
pleby, divisional chief of the general
prohibition agents, stated under
oath that the facts in the case
were communicated by them to
Ralph A. Day. Mr.. Appleby fur
ther testified that had he been In
Mr.. Days position he would have
suspended the agent referred to.
This agents brother lent Mr.. Day
q large amount of money.
THE grand jury is Of the opinion
that II a genuine effort IL to be
made in New York to enforce the
Federal prohibition law, Mr.. Day
and Mr.. Parsons should be removed
from their present positions"