The New York herald., 1922-02-08
10,291 DRUNKS IN
1921 ROUSE ALBANY
With 1920 Record Nearly
Doubled, Hostility to An
dersOn Bills Grows.
DRYS FEAR 'TRIPLETS'
Local Enforcement Will
Aid the BOOtleggers, AS
semblymen Declare.
APPEALS GO BACK HOME
Duke Convinces Bible Class
That Anti-SalOOn Measures
Are Harmful.
APPEALS GO BACK HOME
Special Dispatch TO THE New York HERALD
New York Herald Bureau,
Albany Feb = (

New York Herald Bureau,
Albany, Feb Z.
Convictions for drunkenness again
are on the increase. The decline Of
public intoxication that marked 1920,
the first full year prohibition was in
effect, has stopped and the trend for
the last year has been upward.
The States official report, as pre-
pared by John J. Lyons, Secretary of
State, shows not only that prohibition
is not prohibiting but that public in
toxication is of a more serious charac-
ter now than during the first year the
Eighteenth Amendment was in effect.
Prohibitionists in the Assembly
point to the increase in convictions for
intoxication as an argument for better
enforcement Of present laws rather
than the enactment Of new ones. Sta
tistics Of the Secretary of State show
that in 1921 there were 10,291 convic-
tons for drunkenness in this State,
nearly double those in 1920. when the
convictions aggregated 5,5s7. In 1918
there were 1876 intoxication convic-
tions and in 1919, which was half in
and half out of the prohibition period,
there were 15,347 convictions. War
time prohibition went into effect July
l, 1919, and the prohibition amendment
in January, 1920.
Drys Are Alarmed.
These figures have alarmed the Pro-
hibitionists in the Legislature to such
an extent that they are turning against
the Anti-Saloon Leagues and other en-
forcement measures now pending.
Furthermore, the dry leaders in the
Assembly who fought hard for ratiflca-
tion and the Mullan-Gage enforcement
law have adopted the methods and tao
tics of William H. Anderson. superin-
tendent of the Anti-Saloon League, in
their fight against the "triplet bills be-
fore the Legislature. Following Ander-
sons own policy, they are going back
home and telling the church folk and
the dry agitators that enactment OF such
bills as Anderson demands will hurt the
cause Of prohibition rather than help It,
Assemblyman William Duke. Jr. chair
man of the Codes Committee. and AS
semblyman Charles ii. Belts, two of the
strongest prohibition advocates in the
lower house, have come out openly
against the Anti-Saloon League bills.
Speaker Machold is backing them. He
said to-day that there were laws enough
on the statute books to enforce prohibi-
tion and that he was not In favor OF
enacting others. Other dry Assembly
men fighting the league bills are Ed
mund b. jerks OF Broome and r. T..
Cole Of Steuben. Their stand means al
most certain death Of the Anderson
triplets in the Assembly. even though
they pass the Senate. where Senator
Clayton r. Lusk, the majority leader, is
supporting them.
See Aid to BootIeggers.
Both Assemblymen Duke and Belts
say that the Anti-Saloon League bills
will do nothing but aid the bootleggers.
"They are the dream of the bootleg
gers" said Assemblyman Duke. They
will give the bootleggers q cheap license
Last Sunday | discussed these bills be-
fore the Bible class of the Methodist
Church at Wellsvllle. Allegany county.
where ] live. and before ! got through
had convinced both the members and the
minister that they would weaken prohi-
bition enforcement.
II also question their constitutional
ity. The Eighteenth Amendment pro-
vided tor concurrent Jurisdiction in pro-
bibition enforcement between the Fed
eral and State governments / doubt
IL this State now has the right TO de'c-
gate that power TO the localities, after
passing the Mullan-Gago law. That law,
with the Volstead act, gives the state
police authorities sufficient power"
Duke said he was firmly convinced
that II the Anti-Saloon League bills
we're passed the bootleggers would be
hailed before recorders courts. where
political influence Is strong. and let off
with small fine.
Assemblyman Belts said the only re-
suit of the Anti-Saloon League bills
would be to help the bootieggers and
give Anderson more money"
The only place for these bills is in the
waste paper basket and 7 say that as
an ardent prohibitionist," Belts said
up in my county, Wayne, we tave had
no trouble in enforcing prohibition under
the Mullan-GaEe law. II you turn pro.
hibltion over to the town and village
boards the Sheriff and other police on
cisls arc going to pass the buck to them
Local officials cannot enforce prohbi-
tion. They are too well known and
besides they arc not going around pry-
ing into the conduct Of their own
neighbors.'