San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-21

idea is to make the cooperation be-
tween the federal and state officials
as effective as possible. In many
| instances, the federal investigators
/ have worked up cases and turned
them over to state officials for prose-
| cution in state courts. This has
| helped TO swell the funds received
from fines by the states and TO make
| the penal record of certain states
| show M ever so much better than
that Of the federal prosecuting agen-
cies.
The theory of Prohibition Commits
sioner Haynes is that it doesn't mat
ter who catches the violator of the
prohibition law so long as he is
caught.
Some states like Massachusetts and
| Maryland have declined TO pass en-
| forcement laws of their own and re-
quire the federal. government to do all
| the enforcing of prohibition. Co
operation with the local police under
such circumstances is difficult if not
| impossible. The entire federal force
in the prohibition unit including cler-
zeal help is not more than $500 per-
sons. Unless the states render as
sistance, indeed unless they do most
of the work prohibition cannot be en-
forced without greater outlay by the
federal government and n huge fed
eral army Of detectives and prosecut-
ing attorneys.
Has Drunkenness Decreased?
Meanwhile what results can the
prohibitionists show? The record of
punishment is easily asCertained.
What is the record of prevention?
Has drunkenness decreased and are
there fewer arrests for other crimes:
When the European war ended and
America felt the effects of a crime
wave, the anti-prohibtionis attribute
ed the wave TO the restlessness of the
public over the absence of stimulant.
| The prOhibitionist answered that
crime waves always followed war
and insisted that the criminal record
was too complex 10 be blamed on one
cause. So might the anti-prohibition-
list today turn. the argument around
and declare that il crime doesn't arise
from a single cause then its improve
ment cannot he credited to one re-
form. Bearing these pro and con
views in mind, however, the following
figures furnished by the federal prohi-
bitiOn unit give some idea of the facts :
upon which government officials base
their statement that not only have ar :
rests for intoxication diminished but
there has been a noticeable improve
ment in other ways in the morality of
the country. some admittedly wet :
states being taken as the basis for
study.
Using the average Of seven wet
years an comparing it with three
dry" years in the State of MaSsa- :
chusetts, the arrests for drunkenness
have decreased 40 per cent in Boston :
alone and 46 per cent in the whole
state. The total number of women
arrested shows decrease of 66 per
cent and the figures on arrests for all .
causes show a drop Of % per cent.
Fewer Are Arrested.
In New York state, the government
figures. show a decrease in arrests
of 81 per cent in New York City
alone. The drunk court cases have
diminished by &c per cent and of the
women brought TO court for being
drunk the statistics show a decrease
Of 81 per cent. The total of arrests ::
for assaults and misdemeanorS
shows decrease of 80 per cent. :
These comparisons are made on the
basis Of the last two dry years and
eight preceding wet years.
In Pennsylvania. the drunk ar
rests in Philadelphia have gone down :
by 81 per cent, disorderly arrests by
81 per cent and the women arrested :
for vagrancy by &c per cent
In California. the 1918 figures com :
pared with 1922 show decrease OF
80 per cent. In Missouri, the year :
1917 compared with the year 1922
shows a diminution Of 73 per cent :
in the arrests for drunkenness in the
large cities and towns. :
The figures no doubt will be chal- :
lcnged. Government officials say they
are based on police records carefully
obtained. Did prohibition take the
moor mans drink away and keep him
out of Jail only TO increase the
amount of drinking among the folks :
of moderate means? The general opin-
ion Of officials is that the hue and
cry today about "bootlegging' pro-
ceeds largely from Americas upper :
classes who are feeling the pinch Of
prohibition and that the rich man to-
day is face to face with the situation
which confronted the poor man IN :
the first three months after the
eighteenth amendment was adopted.
The attitude Of the upper classes is
N some extent based upon the theory .
that they can violate liquor laws as :
they do automobile traffic laws. The
people without political influence
think their brethren with political in :
fluence are immune from prosecution. :
Much misunderstanding exists as to :
the effects of political pull i'll federal
and state agencies of enforcement and
this will be discussed in a subsequent
liSn q trh