Evening star., 1923-05-30
WRECK OF DRY LAW
"RESTS ON SMITH"
President Sees Prohibition
"Demoralized" if Repeater
Is Signed.
by FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Bootlegging. rum-running and other
violations Of the liquor laws are wholly
secondary, in the view of federal
authorities, to the gravity of the issue
| wrapped up in the New York prohibi-
tion situation. Whether Thursdays
great debate at Albany results in repeal
of the state enforcement laws or not,
the repercussion is bound to be vital and
of national consequence. If Gov. Smith
vetoes the repeal bill and sustains the
Mullan-Gage law, federal officials are
| confident the cause of prohibition will
be immeasurably advantaged far and
wide. Conversely, if enforcement is
| wiped from New York's statute books.
| repeal will be hailed as a 'rrepudiation''
of prohibition, incalculable in its pos
sibilities.
How the White House views the
situation may be judged by an article
| in the June number of the Review of
, Reviews by Judson C. Welliver. an
| important member Of President
| Harding's executive staff. Mr.. Wei
! liver's principal function. as a
| trained journalistic observer. is to
keep the President minutely informed
of the ground swellS in American
|
| big issues are likely TO reflect the
J Harding viewpoint.
/ Hardest Enforcement Nut.
| His article concludes:
Much more serious than three-mile
| limit questions is the repeal of the
! state prohibition enforcement act by
New York. With its enormous mar
ket, its ample supplies of capital for
such adventures, and it's equally am
pie number of people ready for any
enterprise that promises handsome
| profits, New York has been the hard
| est nut for the enforcement authori-
| ties.
with the whole responsibility in
enforcement unloaded on the federal
officials it will become a still more
difficult problem, and if enforcement
! in New York shall break down to
such an extent as to make the whole
prohibition system either a demon
strated failure or excessively eXpen
sive the consequences must be ex-
tremely demoraliZing. The secession
of the great metropolitan state, which
contains one-tenth of the country's
population, must obviously mark the
beginning of something like new
epoch in the experiment of enforcing
prohibition"
Dry leaders admit thats enforcement
repeal in New York would be griev-
Gus setback in the tedious campaign
| to popularize prohibition in the public
|, mind. 1t was Chief Justice Taft who
!prophesied that it would take ten
years to create the state of mind"
| necessary to bring about practical re-
| spect for the liquor laws.
| During the three years and half
| the Volstead act has been in effect
| it's exponents believe progress on the
| whole has kept relative pace with Mr..
| Tafts forecast. They are frankly
I fearful that New York may overturn
that two states-Maryland and Mas
| sachuSetts-neyer passed enforce
ment legislation, is considered far
less important than would be the ac-
/ tion of the largest state in the Union
I in casting out enforcement laws
| enacted and in effect. New York's
move in that direction would be in
terpreted widely. as an indication
vets, it is feared, will leave no stone
| unturned to broadcast such an i'm
preston. Dry authorities would al
1 most prefer that Manhattan Island
| forcement, as it has been doing,
| rather than it should utterly abolish
| the enforcement system.
Government to Carry On.
No sensational consequences would
follow repeal in New York. as far as
the federal prohibition authorities
are concerned. In answer to a direct
question on the subject, White House
spokesmen have said thar federal en-
forcement would simply be prose-
cuted with greater uigor." Nobody
need imagine that this would mean
unseemly invasion of states rights,
or the dispatch of formidable federal
| forces to dry up New, York on an in
tensive scale. To begin with. there's
no money for such a purpose. The
entire federal prohibition budget is
only $9,000.000. and S250,000 of that
sum is earmarked for suppression of
| the narcotics traffic. At the instiga-
! tion of Gen. Lord. director of the
| budget, Commissioner Haynes con-
sented to a cut of $250,o00 in the
prohibition appropriations.
J In New York, If there is to be no
concurrent state enforcement in the
sense of the eighteenth amendment.
! Uncle Sam will simply have to worry
along. as he has worried along In
| Maryland and Massachusetts. That
/ is to say, Commissioner Haynes will
| continue to regard it his primary
| duty to seal UP the sources of Illicit
| supply rather than hound individual
malefactors with an absurdly insult
/ fcfent field force. BY concentrating
! en- bootleg conspirators and con-