The Washington times., 1923-10-23

Poll I. les
CAUSES
Rows
Present Troubles Blamed on
Senators Who Influence
Appointments.
By WILLIAM HARD.


The presumably last chapter ir
the present volume Of prohibition
enforcement agitations and alarms
is being written here today as
Wayne B. Wheeler, Washington
representative of the Anti-Saloon
League, and James ]. Britt, legal
adviser of the prohibition enforce
ment division, go to their SEIZED
uled meeting to discuss, it is sup
posed, certain possible improve
ments in the prohibition enforce
ment regulations.
Net Results Startle.
They will be able to discuss also
the net result of all the recent
moves and counter-moves which
began with Pinchot's outcry of in
dignation in Pennsylvania, which
continued on into the citizenship
conference here of the Federal
Council of the Churches of Christ
in America, which eliminated in
the robust speeches made in the
governors conference at West
Baden and here in Washington,
and which reached a sort of final
super-c1imax in Pinchot's demand
that the Federal Government adj
Enthusiastically check and halt the
lawless brewery and the lawless
distillery by means of system of
revocable permits.
1nf Of oil
heated proceedings IS here believed
to be Etartlingly as follows:
No responsibility whatsoever has
been successfully located on the
shoulders of any given individual
or set If individuals for the alleged
imperfections and corruptions of the
Federal prohibition enforcement
service. Governors have risen; gov
ernors have spoken; governors
have sat down; strong promiscuous
charges have been made; and abSo-
lutely nothing has been proved.
The pivot in this strange merry
go-round of revolving accusations
without any arrivals at any conclu-
gions is R. A. Haynes, prohibition
commissioner. who reports to ID. II.
Blair, internal revenue commits
sioner, who, in turn, reports to A.
w. Mellon, Secretary Of the Treas
ury.
Haynes, who is. in. full immediate
Control of all Federal prohibition an
'forcement, is highly praised by the
Anti-Saloon League, Federal Council
OF Churches Of Christ in America,
Citizenship Conference Pinchot ele-
ment. They say Haynes does his
best.
oil
Haynes is impeded and hampered
and thwarted by his superior, Blair,
and by his super-superior, Mellon.
They do not like Blair and Mellon.
Praise for Haynes.
Blair and Mellon, however, instead
of thereupon detesting Haynes are
fond of him. They praise him highly.
They say he does well.
Haynes, meanwhile, on hearing
himself praised by the Anti-Saloon
of Christ in America, Citizenship
Conference Pinchot element, on the
one hand, and by Blair and Mellon
on the other, raises his hands and
distributes his blessings both to right
and to left.
He is officially grateful to the
Anti-Saloon League Federal-Councl-
of-Churches- of Christ-in-America Citi-
Eenship- Conference Pinchot element
for its noble work in stirring up the
dry bones o&r the bone-dry senti-
ment in America; and he is official
ly emphatic in saying that never is
he impeded or thwarted or hamper
ed in prohibition enforcement by
either Blair or Mellon.
The question then arises: If all is
90 well, what is all this trouble
about?
If Haynes has the confidence Of
the Anti-Saloon League Federal
Council of Churches of Christ in
America citizenship Conference Pin
chot element, and if Blair and Mel
lon have the confidence of Haynes,
what is the point Of Pinchot's con-
versation and what is it, or who is
it, that is really responsible for the
alleged inefficiencies and criminal
ties of the prohibition enforcement
services Washington management?
Both Made DeniaIs.
Both Blair and Mellon, in inter
views with this writer, have earn
estly denied that they have ever cut
across the bows of Haynes in his
pursuit of alcoholic law breakers;
and they have asked to be provided
with specifications of any cases in
which they could be supposed to
have done so. No such specified
tions of any such cases have in
fact been brought forward at any
time in the whole course of the re-
cent prolonged unpleasantness.
Blair today made to this writer
the following statement:
The SubjecL of the permits issued
TO breweries and distilleries has
been thrown into discussion. Gov
ernor Pinchot says these permits