Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-24
PROHIBIT ION ENFORCEMENT
IS. GRADUALLY IMPROVING

pears to be satisfied with the record
of all but seven or eight states.
Meanwhile the states which are
toeing the mark are actually reliev,
ing the federal government of much
work it would otherwise be obliged
to do. The idea is to make the CO.
operation between the federal and
state officials as effective as possible.
In many instances, the federal in
Vestigators have worked up cases
and turned them over to state Off
Gals for prosecution in state courts.
This has helped to swell the funds
received from fines by the states
and to make the penal record of GER
tain states show up ever so much
better than that of the federal prose
cutting agencies.
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-
uuire the federal government to do
all the Sll1OIClIIS VI ~ ~
operation with the local police under
such circumstances is difficult II not
possible. The entire federal force IN
the prohibition unit including cleri-
cal help is not more than 5000 per-
sons. Unless the states render as
sistance, indeed, unless they co most
of the work, prohibition cannot be
enforced without greater outlay by
the federal government and huge
federal army of detectives and prose
cutting attorneys.
Meanwhile what results can the
prohibitionists show? The record CT
punishment is easily ascertained.
What is the record of prevention?
Has drunkenness decreased and are
there fewer arrests for other crimes?
Morality Improved
When the European war ended
and America felt the effects of
crime wave, the anti-prohibltlonlst
attributed the wave to the restless
ness of the public over the absence
of stimulant. The prohibitionist an
SWered that crime waves always
followed a war and insisted that the
criminal record was too complex &c
be blamed on one cause. SO might
the anti-prohibitiOnist today turn
the argument around and declare
that if crime doesn't arise from a
single cause then its improvement
cannot be credited to one reform.
Bearing these pro and con views in
mind. however. the following fig
ures furnished by the federal pro-
hibition unit give some idea of the
1+,, crnNrnrnY1ont off
Gals base their statement that NOT
only have arrests for intoXication
diminished but there has been a no
ticeabIe improvement 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 and comparing it
with three dry years in the state
Of Massachusetts the arrests for
drunkenness have decreased 40 per
cent in Boston alone and As per cent
in the whole state. The total num-
Der of women arrested shows de
crease of 66 per cent and the fig
ures on arrests for all causes show
Il drop of % per cent.
In New York state, the govern
ment figures show a decrease III
arrests of 81 per cent in New York
city alone. The drunk court cases
have diminished by sc 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 mis-
demeanors shows a decrease of SIS
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, the disorderly
arrests by 81 per cent and the wom-
en- arrested for vagrancy by 76 per
cent.
In California, the 1918 figures
compared with 1922 show a decrease
of 50 per cent. In Missouri, the
year 1917 compared with the year
1922 shows a diminution of 70 per
cent in the arrests for drunken
ness in the large cities and towns.
The figures, no doubt, will be
challenged. Government officials say
they are based on police records
carefully obtained Did prohibition
take the poor mans drink away
anu Keep u-Ill out OIL jail only "
increase the amount of drinking
among the folks of moderate means?
The general opinion of officials is
that the hue and cry today about
bON'IeGging" proceeds, largely from
Americas upper classes who are
feeling the pinch of prohibition and
the rich man today is face to fare
with the situation which confront
ed the poor man in the first three
months after the eighteenth amend
ment was adopted.
The attitude of the upper classes
is to 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 Influence are immune from
prosecution. Much misunderstand-
ing exists as to the effects Of pO-
litical pull in federal and state agen-
cies of enforcement and this will
be discussed in subsequent dis
patch.