Evening star., 1923-09-13
The Enforcement Issue.

Attorney General Daugherty, in
report to the President, gives a review
of the record in the work of enforcing
the prohibition amendment and the
Volstead act. which, in the figures of
prosecutions and convictions, shows
progress. Mr.. Daugherty, however, pre-
scnts facts that are distressing and dis
quieting to citizens with a regard for
the law and belief in the necessity
Of its full observance. A statement
issued by the Department of Justice
relative to the report says:
The facts set forth reveal one of
the most tragic efforts in American
history relative to law enforcement
The report shows. among other
things, that the Department of Jus
tice has been called upon to prosecute
a member of the judiciary, prominent
members of the American bar, high
officials of the federal and state gov
ernments, mutimillionaires. scions of
the nations aristocracy. and the
EoTdid story of assassination, bribery
and corruption that found its way
into the very Sanctums wherein the
inviolability of the law was presumed
to have been held sacred.
Far more important than the pre-
vention of liquor distribution is the
punishment of law defiance. The issue
in the enforcement of the eighteenth
amendment is not merely the checking
of drunkenness, but the stopping of
notification.
Much mischief has been done by
the plea for a modification of the
enforcement act on the ground that
it is impossible to enforce so sweeping
a prohibition as that enacted by Con-
Eress, and that the people will not
support it. AS a matter of fact, there
is no warrant whatever for saying
that the people of this country do
not support or will not sustain full
enforcement of the law as it stands.
If there is a majority sentiment in
favor of modification it may be readily
ascertained by lawful processes.
This is a battle between law and
lawlessness. If the forces of disorder
win through trickery, bribery, evasion
and actual crime in this particular
they may win in a fight against any
law. The lawmaking process may
be scrapped and the United States
turned over to what is no less than
mob rule.
Much has been made of the cost Of
enforcement by those who favor modi-
flcation or repeal. There should be no
question on that score. Enforcement
is worth any amount of money that
may be needed. If $100,000,000 Is
required to establish the law it should
not be grudged. 1t will be well worth
the outlay.
If there has been dishonesty in the
enforcement organization, connivance
with lawbreaking, betrayal of trust,
such crimes are deserving of even
more severe punishment than those of
the direct assailants of the law.
Attorney General Daugherty's re-
port is calculated to strengthen the
determination of those Americans who
are concerned in the maintenance of
order in this country to put to a test
this issue of the supremacy of law.
All over the country are evidences
of the arousa1 of this opinion, this
public sentiment. 1t makes tre-
mendous force, which will be a factor
to insure continued and increasingly
efficient prosecution of the law. So
far from this matter easing off into a
habit of law evasion and official ac-
quiescence, prohibition enforcement is
becoming more and more definitely a
demand of the people. The fragrant
violations, the Haunting boastfulness
of enemies of the eighteenth amend
ment and the enforcement act the
display of riches made through viola
tions-all these only intensity the de-
mand that the law be made effective
and that it's violators, whoever they
are, be punished.