Evening star., 1923-10-13
Citizenship Session Declares
Stand-Up Fight on La,Uless

other localities where enforcement is
difficult and where the press is not
| favorable.
Stating that the problem of alcohol
permits for medicinal and industrial
uses had been solved. he declared
that there are evidences that the Ii
quor interests are carrying on tre-
mendous propaganda to make the
country believe that the anti-liquor
laws cannot be enforced.
| Local officials are cooperating in
most states throughout the country
| he said, telling specially of the work
| in Washington state and Ohio, He
/ pointed out that state enforcement
in Ohio had cost s10S,000. while fines
! collected for violation Of liquor laws
| had yielded $f.079,719.
Only Enemies Discouraged.
| The federal prohibition commits
! sioner is optimistic about law en-
tion are not discourag ged-only the
enemies, he said. One of the chief
| difficulties now. he said, is that the
| friends of prohibition have taken it
| for granted that once the amendment
| was adopted and the Volstead law
| enacted everything would be settled
! by law and have lost interest. The
| most pressing need, he declared. and
| the point which he stressed most. is
| for those who worked for prohibition
| to see that the law is carried out.
Prohibition is most popular, he said,
! where the law is most nearly en-
| forced. The punishment of wealthy
! violators of the law. he pointed out.
/ shows that it was not intended for
| the poor alone, as many have con-
! tended.
/ Describing the enforcement organ
! ization, Commissioner Haynes SAID
/ We'll trained. these forces are now
! functioning at maximum numeri-
! cally upon the basis of present ap-
| preparation. The federal prohibition
/ organization, including civil service
! both the Washington office and in
, the field. consists of 1881. as of Sep
! tember Is. 1928. At the present time
J Of this force there are engaged in
actual prohibition field operations
| 1922 agents.
! Under the law the federal gov
! ernment alone has the responsibility
| for the conduct of the permit sys-
TEN. This system provides for the
distribution and supervision of me-
dicinal and industrial spirits and me-
dicinal and sacramental wine In
| order to safeguard against abuses,
| thousands of inspections are neces-
! sary before permits are approved or
disapproved. and vast amount of
! work Is entailed. For instance, as
| Of October l, 1928. there were in
! effect approximately 123,s13 permits"
Improvement in Control.
| Very notable improvement has been
made. Mr.. Haynes said. in the con-
troll OF the withdrawal of liquor for
| medicinal purposes.
Much has been done. too. he said,
! In the matter of concentrating supply
to bonded liquor. which was formerly
scattered over the country in 500 dis
! tillery warehouses, he said.
! Our records show that since June
| 1921, through March 81. 1923, there
J were S5.760 criminal cases begun in
J United States courts; $500 civil cases
j begun in United States courts: 43.s05
| convictions secured on criminal
| charges: 2,314 convictions secured on
! clvlI charges; also that criminal fines
imposed for period July /, 1921. to
June 80, 1922. totaled $404l,456.63;
! criminal fines collected for said
| period totaled $2,824.6S5O1: criminal
! fines imposed for period July /. 1922
TO April 81, 1923, totaled $2.755 Ss144
Referred for Prosecution.
The cases prepared by the prohi-
bltlon department, of course are
transmitted to the Department of
justice of t6e for at.pros prosecution The report
made TO President Coolidge, cover
| ing the activities of the Department
of Justice. shows that department is
also in dead earnest in the prosecu-
tlon or violators of the prohibition
laws. In that report it was shown
that since the prohibition law became
/ operative in 1920 the federal govern
ment had terminated 20,330 cases: Sc
! cured 72,4S9 convictions; secured the
assessment of fines totaling s12.367,-
| $50, and sentences for the past TWEEN
/ ty-three months totaled 5000 years
! "A very earnest effort is being
made this year to coordinate the fed
eral forces and their ativities with
| those of the states, counties and the
! municipalities. Let me urge that
every citizen support through private
! conversation, public utterance and
convention calls the efforts of your
officials from the smallest political
| subdivision clear up through your
state and national forces. for when
! these co-ordinating efforts are made
among the officials it is amazing how
! much more successful they are when
supported by the knowledge that the
great patriotic citizenship of the COM
munity is supporting their efforts.
II pledge my best efforts to enforce
the law. 1 will not be bribed or
brow-beaten, f1attered or frightened
! to swerve from the plain, straight
path of duty as ] see it. l call upon
! all. regardless of political creeds or
religious belief. as Americans to stand
enthusiastically on the side of law
enforcement-to rally to the defense
of the Constitution and to stand mill
tantly on the side of American ideals"