The Washington times., 1923-02-24
DRY LAW CASES
CLOG.FEDERA|
COURTS
!. ~ : - -
one-fourth Of Prosecutions
Relate TO Prohibition, Says
II. s. HadIey.
BY ROBBERY s. THORNBURGH,
'; international News Service. ss,h.
n copyright, 1923, bys InterhAtional

'. y >
sfsEit News Service. } esss.
Criminal prosecutions incident
to prohibition enforcement have
brought about considerable ,dfa-.
Organization" Of. the courtssof United
States and are contributing SERIOUSLY
to, a general dislocation of; the en-
tire judicial SYSTEM Former Gov.
Herbert he s. Hadleys Of Missouri, told
the international News Service to-
day. So Ia s. il SO
s Governor Hadley, VINO. is. now
associated with the University Of
Colorado Law School, was 81 member
of the committee. which organized
the American Law Institute here.
In nearly years close study of
laws and legal practices he has OBJ
tanned a keen insight into court
procedure. In 1912 Governor Had
ley was widely mentioned. as a
Presidential possibility.
Clogs Up the Courts.
Statistics indicate that one.
fourth of the criminal cases before
the Federal courts of United States
are prohibition prosecutions Gov
ernor Hadley said. Enforcement
of the Volstead act clogs up courts
to just that extent-25 per cent.
However, in nay opinion, the
danger of disruption Of the judicial
system, as the result of prohibition,
while existant, is not as serious as
some authorities would have us
believe"
Governor Hadley said there has
been a wide increase in violation
Of the narcotic laws, as the result
OF sale of bootleg whiskey. Mar
cotic prosecutions, which are
coming before American courts in
ever increasing numbers, were given
as a class of crimes incident to
prohibition" by Hadley.
'"'And yet" Governor Hadley
added, prohibition is here to stay.
While the conditions are bad
enough now--that is, as to violations
of the law resulting from the en-
forcement of the. prohibition law
violations are nothing to what they
were under the regime of the open
saloon.
Il believe there is greater defiance
to the prohibition law on the part
of the present generation than has
ever been evinced against any legis.
lation put on American statute
books. There is keen resentment
against what is termed an encroach-
ment on personal liberty.
but undoubtedly the next genera
ton of American citizens-the boys
and girls of today-wtft look upon
prohibition more complacentIy.
Problem viii Be Solved.
Governor Hadley said he could
offer no specific for Improvement of
the prohibition laws or court pro-
cedure that the congested condition
of the judicial might be disSipated.
THAT Is Simplyaa problem which
must work itself out with experience
and tic Will work itself out" he ex.
blamed.
He declared all laws must be made
more specific, more exact and clear
that cases involved under them
might pass through the courts with
dispatch.
Governor Hadley admitted the new
American Law Institute has taken
upon itself tremendous task In the
endeavor to promulgate a restate-
ment of the basic principles of
American law, so that the courts
of every State might have common
foundation upon which to work.
The legal profession, he said, is
making gallant effort to throw
off the shackles of red tape which
through common law, legislative
statute, judicial practice and ap-
pelate court decision, have made
lawyers the slave of precedent.