The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-10-18
Dry Law Clash
at Governors
Meet Looms
McCray Stirs Conference by
Declaring House Cleaning
and Presidents Con-
troll Needed.

| West Baden, Ind, Oct. 17.-Prohibi.
| ton never can be strictly enforced
until there Is a thorough house
cleaning in the personnel of the ma
tional dry law forces and the federal
prohibition unit is placed squarely un-
der the direction apd responsibility Of
the president of the United States.
This startling charge, echoing the
challenge of Governor Pinchot Of
Pennsylvania, to the citizenship con-
ference in Washington that the presi-
dent personally assume direction OF
the liquor law enforcement. was made
here today by Governor McCray OF
Indiana, who delivered the address Of
welcome to the opening session Of the
18th annual conference of state gov.
ernors.
| Falling like a bombshell among the
80 governors assembled Tor the meet
ing, McCray's declaration thrust the
prohibition question Immediately to
| the fore as the chief controversial
problem of the conference, dwarfing
the other subjects on the regularly
scheduled program for the three-day
gathering.
Other state executives followed Nc
Cray's lead, but with less sensational
convictions, and indications from
these discussions were that all will
not be harmony when the governors
gather at President Coolidge's law
and order" conference at the White
House next Saturday.
| As the first steps to secure more
satisfactory results McCray suggested
that the prohibition unit be taken
from the Treasury department and
made a separate entity Of the federal
government, with the chief under per-
sonal direction Of the president. With
| this change, McCray thought, there
should follow a general house-clean-
| ing
TOO often federal enforcement Of
ficers are not in sympathy with the
law" he said. "Officials Of this char
acter should be cleaned out Of the
service"
| Governor Parker II Louisiana join
ed with McCray in denunciation OF
what was termed "winking at the law
among wealthy classes in the country,
and even among high officials in
Washington"
Breeds Anarchy.
This Is the sort Of thing McCray
declared, which is largely responsible
for the apparent widespread disre-
spect for the Volstead act. When per
sons of wealth and affluence can vio.
late the law, and get away with It,
while the average American citizen is
fined and often sent to Jail for carry
| ing flask, then you have a condition
that breeds anarchy and contempt for
law
While pointing out the responsible
ty of the federal government in the
matter of law enforcepent, McCray
was extremely careful TO declare that
states also shared burden In the
work, that OF throwing assistance 10
the administration in enforcing stat.
utes that are a part of the law OF the
land. For himself. he pledged CO.
operation of-Indiana to President
Coolidge in the fight against liquor.
BY Associated Press.
| Washington, Oct. 17.-Expressions
on the subject at the recent citizen
ship conference here and the ap-
proach of the governors law enforce
ment conference to be held at the
White House Saturday have com
bined to push the prohibition enforce
| ment question TO the forefront OF ma
tional problems engaging the atten'
ton OF the administration.
After calling on President Coolidge
yesterday, William Allen White. Kan
sas editor, charged that wet sena.
tors" in their control of the appoint.
ment Of federal enforcement officers
in the states" were the source of the
governments difficulty in enforcing
the dry laws.
Successful federal enforcement can
not be accomplished. Mr.. White de-
clared. unless the president of the
United States does one of two things;
Either puts righteousness and the
! fear of God into the wet senator's or
breaks with them"