Evening star., 1923-10-15
Drinking Officials Lead Way
In Dry Violations, Says Pinchot
Governor Wants Leaders Here to Quit
Drinking and President to Haze
Charge of Dry Forces.

who warned of the perils of dis
obedience to the law included Will
liam Jennings Bryan, former Cow
Henry j. Allen of Kansas and AS
ker Willebrandt, whose duty particu-
larly lies along the line of prosecu-
tfons for violations of the prohibition
law.
| Cannot Defy Nation.
| TT Is idle to suggest" said Gov.
I Pinchot, that the law cannot be en-
+; forced. That the government of the
| United States. the most powerful ma
(, tion on earth, with the people over
! whelmingly behind 1t, Is powerless
| before a few thousand. or a few
hundred thousand. of assorted law
breakers. is simply unthinkable. The
| fact is we have never really tried.
, The essential reason why bootleg
ging and defiance OF law by the
! liquor people Is increasing is because
| this particular nettle has never been
grasped with strong hand.
! '"rhe thing that has protected the
| liquor criminal from the law is pol
! itics. Politics first, law enforcement
! poor second, has been the order.
Bad whisky. with beer to help. has
supplied the sinews of war for bad
politics, and politics has returned the
/ favor"
Gov Plnchot said that "the most
elementary principles of good busi-
! ness management have been disre-
! garded in the organization of the
government enforcement work.
"Under this system. born and bred
/ in politics, 1t is commonly believed. and
/ share that belief. that certain agents
| of the federal department not only
wink at the violation Of the law, but
! have served or are serving as COL
/ lectors of the six or seven dollars a
! barrel graft money paid by brewers
for immunity. This belief receives
| strong confirmation when a brewery
! is caught bribing state policemen
| (who were both promptly discharged
! from the force and prosecuted. Even
! stronger confirmation is found in the
= fact that high-power beer is manu-
factured and sold throughout the
state by the Illegal operation of
breweries holding federal licenses.
patrons OF the real beer they sell. its
! good quality and high alcoholic con-
tent"
Three Million i'm Thirteen Months.
Assistant Attorney General WILLIE
brandt told of an Ohio bootlegger
who started business with $4,000 and
! in thirteen months. when he was sent
TO Jail for two years. had accumu-
lated more than 100000. She point
ed out that the maximum sentence for
his violation of the prohibition act
was six months and that he was
I he violated the conspiracy laws re-
I garding taxes.
| In another place she, stressed the
fact that more attention should be
I paid to prosecuting cases against big
violatorS of the law.
| Mr.. Bryan declared that prohibition
| will be strong in proportion as a
I strong total abstinence sentiment is
back of IL.
! IF the President and his cabinet,
I with the governors and their ad-
. visers," said Mr.. Bryan, would pub
! licly announce that they will not use
intoxicating liquors themselves IL
! would do more to strengthen the pro-
; hibition sentiment of the nation than
! anything else could do"
! Mr.. Bryan also said the American
/ government should announce its de-
| Termination to enforce the law
against liquor -smugglers.