The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-26

JuQBe W. l. GFuDD mas under au- visement recommendations by the | citizens committee.
 it hastened the coming of the fourth stage, or the extension of the dry l boundaries to the entire nation.
 Long Preparation For Prohibition,
 So the people of America had had a 1 lopg period of preparation for prohi- bition when national prohibition came. Thirty three of the states had adopted prohibition before ratifica- tion of the constitutional amendment was submitted by Congress to the legislatures on December IS, 1917, Twenty five of these states had adopted prohibition by referendum vote and eight by legislative enact ment. In addition, four territories had embraced prohibition, two by refer endum and two by act of legislature
 The thirty-three states and four territories embraced within their boundaries GOT per cent of the coun- try's population and S7.s per cent of | it's area.
 Within less than 1s months after the submission of the eighteenth amendment the necessary s6 states had ratified it. According to the pro visions of the act the amendment be- came effective year from the date of the ratification by the last of the 0O Sldtes, or OH JanudfY ZU, lVSO. But still the states continued to ratify until 46 had voted favorably on the constitutional amendment. Only two states, Connecticut and Rhode Island, refused to ratify The AS states voting ratification contain 9S.2 per cent of the country's popu- lation and 99.75 per cent of it's area within their borders.
 Those who claim that prohibition was put over" on the American people would do well to consider the record.
 To conduct the federal govern ment's share of the work of carrying out the provisions of the eighteenth anne ndment there was created in the bureau of Internal revenue of the treasyury department. as part of that bureau and under the direction of it's head and the Secretary of the Treas ury, the prohibition enforcement unit. Unit Not Wholly Responsible.
 It may be well to direct attention here to the fact that it was never contemplated, either before ratifica- tion of the amendment of thereafter, that the federal prohibition enforce ment unit alone should bear the bur den of prohibition enforcement. Mani festly it would be impossible for a comparatively small section of a sin gle bureau of one executive depart l enforce alone the law in every state, city, county, town and township of the United States.
 Such is not the intent of the law. The amendment is clear and explicit
 in this regard, specifying giving to the states concurrent power with which to enforce the law in their re- spective confines And as the eigh- teenth amendment is as much the constitution of the United States as the original document, it's provisions are no less American law than the original provisions.
 Clearly, therefore, it is the duty of the state to enforce the eighteenth amendment within it's borders, and clarly this contract with the federal government has been recognized by 46 of the 4S states by their enactment of concurrent enforcement laws. l There remains, however, enforce ment work which as clearly comes within the national sovereignty. It was this kind of enforcement that the prohibition unit was created to perform.
 The work of the unit during it's first year preceded without the guid Ing benefits of precedent. As it was constructed to perform a task almost wholly new in federal government so it's organization necessarily was | built without the riper knowledge that comes from experience. Prohibit tion enforcement was a work whose i. dimensions had not been taken when 1 first the unit was organized.
 O O O
 Organizing The Unit.
 One of the first acts of the new l administration was the reorganiza- ton. for greater efficiency of the pro- hibition unit, both at Washington headquarters and in the field. Re | sponsibility for permit and enforce ment administration alike was con solidated in the respective state di- rectors. Upon that basis the old force was completely reorganized and new forces created in the 48 states Alaska. Hawaii and Porto Rico.
 mobile force of picked men was created as a supplemental enforce ment branch. This force, known a. the general agents force and operat- ing throughout the country under the chief general agents is divided into squads in IS geographical areas. Il acts under instructions from the