Evening star., 1924-06-17
SUGGESTS Attacks
ON JUSTICE HEADS
WRONGLY PLACED
Mrs. WiIlebrandt, Testifying
to Daugherty Committee,
Raps Revenue Bureau.
ADMITS OUTSIDE "PULL"
IMPEDES Department
Assistant Attorney General Crit.
icizes Volstead Act-Annoyed
by Senator Wheeler.

AS the chief official of the Depart
ment of Justice charged with enforc-
ing prohibition, Mrs. Mabel Walker
Willebrandt, assistant attorney gen
eral, submitted defense of the
laws administration today before the
Senate Daugherty investigating COM
mittee.
Many times in the prolonged hear
ings witnesses have made charges
against the enforcement regime, and
Mrs WilIebrandt went into details
of these accusations at length, intro
ducing at one point a letter from
Attorney General Stone which said
that much of the testimony dealt with
half truths and Impressions"
THE point / am making" Mrs. Will
liebrandt said, lis that many wit
nesses have given you testimony
against the Department of Justice
when in fact their real grievance Lay
against another branch of the gov
ernm ent
Rebukes Senator Wheeler.
On several occasions she told Sena-
tor Wheeler, Democrat, Montana. the
minute" when he sought to inter
vene in her spirited account. Sena-
tor Wheeler finally broke in.
"Oh, / know that this whisky bust
ness is continually kicked around be-
tween the prohibition unit and the
Department of Justice" he said, but
the Department of Justice has re-
sponsibility which it cannot evade.
and has 100000 annual appro-
priation for detecting crime"
Yes. and the prohibition unit is
given $4,000, ,ooo," Mrs. Willebrandt
exclaimed.
of Justice is not justified in saying
that il won't do any of the detective
work against bootIegging," Senator
Wheeler retorted.
Criticizes volstead Act.
"Of course. the national prohibition
act places upon the commissioner Of
internal revenue and the Department
of Justice joint responsibility for en-
forcement of prohibition" Mrs. Willie
brandt interjected, but members OF
Congress know when they enact
Legislation that it is not reasonable
to have any one bureau Of the gov
ernment running over and taking up
the duties and responsibilities of
another"
Mrs. Willebrandt remarked that
section IS of the volstead act was a
fool provision" because it did no.
allow the effective confscation Of
automobiles or marine vessels used in
unlawful transportation of liquor.
l. gr,r = l. lz~
who insisted that the main trouble
with prohibition enforcement was a
shifting of responsibility on the part
of officials. Mrs. Willehrandt contend
ed that political control over agents
was the most serious factor.
''The real trouble" she declared.
lis not pa ssine the buck, but the in
fuence of politicians through some
senator or congressman in aiding or
blocking an agents appointment"
Mrs. Willebrandt said three months
training should be given an agent
before he is placed in the field. She
defended agents of the Department
of Justice. contending they lacked
funds and numbers to cope with all
cases of law violation.
The letter sent out by the Depart
ment of Justice to its agents in
structing them not to undertake
original Investigations in bootlegging
cases. she declared. had been cir
ury Department. which was fearful
that there might be an oversteppins
of authority.
Insisting that the Department of
Justice had been doing all in its
power to punish law violators, Mrs.
Willebrandt asserted that during the
closing days of the Wilson admins
tration-from election day. 1920.
until March & 1921-"things ran wide
open" with regard to the issuance OF
iry,n ra n m nd nfh no
phases of prohibition enforcement
Relates Remus' Appeal
A more spirited phase of Mrs. Willie
brandt's examination was entered
upon when the names of George
Remus, whose Ohio bootlegging op-
erations involved immense sums of
money and huge quantities of liquor
before he landed in Atlanta peniten-
tiary, and of Jess Smith, to whom
Remus testified he paid about s250.000
in bribe money. were brought in. She
said Remus had fought conviction
clear along the line up to the White
House"
"I'ii be frank with YOU" she con
tinued "A request for stay of SEN
tence in Remus' behalf was sent to
the White House by Senator Reed.
Democrat, Missouri. following visit
to the White House which Senator
then asked to make report"
Wasn't the request signed by
President Coolidge" Senator Wheeler
demanded.
Il don't so remember" Mrs. Willie
brandt said. but in spite Of the effort
made in Remus' behalf he is in At
lanta.
Says Daugherty Backed Her.
Senator Jones, Republican, Wash
ington. asked if Mrs. Willebrandt un-
der Acknowledgement Daugh 1ty'S I'd
ministration ever had found herself
hampered in seeking to enforce pro-
hibition.
my hands were never tied in any
respect" she asserted, ~Mr. Daugh-
erty did not interfere; he stood back
of me when 1 got awfully hard
"Who brought pressure?" Senator
Jones, Republican, Washington.
asked.
Senators, congressman and attor-
neys," she retorted. seeking post
ponement. delays in prosecution. Mr..
Daugherty stood, by me in every in
stance but one"
what was the relation of Jess
Smith to Mr.. Daugherty?' Senator
Jones queried.
Calls Jess Smith ~Servant.o
81 thought he was a kind of a glorified
personal servant" Mrs. Willebrandt re-
sponded He bought tickets. carried the