Evening star., 1924-02-28


Takes Initiative.
Il have waited in vain. Therefore.
! nave taken the initiative. so far as
the Senate Is concerned, and have in
troduced resolution to investigate
the national prohibition department
is no longer safe for United States
senator's to walk along the principal
thoroughfares Of the nations Capital
city? Is the law to enforce the
Constitution so much more sacred
than the laws to enforce the other
amendments that those charged with
| us enforcement may. without regard
70 the great third party-the public
engage in pistol duelS with lawbreak-
ers, aileged or real, in places where
hundreds of people pass to and fro
al hours of the day and far into
the night?
IF l have read the news dispatches
arlsht, the running pistol duel be-
tween the prohibition agent and the
suspected bootleggers the 18th in
stant was not an exceptional occur
renee, but is becoming typical Of the
methods pursued by the national pro-
hib1tlon department. There have been
numerous stories In the public prints
ABOUT similar running duels in thick
~ populated and much travelled sec
tfons of our National Capital The
wonder has been that the lamentable
ira gedy. which has riveted the coun-
try's attention on the unsavory situa-
tion existing in our National Capital,
was SO long delayed.
"Drunk With Power"
1T sometimes takes a great tragedy
to shock people into their senses. II
the inexcusably careless shooting of
| q United States senator will shock
the law enforcement officials In the
national prohibition department into
their senses, to the extent that in the
future they will have more regard
for the lives of innocent bystanders,
1t will not have been altogether in
vain.
However. II 1t be true that the
only way we have of judging the fu-
ture @ is by the past, I am not sanguine
criminal recklessness and contemptu-
Gus disregard for human life will re-
suit In bringing about a changed at
titude on the part of those in author
partment. They seem to be drunk
with power. And like all officials
drunk with power they are intolerant
rather than tolerant, narrow and
cruel rather than broad and sympa-
thetic, Pharisees rather thansSamari-
tans.
"One Of the reasons I have given
In my resolution why the national
prohibition department should be in
vestigated Is that it has been publicly
that it has broken down. This is a
very serious charge. If true, II means
that our national prohibition depart
ment Is not functioning properly. The
people are entitled to know whether
the charge Is founded in fact or in
fiction. I would not have presumed
to have asked the Senate to add to
the number of Investigations. either
charges against the national prohibi-
ton department had been made solely
by -prohibitionists like myself
But when nationally known friends
of prohibition and the voistead act
make the charge, an Investigation to
ascertain the facts is, in my judg-
ment, justified.
Quotes Pinchot Speech.
"On Sunday afternoon. October IA,
1923. before mass meeting of dele
gates to citizenship conference, in
the Central High School auditorium
Pinchot Of Pennsylvania, one of the
outstanding drys in the country, a
republican, and incidentally mention
ed as a candidate for the presidency.
world that prohibition can and will
be enforced, had much praise for the
work done by the state police of
phennSylvania, thd had a kind word for
criticism for the national prohibition
uepartment. For instance:
THE eighteenth amendment has
friends peen eetrayed Msss in the house of its
corded to it. it has failed, and the
reason is that no sincere, intelligent
and concerted nation wide effort has
ever been made to enforce it.
senator Edwards called attention,
too, to a statement of Gov, Pinchot
that prohibition agents were giving
protection to brewers of Pennsylya-
MIA and receiving 81 barrel for this
He quoted. too. from an article NV
William Dudley Foulke in Good Gov,
eminent. e,. the organ o. the National
civil Service Reform League, which
criticized severely Commissioner
haynes and the national prohibition
Haynes had put in the service "men
who have made his service a by-
word of corruption an inefficiency.
Senator Warns Drys,
Senator Edwards said that the num-
Der of prohibition agents and en-
pioyes has constantly been increased.
along with the appropriations for
violations of the law have Increased
also. He referred to charges that
the fourth and fifth amendments to
Ine constitution, guaranteeing the
and protection of life and liberty. are
being fiouted by prohibition enforce.
ment agents. He said:
Ihe country ought to know Of
heialIy whether they are being fouted
by the national prohibition DEPART
ment as has been charged. II fhe
charges are false the sooner it is
officially known the better for the ma
tional prohibition department. If the
charges are true the sooner it is Of
ically known the better for the coun-
try.
There is no special sanctity about
the eighteenth amendment. II is an
integral part of our Constitution and
as such is the Fundamental law Of
other eighteen amendments, also. II
is undemocratic. unpatriotic, and nm
American to single out any one
amendment for special obseryance
To enforce one amendment by violat.
ing another is to commit a crime
against the Constitution. And I want
to warn those champions Of the
eighteenth amendment who JUSTIFY
encroachmentS on the fourth or the
fifth or the fourteenth, on the ground
the end Justif1es the means that they
are riding to a fall