Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-17
SEPARATE s'DRY'' BUREAU
in GOVERNMENT LIKELY
Dissatisfaction With Present System OF
Enforcement Cause-War on Mar
cotics Also Would Be Waged.

enforcement Is cumbersome. and
direct responsibility. ..'
The Cramton bill has been amended
in some technical particulars to meet
the recommendations Of the Treas
ury Department. and Representative
Cramton has been assured of early
hearings by Chairman Graham of the
judiciary committee. The general re-
action on his bill has been favorable.
and no definite opposition has yet
appeared,
There are two outstanding features
of the Cramton bill-() 1t creates a
separate bureau in the Treasury and
confers all the responsibility for en-
forcement upon that bureau, distinct
and separate from the internal. reve-
nue. bureau, which has such tremen-
dous burdens upon 1t In connection
with the revenue law, income tax. etc.
The other feature is that which at
tempts to eliminate politics from the
selection of enforcement officials by
transferring them to the civil service.
requiring those already in the service
months. 1t was brought out before
the reorganization committee that at
the present time state directors in
charge of the work In the various
states are appointed as result OF
political Endorsement, and such in
who are not very greatly interested
In successful enforcement
Better Wages Necessary.
Another fact emphasized in ques-
tions by Senator Wadsworth and Rep
resentative Moore was that in order
to get really efficient inspectors bet
ter wages must be paid, comparable
with the higher salaries paid for SIM
liar work in the Department of JUS
tice and postal service.
The advantages under the Cramton
plan. as laid before the reorganiza-
ton committee. are:
First, 1t gives the commissioner of
prohibition a definite legal status and
affords means of definitely fixing
responsibility for enforcement, with
this officer having authority to ap-
questions of policy and the promulga-
ton of regulations.
Second. 1t would provide an appeal
to the Secretary OF the Treasury, and
to 4 court of equity in all cases where
persons having business with the de-
partment feel that justice has not
been done.
Third. it would give the President
the benefit Of the advice Of a cabinet
officer charee ed with the responsibility
ment of this statute In questions af-
fecting other departments or foreign
relations.
Fourth. 1t would provide for a CEN
naturalization of authority and
would distribute the functions of en-
forcement to those departments to
which they naturally inhere.
Duties Would Be Divided.
The Cramton bill would combine in
one officer the control over the regu-
1atory features of the law and the
duty of detection Of violations. Where
these two functions are separated
the source of information would be
in one department and the officer
charged with the investigation would
be in another.
The duty of the prosecution of Of
tenders after the evidence has been
obtained would remain In charge Of
the Attorney General. as at present
AS Mrs. Mabel Walker Willebrandt,
assistant attorney general. in charge
OF liquor prosecutions, has said In
public addresses theirs was not the
strengthening department; it
evidence after ii was gathered and
presented 1t to the courts through the
district attorneys.
In actual administrator, the Cram
ton bill would bring ;his result:
The prohibition commissioner, the
coast guard, the customs service and
the internal revenue bureau would be
brought under one cabinet head and
closer coordination would be secured.