Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-06-17
ENFORCEMENT
WORK DEFENSE
Made by Woman Appearing
Before Committee Probing
Actions of Daugherty

WASHINGTON, June 17.-AS the
chief official of the Department of
Justice charged with enforcement of
prohibition, Mrs. Mabel Walker
Willebrandt, assistant attorney gem
eral, submitted a defense of the laws
administration today before the SEN
ate Daugherty investigating commit
tee.
Many times in the prolonged hear
ings witnesses have made charges
against the enforcement regime and
Mrs. Willebrandt 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.
1.-THE point 1 am making" Mrs.
Willebrandt said, ''is that many wit
nesses have given you testimon
against the Department of Justice
lay against another branch of the
government"
On several occasions she told Sem
ator Wheeler. Democrat, Montana,
the committee prosecutor" to walt
a minute" when he sought to inter-
vene in her spirited account. Sena-
tor Wheeler finally broke in.
"Oh, l know that this whiskey
business Is continually kicked
around between the prohibition
unit and the department of justice"
he said, "but the department of
justice has responsibility which it
cannot evade, and has a $2,000,000
annual appropriation for detaching
crime
"Yes. and the prohibition unit is
given $13,000,000" Mrs. Willebrandt
exclaimed.
Notwithstanding, the department
of justice is not justified ir saying
that it won't do any of the detective
work against bootlegging" Senator
Wheeler retorted.
"Of course the national prohibi-
tion act places upon the commits
sioner of internal revenue and the
department of justice joint respon-
sibility for enforcement of prohibi-
ton" Mrs. Willebrandt interpreted,
but members of congress know
when they enact legislation that it
is not reasonable to have one bureau
of the government running over
and taking up the duties and re-
sponsibilities of another"
Mrs. Willebrandt remarked that
section 26 of the Volstead act was
a fool provision because it did not
allow the effective confiscation of
automobiles or marine vessels used
in unlawful transportation of liquor.
Taking issue with Senator Wheel
err. who insisted that the main trou-
BILE with prohibition enforcement
was shifting of responsibility on
the part of officials, Mrs. Willebrandt
contended that political control over
agents was. the most serious factor.
"The real trouble she declared,
''is not passing the buck, but the
influence of politicians through
some senator or congressman in
aiding or blocking an agents ap-
pointment."
Mrs. Willebrandt. said three
months 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 declares. had been cir
culated at the instance of the Treas
ury department which was fearful
that there might be an overstepping
OF authority.
Insisting that the department of
Justice hal been doing all in its
power to punish law violators. Mrs.
Willebrandt asserted that during The
closing days of the Wilson adminis-
tration-from election day, 1920. un-
I'll March A, 1921.-"things ran wide
OPEN" with regard to liquor with
drawal permits and other phases of
prohibition enforcement.