Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-06-19
WORDY SPARKS FLY
AS WOMAN JOUSTS
WITH SEN. WHEELER

Hss ~ w. k@f M IS @ sm @ A~ ~
WASHINGTON, June 17.-As the
chief official of the department of
justice charged with enforcing pro-
hibition, Mrs. Mabel Walker Willie
brandt, assistant attorney general,
submitted a defense of the laws adj
ministration today before the senate
! Daugherty investigation committee.
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, in
PRODUCING at one point a letter from
Attorney General Stone, which said
that much of the testimony dealt
with "half-trl1ths and impressions"
THE point I am making" Mrs.
Willebrandt said, SIS that many wit
nesses have given you testimony
against the department of justice
when in fact their real grievance
Law against another branch of the
government"
On several occasions she told Sena-
tor Wheeler, Democrat, Montana, the
| committee prosecutor" to "wait
minute" when he sought to intervene
in her spirited account. Senator
Wheeler finally broke in.
Prohis Get $l3,OO0,OOO
ooh, 1 knew that this whisky bust
ness is continually kicked around
between 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"
Eyes, and the prohibition unit is
given $13, 900, 0OO," Mrs. Willebrandt
exclaimed.
"Notwith sanding, the department
OF Justice Is not justified in saying
that it won o. any of the detective
worx~ against bcotlegging," Senator
Wheeler retCrted
.'Of course the national prohibl-
ton act places upon the commls-
sioner of internal. revenue and the
department Of Justice joint RESPONSE
bility fer entol cement of prohlbi-
ton" Mrs Wi,leGrandt interjected,
''buc members of congress know
when they enact legislation that it
is not reasonable to have one bureau
of the government running over ana
taking up the duties and response
bility Of another
Mrs. Willebrandt remarked that
Section IS of the Nolstead act was
d fool provision" because it did
not allow the effective confiscatlon
of automobiles or marine vessels
used in unlawful transportation or
liquor
Taking issue with Senator Wheel
err. whos insisted that the main trou-
BILE with prohibition enforcement
was d shifting of responsibility on
the part of officials, Mrs. Willie
brandt contended that political con
troll over agents was the most Sc
rious factor.
Senators Given Blame
'"The real trouble she declared,
lis not passing the buck but the in
fluence 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
| +c Of IA
| partment of justice, cCrtending they
lacked funds and numbers to cope
with all classes of law violation.
The letter sent out by the depart
! mt of justice to its agents in
! struCting them not TO undertake origi-
ma Investigations in bootleg ging
| cases, she declared, hadbeen circulat-
| ed at the instance of the treasury
| department which was fearful that
| there might be an overstepping 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-Grom election Gay 1929 unti!
| March 4, 1921-"things ran wide
open" with regard to the issuance
of liquor withdrawal permits and
other phases of prohibition enforce
ment.
Graft at Chicago
With reference to the executive
clemency obtained by Phillip Gross
man.. of Chicago. Mrs. Willebrandt
said there was mo doubt but that
! the corrupt local political ring out
| in Chicago kept him out of jail
John w. II. Grim, special assis-
tant to the attorney general inter
vened when Mrs. Willebrandt re-
| peatedly refused to say whether
local officials of the department of
| justice at Chicago had concealed the
facts in making up the pardon rec
ord.
There's no doubt at all that some
| body in the United States marshaFs
! office in Chicago knew that Gross
man was being kept out of jail"
Mr.. Grim said, land that's al there
| is to that case"
Mrs. WilIebrandt declared the sue
cessful prosecution of large scale
! bootleggers at Atlanta, brought up
in the testimony, had been a most
successful endeavor of the depart
ment of justice and that the evil
, dence had only been procured for
conviction by many months of per-
sistent and patient ''under-cover
work of secret agents.
Says Reed Aided Remus
A more spirited phase of Mrs. Will
1ebrandt's examination was entered
/ upon when the names OF George
! Remus, whose Ohio boOtlegging op-