Evening star., 1925-07-20
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

S11 900, 600? We cannot employ mora
than $500 to 5000 men. How can
we police the whole country with
less than 1900 men, against the
shrewdest and most powerful class OF
violators of law in the country? Look
at the courts-all clogged up with
cases they cannot try! Why does not
Congress give US prohibition courts
so that they can keep up with the
cases."
What is Gen. Andrews plan to use
volunteer 'dollar-a-year men to enforce
the law, in place of paid men? VIII
that increase efficiency"
'Oh, that applies only to his hope
that he may find some big men
men whose incomes in business
amount to 100000 a year-who will
volunteer to take the dictatorship Of
district under his new plan. Such
men do give their services free, very
often from patriotic motives. Take
Judge John Barton Payne. for in
stance, the head of the American Red
Cross Society. He accepted that great
responsibility on condition that he
should be allowed TO serve without
salary, and pay all his personal ex.
penses. There are others doing the
same kind of patriotic service. Miss
Mabel T. Boardman of the Red Cross
is one. Why not hope to find men
like that who will give their superior
service and experience as organizers
and executives in enforcing the liquor
laws? Are not these laws part of our
system of government? OF course.
the man must be one who is found
capable and wholly trustworthy.
There is no foundation for the mis-
understanding that Gen. Andrews
would llndpTfqER tYrfa
teur volunteers in place of trained
and paid detectives to round up cases:
that's nonsense.
ut is Gen. Andrews plan to abolish
State units in the Federal system,
because their functions seem to du.
plicate the work of the general Fed
eral units. He has divided CONT.
mental United States into % districts,
ignoring State lines and dividing ac-
cording to natural or commercial re.
gfons. Each district will be one or.
ganized unit under a director. The
hope is to get rid Of political inter.
ference, which is troublesome in State
units
How about the plea of the women .
organizations that all prohibition
| agents be put under civil service, to
take them out of reach of politics?"
THAT, too. is for Congress to de-.
eide"
''Will 1t be the policy to use men
who are already in the work, or will
new men be taken for directors?"
First an effort will be made within
the organization to find capable and
energetic men, experienced in Ine
work, who show themselves worthy Of
promotion. II they cannot be found
to fill the directorships and the other
officers, we shall have to look outside
for the right men. We hope to get
the new plan into operation about
August 1, and not all the organization
is yet decided
"Is 1t to be the policy to discourage
raids on blind pigs7' Are individual
bootleggers to be ignored, under the
! new plan, in the zeal to go after only
the big ones?'"
Not at all. Gen. Andrews believes
we should go after the big sources OF
supply, especially the distillers, rather
than spend our energies trying to stop
man who enters cafe with bottle
in his hip pocket. But that does not
mean exemption of bootleggers against
whom we can get evidence of per.
sistent violation, or who are making a
business of violation of the law for
profit. The watching of our borders
Canada and Mexico-wiN be increas.
ed in vigilance, but not the less will be
the watching of boot.eggers closer
home. Gen. Andrews is now in New
England investigating the smuggling
across the Vermont border
lCopyriSht. 1926. hx Ral 7. cofs'rsA :