Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-27

Sir when a mere pedestrian asks q
uuestion--all this somehow inspires
confidence in their ability to act
quickly when the need arises.t Ana
mental comparison of their conduct
with that of some Of the cavorting
clowns one sees in washington caT'
ries with 1t a moral.
Inspector D. Mckinney OF the
moral SQUAD of the Toronto police
has served on every patrol in this
city" for the past 80 years. He is
authority for the statement that he
has never seen as little drinking In
Toronto as there is today. he
laughs at the claims of the wet pro-
ponentS who say there is more
drinking in Toronto today than be-
fore the saloon went out OF business.
Inspector Mckinney had a closeup
view of saloons for many years, and
he ought to know. His instructions
to his men regarding drunkenness are
to arrest men who might hurt them
selves or annoy the public. Ii
man looks like he might navigate
homeward without any damage, let
him go. If he is known to be car
rying liquor pick him up, no matter
who he is.
Violators Under Cover.
Inspector Mckinney said there
were bootleggers, rum holes and bars
operating in Toronto. OF this he
does not have any doubt. But he
further contends that they operate
only so long as they can keep out OF
sight and knowledge of the police.
The inspector suggested that while
the law Is strict enough, some of the
courts are not. He praised the Brit
ish-and Canadian-system of quick
punishment for other crimes, and in
the same breath mentioned that
while the law provides Jail sentences
for some offenseS against the liquor
law, few men ever go to jail. One
cannot help but wonder If this is an
indication of loss in respect for law
because of the laws unpopularity.
The penalties for violation of the
law, however, have recently had
sharper and more fearsome teeth
added.
The penalty for illegal having"
LIQUOR in a public place or out OF
the home is a minimum fine of $50
for the first offense and a maximum
of 81 1000. The second offense car
ries with 1t Jail sentence. This
having" liquor applies to the man
found carrying half a pint on the
street. Having liquor In an automo-
bile is not sufficient ground for con-
fiscation of the car SO long as 1t
cannot be proved that the liquor
was for sale.
The penalty for the sale of liquor
is a minimum fine of 5000, maxi
mum fine of $4,000 and Jail SEN
tence of not more than three months.
The jail sentence reads land" and
not "or." The penalty for a second
offense of selling Is the same as the
first, plus three to six months In
Jail, plus the months involved in the
first offense, which must be served
all over again.
No Joke to Be Caught.
Automobiles are confiscated on
much the same ground that leads to
a similar process in the United
States.
Trials are made speedier because
the law does not contemplate trial by
Jury, ContinuanceS are few, and
granted only when there is need for
them.
From these penalties 1t may be
Judged that to be caught in the act
Of selling liquor Is no joke to be
laughed off as part of the overhead
cost of bootlegging. And while there
are bootleggers who do not get
caught, there are many others
who do.
In seeking a true light on the con-
ditfons in Toronto, it must be re-
membered that Toronto is wet city.
Like other cities of the province. II
has voted wet, while the rural dis
tricts. composed of quiet, church
going and law-abiding folk. have
voted dry by enough of majority
to keep it so. One must remember,
therefore, that the preponderance or
opinion in Toronto is wet. The ma
iority has shown that plain enough,
and casual conversations with peo-
pie in the street shows the same
thing.
Why are they wet after 10 years
of prohibition?
Their arguments are similar to
those heard every day in Washing
ton and throughout the United
States, as far as that is concerned.
They point to the prevalence of the
pocket flask as a menace to the
Younger generation. Drinking, they
say, liz common everywhere. A busi-
ness mems convention or banquet Is
the signal for all the delegates or
guests to get uproariously and glori-
ously drunk-while few years ago