Evening star., 1926-04-07
BUCKNER AMAZES DRY PROBERS
RELATING RUM TRADE FIGURES
Says $4,000, ,OOO, 900 Business Is Done by Bootleg
gers Products Made From Diverted Alcohol.
Courts Caught in Avalanche, He Asserts.

great numbers was without Steno
erapher or adequate clerical aid
There was Seething mass in the
offices and corridors of bartenders
hootleggers. hondSmen and 'fiXers' ant
peddlers.
Many Cases Dropped.
The United States commissions,
told me that many cases We're thrown
out because the evidence could no,
be taken down against them and the
officers who made the arrests co,Ilt
not present the evidence later as il
should be presented.
The very atmosphere If the build.
J ins was one OF pollution" said Mr.
B1ckner. Reports were made to me
that attempts were made To bribe
lurNmen even in the toilets. Eighty.
hpe 10 ninety per cent Of these ca ses
were being throwh out The ma n who
me. ely had TO I'll out hla nss and send
them dowss two flights OF stairs /
another office was FIVE months behind
in his work. When cases were reach.
| ed for trial often there was no way
OF Identifying the violat0rs of the law.
either the officers who had made the
arrests had been moved away or they
| were unable TO recognize the violators
after long a time. No finger prints
are made. in the Federal system at
! this stage of the proceedings,t
Men. he said. We're provided by
| bonding compa MES to take penalties
p; IN some cases. The officer OF one
bonding company came to him and
| said that il was his understa ndiag. the
11Gevernment. would not force the bond
] ing compa nies to pay any default: tina I
/ 1t was the desire of the Govefnm ent
| to lear the court dockets: that il this
was not the case the Tombs would be
$" full there would he scandal.
Hits Prohibition Plan.
| Il found prohibition agents were
| rated for promotion according to the
| number of arrests they made" said
| Mr. Buckner. who denounced such a
| practice. Gen. Andrews. he said, had
| stopped that. Arrests were made, he
said. without proper evidence.
Who made that rule?" asked Sena-
tor Reed.
Mr.. Ruckner said he presumed that
| it was Gen. Andrews predecessor
| II Went to the police TO find out
| il they were making these arrests
| merely as a gesture and to give a
| bad impression of the prohibition
law" said Mr.. Buckner.
The police commissioner told me
| that he had received $4,000 com
plants month. or 10000 a year
charging viola tions of the prohibition
laws. He said that he could not re-
ceive this great number of com
plants and do nothing about it. /
asked him if IL would not he bet
ter to make use of paddock injunc
tion against the place in which the
viola ton occurred. and whether that
was not better than arresting the
waiter who served liquor. He cor
daily accepted that suggestion.
5000 Cases Pending.
I'VE have six district judges in
New York. and only one holds
criminal tern." continued Mr.. Buck
ner He said there were about 5000
criminal cases pending, of which
about 5000 were prohibition cases
The most he could expect for han
ding prohibition cases was one
third of the time of one judge, II he
did not get outside judges to come
in and help. He said there were two
outside judges helping now, though
sometimes there were none. He SAID
he had found the chief justice
"highly co-operattse" in the assign
ment of outside judges. =
THE paddock Injunction was no
invention of mine" said Mr.. Buck
ca ses pending when | took office. A
padlock case is an equity case. and
the fling of such case Is meaning
less. with the equity calendar two
wears behind time.
IT went to the district judges and
said | could do nothing with these
eases. Arrangements were made Tor
a special paddock case court one
week in each month. | SAID that !
would stop the arrest OF walters. ana
seek to attack the places them
selves"
Mr. Buckner said that he kept the
nadlock calendar right mp To date and
over 500 places Of all kinds had been
pa blocked.
MY position on minor arrests. SAID
Mr. R,lckner, has been completely
misunderstood. I have preferred to
attack the place itself, and not to
seek the arrest Of subordinate en-
ployes."
Nevertheless. Mr. Buckner said. the
number Of arrests for violations OF
the LIQUOR laws, by the police. still
run from 400 to 500 a month. Many
Of the persons arrested, he said, are
connected with the underworld and
all kinds OF crime. He said the police
want to clean out these dens. where
they meet and make use Of the prohf-
bition law to arrest them.
Senator Means asked il in the dens
they were selling liquor or merely
using it. Mr.. Buckner replied that
he did not know about these details.
Reed Enters Griliing.
Senator Reed asked Mr.. Buckner
If he meant that these dens exist
because of the liquor. or that the
liquor was only to he found in dens
of criminals.
Don't you know a. a matter Of
fact" aid Senator Reed. that there
is plenty Of liquor to be found in
places where there are no thieves?"
Yes said Mr.. Buckner.
Isn't the real trouble with the peo-
pie who buy the liquor, rather than
with those who sell it?' asked Julien
Goldman. attorney for the ''wets" at
the hearing.
II suppose there would he no sale
without a demand" replied Mr..
Buckner.
Senator Means asked Mr.. Buckner
| If the foreign element in New York
was held to he largely responsible for
violation Of the liquor laws. both as
boOtlegger and consumer
Il don't believe know" said Mr..
Buckner. 1T has not been so marked
| a to he a matter OF comment"
Mr.. Ruckner said that il would
never he possible to enforce the law
in New York untn they began to
! send people to jail.
| 1T win he easy to enforce. II peo-
| pie do go to jail. he said.
In reply to questions by Senator
Reed MIR. Buckner said that he con-
sidered the 10000 arrests year for
violations of the prohibition law was
| a mere fraction Of the actual viola.
| tions Of the law.
"A small fraction?" asked Senator
Reed.
Mr.. Ruckner said he thought so.