Evening star., 1926-06-01

ChallengerS of the Coolidge order
authorizing the appointment of local
officers as Federal agents to enforce
the VolStead act claim that 1t not
only violates State rights. but will
result in confused conditions worse
than those it seeks to cure. Yet there
is strong support for the step. The
case for it's legality is stated by the
Knoxville Sentinel independent Dem
ocratic) this way:
THE constitutionalistS possibly for
get for the moment that prohibition
is itself a part Of the Constitution
that the law enacted to give prohi-
bition nationwide efficacy is the voice
Of the Constitution and with the
Constitution and its laws goes the i'm
piled authority TO enforce those laws y
Strange bedfelloWs are found by
the Fort Worth Record Telegram
independent Democratic) among those
protesting. "At last" says this Texas
paper. "prohibitionists and antis have
something upon which they appear to
agree The President announces his
intention of making all pease officers
national prohibition enforcement Of
ficers He is going to give them
title, a badge, and make them dollar
a-year men. Then comes the deluge
of protestation. and, strange to say.
it comes alike from the vets and the
'drys.'" The Record Telegram views
the new order as "a forcefullooking
gesture without much punch in it.
as it sets forth that after the COM
missions are all mailed out and the
badges duly distributed. we are of the
belief that we would have about the
same State and county offices that
we have now"
As to the effect on the public mind
the Omaha World. Herald dndepend-
ent) suggests that Andrews repeated
statement that the new order drafting
local police for the forces is to apply
only to California may raise the
thermometer out there while the rest
of the country remains comfortable.
A wider scope, however. is recog-
nized by those who engage in the
general discussion of the matter, and
the Canton Daily News (Democratic)
says of the situation: The comment
lies that the executive order is no
more drastic than the law it attempts
to enforce. and violates no more
rights of States than does the prohi
bition amendment. 1t may be that
the time has passed TO talk about
States rights. if the States them
selves join in refusal to enforce the
law they have helped 10 make. This
Anal act of dictatorship should lead.
however, to serious reflection of a
situation which daily seems to grow
worse" The Kansas City Journal
Post independent Republican, adds,
when, as was brought out in the
testimony of Gen. Andrews before the
Senate subcommittee, the Federal
agents themselves are not above
suspicion, can the policeman on the
beat be expected to perform more
creditably?"
Then again." suggests the Flint
Daily Journal independently. there
is doubt if many officials would accept
the extra work involved with no in
crease in pay, and the possibility in
some States and cities that they would
lose the jobs they already hold should
they accept" Astonishment is re-
hected by the Syracuse Herald Gn-
dependent) as it states that the order
comes in tumultuous era when all
the. local agencies of State protection
are woefully insufficient to cope with
a far greater danger than violations
or evasions Of the Volstead act" The
St. Louis Post-Dispatch independently
force an unenforceable law, principles
and right government have been
thrown overheard
Satisfaction that lit has been made
clear on behalf of the President that
local officers thus appointed to Federal
positions will not be permitted to func
ton outside of their home States" is
by the New York Herald |
Tribune independent Democratic), |
which adds: ITO strike out blindly, as
The latest executive order apparently |
lid, is to intensity confusion and fos- |
Ter bitterness. We are glad that the |
President has curbed the zealots Of |
enforcement"
Whatever may be the practical ef |
'ect of the order," in the opinion of |
he Waterbury Republican dndepend- |
ent), there can be no doubt that the |
President. who is charged with the |
support Of the Constitution and en-.
erly." The Pueblo Star-Journal Gnde-
oendent) adds that mo officer need ac-
,ept a Federal commission unless he |
wants to do so, and in States where
peace officers are prohibited by law
rom doing any other work, no one
would be asked to accept appointment |
Is a Federal agent" Similarly the
Grand Rapids Press independently |
holds that ''as for the wet plea Of |
tyranny it Is only necessary to point |
,ut that local officers who wish to as
,ist the Federal Government can do so