Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-25
SEEK |NJUNCTIONS
TO CLOSE PLACES
|. FLOUT|NG DRY LAW
Night Clubs Included in Pro-
CeedingS Planned by Citi-
zens' Service Group.
BUSINESS MAN OFFERS
LIST OF BOOTLEGGERS
$50 to 200 Alleged Violators to Be
Investigated, Secretary Of
Association Says.

A list of from $50 to 200 alleged
bootlegging establishments now oper-
ating in Washington is being pre-.
pared for the Citizens Service Asso-
citation for Law and Order 1t was de-
clared today by DIR. Z. NJ. Ellison, sec.
retary of the association.
Injunction proceedings are being
sought against a score of places flout-
ing the prohibition law, including a
number of night clubs, he added.
Attempts of enemies of the asso-
citation to ridicule our work have
served only to win us more friends"
DIR. Ellison stated. Without inten-
sive effort our membership has grown
to about 1000, and in July we will
launch q formal membership drive
with a view to enlisting all law-abid-
ing citizens of the National Capital in
our war for law observance"
DIR. Ellison said that the list Of
bootleggers had been offered to the
organization by a Washington busi-
ness man who had learned of their
headquarters in the course of his
business activities. The places desig-
mated, DIR. Ellison was informed, have
been conducting their activities with
out molestation by the police.
Gordon PrOffers Cooperation.
"This business man told me that
these establishments have been plying
their trade for months without police
interference" DR.. Ellison said. when
the list he is preparing is completed,
we intend to investigate each place
and turn over to the police any in
formation we may obtain in SUBJ
sanitation of the charge that the
prohibition law is being fiagrantly
violated
Two conferences have been held
with District Attorney Peyton Gordon.
he said, and the full cooperation Of
that official has been proffered the
association in its campaign for law
and order. Mai Gordon has advised
the association that July l he will
assign an assistant to take special
charge OF all prohibition prosecutions,
instead of dividing these cases among
several officers.
DIR. Ellison said the conferences with
Maj. Gordon were held after 1t had
been said on behalf of the police that
convictions in liquor cases were ex-
tremely difficult to obtain in the local
courts. He found the district attor-
ney very sympathetic" he sated, and
willing to institute injunction proceed
ings wherever evidence warranted.
Claims 100 Arrests Already.
The secretary declared that about
100 arrests for violation of the prohi.
bltion act already have resulted from
the activities of the association. He
said he did not believe this ngure to
be exaggerated. despite reports that
police officials were inclined to dis
agree with the claim.
The organization has the co-opera.
tion of the Police Department and 1t
is taking care not to encroach on the
duties of that department, he said.
There Is no overlapping of activity,
the association serving only to ad-
wise with and assist the police in their
work. it was pointed out.
Reports that law violators are join
ing the ranks of the law and order
group in order to escape investigation
by agents of the association are un-
founded, DIR. Ellison stated.
The members of the association
are, we believe, law-abiding citizens
he said. Persons of other inclina-
tions also may have gotten in, how
ever. The mere fact that the latter
are members of the association does
not make them immune from our
drive against law offenders.
Association Is Criticized.
The news bureau of the Association
Against the Prohibition Amendment
today issued statements by Senator
Bruce of Maryland and J. Miller Ken
yon, president of the Washington Law.
yers' Club. criticizing the association.
1.-THE efforts now being made in
Senator Bruce said, Ito
set 10000 busy-bodies to spying on
their neighbOrs for the purpose of aid
ing in the enforcement of the unen.
forceable Volstead act. is but one of the
morbid sequels which always follow
In the wake of an irrational and tyran.
nical law; whether it be a law, as of
old, to crush out religious liberty, or a
law to impose puritanical restrictions
on the freedom of human spirit.
The direct tendency of such organ.
lied espionage, of course, would be
simply to create discord and hatred
and to curdle the milk of human kind
ness in the breasts of human beings
who might otherwise be friendly
neighbors. My advice to the citizens
Of Washington is to treat all such
or notoriety seekers as mere
strife-makers and to
single them out in every legitimate
manner as proper marks for social
and business retaliation. The man or
woman who proposes to go up and
down a block in a city, eying and
shifting for the purpose of telling
tales on his or her next-door neigh
bors, that would in most cases be
based on lies or loose hearsay, or on
private motives of personal rancor or
revenge, deserves to have brought
home to him or her in just reprisals
4 due sense of the contemplate ma
ture OF such petty and mean-spirited
business.
IF the Volstead act and the eight
zenith amendment had any true moral
sanction behind them the ordinary
agencies of the law would amply suf-
ice to assure their enforcement and
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