Evening star., 1928-12-26

! $4,000 Durdnt pTtss plan 'for mdbtng
! the eighteenth amendment efectfue.' IT
| is By Moi. Chester p. Mails, former Fed
eTai prohibition administrator for the
ReD York district.
! Diversion Of alcohol and liquors unde
| cover of Unfortunately granted per
mits controlled by unreliable persons
provides the vast majority of liquor
! consumed today. The task of restrict
! ing and reducing permit holders x
those reliable persons or corporation
conducting legitimate business is the
main problem in enforcement.
Any plan logically carried out anc
energetically pushed to definite con
clusion is better than no plan at all
Unfortunately, except for the Coas
Guard, the Federal agencies charged
with enforcement have never adopted
any one plan and carried it through
The VOlstead Act.
The Volstead act was we'll conceived
and well written. It's provisions are
capable of enforcement with few, if any
legitimate changes.
The governmental agencies charged
with carrying out the provisions of the
act we're not we'll organized originally
and had little conception regarding the
scope of work necessitated and the re-
SponSibility placed upon them. To this
failure may be attributed most of the
difficulty now being encountered In
proper enforcement.
The act authorized a continuation oil
the use of commercial alcohol, rede-
fining thu statutes then in force
Commercial alcohol was again divided
into two classes: Cd Completely de-
natured alcohol considered poisonous
and not capable of redistillation: CD
specially denatured alcohol rendered
suitable for manufacture into many
articles and capable of redistillation.
Manufacture of grain alcohol, it's con-
version into completely denatured and
specially denatured alcohol; whisky for
medicinal purposes and manufactured
into tonicS: wine for religious use and
manufactured into vinegar and tonicS
the manufacture of beer-all were to be
controlled by permits or privileges is
sued to reliable persons by the Gov
eminent.
In the rush to put the provisions OF
the act into effect these privileges were
granted without proper caution; result
there are still large numbers of such
permits in the hands of lawbreakers.
There is no necessity for nor can
there be tolerated any violation of an
individuals personal rights in enforc-
ing the law, but there can be no leni-
ency shown the individual, regardless of
his political, social or financial stand
ing, who enriches himself by willfuI
diSobedience of law.
The agencies of enforcement must
keep the public fully informed as to
their policies and aims and so conduct
themselves as to obtain and keep the
respect of all classes.
Outline of Plan.
!; With the above in mind I submit a
plan to make the eighteenth amend
ment effective and will discuss this plan
under four headings: % Permissive
CID Enforcement. Gid Political UV)
Detailed method of controlling the di-
version of industrial alcohol.
i. Permissive.
The issuance of permits is a privilege
conferred upon individuals or corpora
tionS by the Federal Government and 1t
is not only the duty but the right of the
Government to inquire thoroughly into
the reliability of the individuals or cor
porations asking this privilege.
This inquiry should be conducted
along lines similar to that conducted by
a bank when extending loan privileges
PcSt business experience of the persons,
their moral, social and financial stand
ing, the probability of legitimate mar
ket for their goods, the Soundness of
their organization, must be thoroughly
determined. - = =
In addition before a permit is issued
to any person who desires to manufac-
ture from liquids containing alcohol,
there should be obtained a consent from
him providing that he viii in writing
inform the Government through its
local administrator the time and place
where, he proposes to manufacture.
This notification must be in sufficient
time to allow the local Federal admins
traitor to send representatives to super
v-3e the manufacture. Failure on the
part of the permittee to give this notifi-
cation should automatically stop future
Withdrawals.
Permits when issued should be tenn
porary, not longer than six months
duration, so that local administrators
may have further opportunity to deter
mine the legitimacy of the business pro-
posed and the responsibility of the indi-
vidualS concerned. If such time proves
the applicant responsive and legitimate
then permanent permit may be issued
The control of the permiSsive phase is
a most important factor. If the issu-
ance of permits is in future restricted
solely to legitimate and responsible in
dividuals, gradually the present illegiti-
mate holders of Government permits
can be eradicated.
r. Local conditions make 1t imperative
that the local administrator be respon-
sible for the issuance of permits and for
hAf fr,l to- 80 J..
handling. It is impracticable for the
central Government to become SUM-
GENTLY familiar with local conditions to
allow it to intelligently pass upon ap-
plication for permits.
III. Enforcement.
Enforcement logically divides itself
into, two groups (D imports and (2) do
mestic supply.
/. After bad start the Coast Guard
has proved that the importation of al
coholic beverages can be suppressed
Statistics show that under per cent oi
the liquor consumed is imported. / dc
not mean that this traffic has beer
eliminated. There are numerous in.
stances along our borders and in the
water OF Florida where importation ex-
lists. 1t can be overcome, as the Coast
Guard has demonstrated, by unceasirig
vigilance and patrol.
Closer cooperation beteen the Coast
Guard, customs and prohibition force.
Is essential to eradicate this smuggling
The improvement in the last few year.
has been so marked that the policy oi
operation now exercised by the Coast
Guard has vindicated itself and shoulc
be continued.
2. Domestic enforcement resolves it.
self into the suppression of stills and O.
diversion under permits. This domesti,
supply Is the source of better than 9,
per cent OF liquor consumed and is
| therefore. the essential factor Il