Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30

A general view of the Smith party
waving back at his admirers.
to the force of more than 24o me-,
working under him.
Mai. Mills learned that his clashe
with the local politicians were given
Nationwide magnitude, so that tht;
dismissal of dishonest men reached
the ear of the President of the United
States. Nothing amused me more than
to see the telegram of commentator
to the Republican candidate sent b.
the Republican leader Of New Yorl,
County, congratulating him on his bold
stand for prohibition; for according to
Chester Mills, the same gentleman, tax
ing advantage of the patronage sys-
tenn and tapping the pork barrel for
the benefit of his followers, supplied
four prohibition enforcement agents.
In the language Of Maj. Mills:
These four men, typical of the low
est grade of iliiterate henchmen,
foisted on the prohibition service by
the politicians, were fired"
While that leader apparently was
agreeable to the dismissal of one of
them, Mai. Mills says that the under
SIOuIlu UhChWdCIl vi bLClI ulSulloSdi
and his stubborn refusal to reinstatc
ington. He then speaks of a confer
ence in the Office of the Secretary q:
the Treasury. in which Gen. Andrew,
Chairman Koenig and former Congress.
man Mills now UnderSecretary of the
Treasury, took part After Gen. An
drews had expressed his view that
Mai. Mills was a most efficient dry ad
ministrator. Mr.. Mills bluntly said:
mo one questions his efficiency, but
let us talk patronage"
Urged to Make Peace.
Upon my refusal to reinstate thu
men," writes Maj. Mills. Gen. Andrews
came on TO New York to investigate
their cases personally and he urged ms
to make peace with the politicians By
reinstating both the crooks and the
bunglers."
! could take up the time of this meet
ing indefinitely explaining the ranifica-
lions that grow out of the injection OF
politics into the enforcement of tbs
eighteenth amendment and the Volsteao
act Suffice it for me to repeat, prohi-
bition has been the great political pork
barrel for the Republican party.
For years all of these positions were
cut of the classified civil service, so that
Republican politicians could name the
men Of their choice. They were finally
placed in the civil service; and examina-
ton of the men disclosed that two
thirds of the field force we're unable tc
qualify or make reasonable answer tx
the questions calculated to determine
their fitness to perform this work.
The city of Washington itself is gov
erned by committee of Congress; and
the newspapers record the fact that i'll
one year, one-third of the members OF
the entire Washington police force have
been up before officials on charges of
being intoxicated while in the perform
ance Of their duty.
100000 Stills In Use.
What other facts must be apparent tc
the officials at Washington? Again VIC
call on Gen. Andrews. Appearing before
a committee of the Senate he testified
that not per cent OF the liquor snug
gled into this country was caught by tbs
Government: further that there were
1,720,000 stills operating in the country
under prohibition. He further testified
that half million people are engaged
in the making of liquor, and that 2,000,-
900 people are engaged in the various
phases of bootlegglng, and that occa-
sional or habitual drinking Of Illicit
liquor could be charged against half OF
our population.
This testimony comes from the Re-
publican director of the Prohibition Blu
reau. How long are the officials st
Washington going to disregard condi-
ton laid before them by high official
of the Government? How long are they
going to continue the trick of the
ostrich of burying its head in the sand
and assuming that everything is all
right? What is the proper thing fol
them to oo--conceal all this or talk IL
out plainly to the American people?
According to the police records gath
cred from 403 different municipalities
in the States that were dry as well a.
States that we're wet before prohibition
in 1920, there were 237,101 arrests fol-
drunkenness and in 1926. six years after
prohibition went into effect. arrests fol
drunkenness in these same places
totalcd 559.O74 Statistics also show
material increase in deaths from the ex-
ccssive use of alcohol.
Driven to Liquor.
II is further known to be fact thai
the drastic and unreasonable definition
OF what constitutes an intoXicant a:
contained in the Volstead act has driver
men and women who heretofore were
content with drinking light wines anc
beer TO the use of strong liquor, anc
liquor drinking in this country instead
of being on the decline Is on the up-
ward move as direct result OF the at
tempt to prohibit alcoholic beverages
entirely.
1t is a we'll known fact that tonight
while l am standing en- this platform
.allsing to you, liquor is easily obtain
able in every State Of this union, not
withdrawing that many CT the States
~re far removed from tho sceboard NJ
from countries where liquor is lcgiti-
matelJ manufactured. 1t is known
fact that there IS an abundance OF
iqour in th- Capital City itself. Only
Il short time Ego. according to news
p~,>er reports. a waiter in the Senate
restaurant dropped a bottle Of Scotch
whisky on the floor. 1t broke and les
contents spilled over the Capitol, and
eccordins to New York newspaper
he was discharged the next day fol
c2relessness. Nobody said anything
about the crime involved in his pos
~ocsion of it. but 1t was declared to bc
he Gin Of waste b. letting it fall Oh
he fioor.
Paints Two Pictures.
So far have attempted to paint Two
'ioturcs: First, the picture Of the effect
Of these laws upon the morals OF oul
youth, end second. the real facts and
he real condition, which I claim must
be known to the officials of the Gov
~rnment. I have taken considerable
time to lay this before you in detail
hit could not make a better job OF
1t than quote what President Harding
said about It,
Constitutional prohibition has beer
adopted by the Nation 1t is the su-
creme law of the land. In plain apeak-
ing there are conditions relating to Its
enforcement which SAVIOR Of a Nation
wide scandal It Is the most democrat
iZing factor III our pubic life"
ct II he said IN his credit that PreSi-