Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-09-24
Multiplying the Eighteenth
Amendment

These Texans ~ho are maintaining that Governor
Smith by signing TIE repeal Or the Mulins-Gsge law
n New York "nullfied~ the eighteenth amendment in
that state. should direct their attention closer home;
70 their own state, II they desire to see evidence Of
what might r~ightfully be termed notification.
The Texas suspended sentence law, which j. oper-
sting a. a preparatory school in crime and which j.
being invoked III scores or liquor cases every day. is
making enforcement Of the Dean law a farce.
m Cameron county which prides itself upon the
nsnner in which the laws are enforced and which j.
generally credited with being one Of the best gov
ernsd counties ia the state. the record may be taken
o. = fair index ~ the manner in which Texas "nulii-
flee Ire eighteenth amendmeret.
During the February term Of the criminal district
eourt thee were III LIQUOR cazes On the docket with
q defendants. For he September term there are five
cases With seven defendants. IN the February term,
s1 defendants we're found not guilty, xix received pen
itentiary SENTENCES end nine we're given suspended sem
tercss. The remaining eases were either dismissed or
continued.
Governor smith. in his message to the New York
assembly approving repeal Of the Mulins-GaEe Law.
stated ~ approved repeal because the liquor law vin-
latiers would be tried in the federal courts. and i'm
mcdiately upon repeal he instructed state police and
other officers 70 cooperate with federal officers to the
fullest extent possible. The repeal placed the burden
upon The federal courts. They could no longer pass
the buck" 10 the state courts.
IL N rather significant that IN Cameron county
where the number Of Liquor cases in the district court
has dropped from q to 5 there will he a noticeable
increase in the number Of liquor cases dockctcd in the
federal court for the December term. II is also rather
significant that deputy sheriffs and federal officers
are now hunting in pairs" and that on several occa-
Eions In recent months deputy shcriffs and federal
officers have co-operated in the capture Of liquor
runners and hootlerFers and that few il any of those
prisoners will Be hailed before the state court. Two
weeks seo a cargo Of liquor and five prisoners were
captured ~ a federal officer and = deputy sheriff. On
the night Deputy Sheriff Horace johnson was shot
down nv a hootiegger or rum runner two federal o.
1icers were with him. and il is logical 70 presume that
in the event they effected a capture the prisoner or
prisoners would have been tried IN the federal court.
~ blame can attach TO any officer for this pro-
csdurc. Deputy sheriffs Of Texas are merely human.
They do not care 70 risk their lives 20 capture a boot
logger or liquor vendor who will be turned loose On N
suspended sentence when heled before the district
court. They know he will a. least receive some pun
ishmcnt in the federal court. It may Be a fine. IF
the bootlegger is armed when captured. il may mean a
penitentiary sentence. However. il is certain he will
not be turned loose without punishment on a suspended
sentence. a. would prob-bly be the case IN The state
court.