Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-29

Continued From First Page.)
ton is pressed, there are political repu-
tations which may suffer sadly.
Should the commission fail to open up
its proceedings, it is likely efforts will
be made on Capitol Hill to bring about
open hearings. Congress holds the
pursestrings, and it is not long before
the appropriations for the work OF the
commission will have to be renewed.
Capper Cites Permit Abuse.
Senator Capper of Kansas, in a state
ment last night, placed his finger on
one Of the greatest gaps in prohibition
enforcement, the industrial alcohol per-
mits.
"One of the first jobs the Federal
Government faces. after legislation has
been accomplished" he said, lis the
proper handling of industrial permits
These permits, am informed, are be-
ing sadly abused In many of our larger
cities. There have been too many In
stances of shameful collision among po-
litical leaders, business interests and
Government officials to abuse the per-
NIT privilege"
Senator Capper said that 40 years Of
prohibition, that have not entirely pro-
hibited have brought the need OF law
enforcement by national, State and local
governments to head"
"A definite program" he continued,
lis needed and is in sight" His out
line of the program is essentially that
which has been recommended to Con-
gresS by the President, and which, 1t is
understood, was recommended to the
President by the Law Enforcement
Commission. AS put forward by Sena-
tor Capper, it calls for:
Relief OF court congestion through
bringing court prosecuting procedure up
to date.
Capitalization of prohibition enforce
ment in the Department Of Justice.
"Unification Of border patrols under
central control.
"Codihcation Of prohibitory laws.
Permits Held Federal Problem.
"The industrial alcohol permit is a
Federal problem, just as the still falls
naturally into place as a State and
local enforcement problem. except, per-
hapS, in a few States where there is
little or no inclination to enforce the
law" Capper said.
THE States would do we'll to name
law enforcement commissions similar to
the Federal commission named by Pres
ident Hoover. The larger cities should
have similar commissions.
'All these law enforcement commits
sions could then coordinate their eff
forts. In each State and city would be
a clearing house for law enforcement.
Information can be gathered, classified,
digeSted and made available for State
and local legislative bodies, for State
and local enforcement officers. And
their work could be harmonized with
that of the Federal Government in a
more intelligent and effective way than
now is possible.
Conditions attendant upon enforce
ment of the prohibitory laws over the
Nation, and particularly in the big coast
and border cities and adjacent terri
tory have centered attention on pro-
hibition.
But, as q matter of fact, the ques-
ton goes far deeper than the eighteenth
amendment and laws passed in fur
therance of that amendment.
Developments of modern transporta-
ton methods have made 1t inevitable
that Uncle Sam should become more OF
largely erased State lines in crime as
well as in commerce and travel. Neither
our laws, our law enforcement officers
nor our court machinery have kept
pace with transportation and communi-
cation developments.
LAS a nation we have been slow to
realize and loath to admit that criminal
law enforcement is within the scope of
the Federal Government. We have
hung on like grim death to the cry that
as confederation of States these States
and their subdivisions were SUFFICIENT to
deal with crimes against persons and
property; that the Federal Govern
ment's connection with law enforcement
was largely confined to crimes against
the Government itself, such as SNUG
Cling, counterfeiting and violation of
postal regulations.
Government Sees Striking Duty.
"But the automobile and the airplane,
the telephone and the radio, the parcel
post and the free flow of persons from
one section of the country to another,
have brought problems as we'll as bene-
fits.
States and local governments were
powerless in dealing with automobile
thefts; with the trade in narcotics: with
misuse of the mails; with crimes and
criminals across State borders. The
Federal Government was forced to pass
laws for the protection Of persons and
private property, protection that was
intended to be left largely to State and
local units when our Government was
founded.
I'VE have enacted Federal statutes
along these lines. We have not ad-
justed our executive and judicial ma
chinery to the changed conditions and
changed Federal statutes.
The Federal Government has not
shifted gears because the National Leg
islature has not provided a gear shift
We have asked our district attorneys
and our Federal courts to operate at
twentieth century speed with eighteenth
century machinery. And evidently 1t
cannot be done successfully.
The Federal law enforcement ma
chine needs a gear shift that will en-
able 1t to go into high, and also an ac-
celerator.
This need Is well understood by Pres |
ident Hoover, although he has ex-
pressed 1t in much better and more CO.
herent language. I am confident that |
his commission on law enforcement will |
present program to the congressional |
joint committee which will provide the |
machinery necessary to effectuate this
result.
so far as the present flare-up in
washington over enforcement of the
prohibitory law is concerned, it Is ac-
tually but an incident in the progress
toward the goal of law enforcement and
law observance.
Cites Kansas Experience,
Looking back to our own experience
in Kansas which haS AoI A