Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-25

ures necessary to make prohibition en-.
forcement really effective.
In the flrst place, let me deny that
there Is anything very complicated OF
! intricate about the problem Of enforce
ment of the prohibition law. The task
| Of enforcing that law Is in its essen
| tials as simple as that Of enforcing any
other law. That way is to definitely
establish personal responsibility for en-
| forcement.
Let me illustrate. In each county of
the United States there is one person
whose responsibility it Is to finally en-
force the law against murder. If that
person fails to prosecute murderers, or
conniveS or conSpireS with murderers,
his term Of office will be short; the
! community will not tolerate q condition
that Is dangerous to 1t.
The failure Of prohibition enforce
ment, its lack Of effectiveness so far, Is
due very largely to failure to definitely
center personal responsibility.
The condition was well illustrated In
q cartoon drawn by J. N. Ding, entitled
when the Commission to Investigate
Law Enforcement Begins to Investigate
Exhibit A."
! The cartoon showed party Of dis
tinguished gentlemen, with high hats,
carrying note books, and in charge of
guide, making an investigation of
THE Buckpassers' League" The
"BuckpaSserS' League" was represented
as a long row Of men leaning back in
their chairs, with their feet on their
desks and blithely engaged in tossing
about high in the air, from one to
another, straw man labeled Law En-
forcement. Those who sat at the desks
and who were engaged in this sport
were labeled Courts" Police" County
Attorney" Grand jury" Detective"
Sheriff" Expert Witness" "Alienist, "
District Attorney" Jury" "City Gov
ernment," etc.
The Crime Commissions Job.
This is a true picture of present
conditions. 1t is condition that can
and should be corrected. I do not
doubt that out Of the investigation of
the Presidents Law Enforcement Com
mission will come recommendations
that will be of value in doing away
with red tape and centralizing and def
niteiy establishing responsibility. But
long before that commission Is ready to
make its detailed report great deal
can be done to put prohibition on an
effective basis.
Every law, whether applying to a
single village or the whole Nation, must
lively enforced.
I am not seeking by this statement
to relieve the Federal Government OF
any responsibility for enforcement OF
the prohibition law. Every speech I
made in the last presidential campaign
was directed to driving home to the
people the realization that the Presi-
dent of the United States can almost
make or break" the Constitution, not
tn TArOl1ihiffOY1 n.
forcement, but enforcement OF the
other laws enacted under Federal au-
thority, the antitrust laws, the pure
food laws, the laws for the protection
of men employed by railroads In inter
state commerce, etc. If the President
(and am speaking in general terms
now and not Of any particular Presl-
dent) is of such a disposition or tenn
permanent that he avoids conflict, or
endeavors to assure his own re-eiectlon
by incurring the favor Of politicians
Controlling State delegations. he can
make prohibition enforcement dimcuit
or ineffective. He can appoint unnt
Federal judges, district attorneys, mar
shals. and other officers Of the law. He
can fail to remove from ofdce men VINO
have deliberately violated their pledge
to enforce all laws, including the pro-
hibition law. He can appoint TO or re-
hearted or incompetent in the admln-
istration Of the prohibition law.
Local Cooperation Needed.
The President appoints the heads OF
the various principal departments OF
the Government, including the Secre,
tary of the Treasury, VINO mas general
SUPERVISION over the work OF the pro-
hibition unit or division. The secretary
Of the Treasury supervises the coi!ectors
of internal revenue, customs agents ano
t.raticn whose duty 1t is to detcct VIOLA
ton of the Federal laws. furthermore.
the President appoints the Attorney
General. who supervises the United
States district attorneys through the
country in prosecutions under the pro-
hibition law and other Federal statutes.
An indefinite or hostile or incompetent
Attorney General can prevent e1ectlve
enforcement Of the prohibition or anu.
Importance. The responsibility goes
back to the President In the flnal
analysis. -
No oficial in Washington, however
not even the President-can enforce
the prohibition law or any other law
throughout the United States without
local cooperation. The President, act
ing through his Attorney General, may
appoint an honest, sober. competent
cities of the country, but If the people
in that city are Indifferent to their
obligations to vote, to keep or make the
municipal and State governments hon
est and efficient, the United States at
torney will be hampered and thwarted
In his efforts to enforce the law.
If the head Of the city government
is a mayor who appoints a chief OF po-
lice who protects bootleggers and divides
the graft with politicians large ana
SMALL If the county or State prosecuting
attorney Is of the same type as the
mayor, the United States district at
torney cannot possibly hope to enec.
lively enforce the prohibition law.
It is impossible for a comparatively
small force of Federal prohibition agents
to do the work Of local police in small
bootlegging cases. and when all such
cases are diverted to the limited num-
Der of Federal courts, with only one or
two judges in a large district, Jury>trials
This enables bootleggers to continue to
operate even while under Indictment.
Systematic Division. g..
have pointed out in another chap
ter what I now repeat here as one
definite, practical step 70 insure more
effective enforcement Of prohibition.
That is to systematically divide and
apportion responsibility between the
Federal Government and State and
local governments so that there will be
no overlooking Of part of the machinery
Of law enforcement, and, on the other
hand, no lack of high type Of person.
mel for difficult cases beyond the reach
or strength of local authority.
have been accused of resigning my
position in pique because, so the re-
port goes, the President refused to con-
centrate all prohibition enforcement
activities in the Department of Justice