Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-18


| were located along the coasts Of New
! Jersey and Florida. Cities along the
eastern seaboard received practically
their entire supply of foreign liquor
| from such sources. At one time 1t was
quite apparent that no real effort was
being made to put an end to such open
defiance of our laws. Liquors runners
operated off Florida practically In the
open, in broad daylight, with little or
agents. Such cases as reached the
courts were handled by corrupt or
evasive agents or "soft-pedaled" by the
| United States Attorneys office.
| On September is. 1925, I recon-
mended complete reorganization Of
the United States Attorneys office in
| Florida. 1t has taken until April rs
United States Attorney has left. Men
from my office, Mr.. Morrison and Mr..
Hughes. are taking charge and clean
ing up the docket of an accumulation
| of 800 cases in Miami alone. 1t just
| takes hard work and a unlooSening
OF the political strangulation to make
| improvements.
In Florida for years the prosecuting
Office and the prohibition agents en-
gagged equally in the game of passing
the buck" Prohibition administrative
placed responsibility on United States
attorneys and their assistants, whom
they charged with dereliction Of duty
and participation in the graft that all
| too plainly existed in some quarters.
On the other hand, prosecuting officers
attempted to place responsibility upon
the agents and prohibition directors
whose eyes were closed apparently to
the principal law-enforcing agencies
had a perfectly grand alibi for condi-
tons that were national scandal.
Coast Guard Does Its Bit.
My own conviction waS-and still is
that prohibition can and will be en-
forced whenever and wherever there Is
the will and determination to enforce
! it, and the full and proper use of the
legal authority, man power and equip
ment available. Accordingly, early in
my term Of office O conference was ar
ranged between the head of the prohi-
bition unit, the Coast Guard and Gus
toms Service and those in the Justice
Department who were responsible, I'M
der my supervision, for prohibition
| prosecutions.
! My opinion that rum row" could be
swept out of existence was changed to
absolute conviction by my contact at
that conference with the officers OF the
Coast Guard. After much discussion
by representatives of the various bu-
reaus and units as to the dificulty and
intricacy of the problem. and the dis
play OF general feeling of hopeless
ness by many of those present, turned
to the representative of the Coast
Guard forces. He was a fine, clear
eyed, courageous looking man Of the
type who have battled with the storms
that sweep our coast and imperil ship
ping. With an economy of words and
forcefulness of utterance that gave me
renewed confidence, he said, when
asked what cooperation could be ex-
pected from his service:
We've got enough to do. We don't
want the job, but II the Coast Guard
gets orders to clean out rum row. it'll
be cleaned out"
The orders were given. Even Con-
gress was aroused. An additional
Sill ,000 900 was appropriated for boats
and equipment.
Coast Guard boats have been break
ing up icebergs, chasing smugglers and
performing other perilous and hazard
Gus work since the early days OF our
Government. It is a splendid service
marked by efficiency, courage and high
morale. In eliminating rum row they
modified, kept quiet, risked their lives,
took punishment and misunderstanding
but accomplished results Just the way
they have performed every other duty
assigned to them throughout the history
of their service.