Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-03-09
A Pro Message TO American
People

Herbert Hoover has the reins Of government in his
hands. He is the chief executive of the republic. He
is the first engineer to hold the place. He is the first
American born west of the Mississippi river to hold
the place. His inaug.E al message, his first state pa
per. is a notable contribution to the official litera-
ture Of his country. His opening words are very sig
nificant, 1T is a dedication and concentration under
God to the highest office in service to our people"
and II assume the trust in the humility of knowledge
that only through the guidance of Almighty provi-
dence can I hope to discharge its ever increasing
burdens"
In his forward he pays a high tribute to his pred
ecessor in these words, For wise guidance in this
great period Of recovery the nation is deeply indebt-
ed to Calvin Coolidge" In his campaign for the high
office the president pledge his best efforts and all his
ability to enforcement of the eighteenth amendment
and the Volstead act.
After reviewing existing conditions of the I'M
doubted abuses which have grown up under the
eighteenth amendment, he declares part are due TO
the causes mentioned in his foreword, but part are
due to the failure of some states to accept their share
of responsibility for concurrent enforcement and to
the failure Of many state and local officials under
their oath of office zealously to enforce the laws"
Regardless Of ell this he lets it be known that IN
his opinion there would be little traffic in the Illegal
liquor if only criminals patronized it and we must
awake to the fact that this patronage from large
number of law abiding citizens is supplying the re-
wards and stimulating time" There is no evasion or
side-stepping of the issue of law enforcement to be
found in this inaugural message.
This IS the way out of it: IF citizens do not like a
law, their duty as honest men and women is to dis
courage its violation: their right is openly to work for
its repeal" There is to be a national investigation.
He is to appoint a national commission for a search
ing investigation of the whole structure of our federal
system Of Jurisprudence, to include the method Of en-
forcement of the eighteenth amendment and the
causes of abuse under it.
ats purpose" reads the inaugural speech, will be
TO make such recommendation for reorganization OF
federal laws and court procedure as may be found de-
sirable. In the meantime it is essential that a large
part Of the enforcement activity be transferred from
the treasury department to the department of justice
as a beginning of more effective organization"
In other words the attorney general Of the United
States, William D. Mitchell, a former democrat, Will
be the chief Of the enforcement department and An
drew w. Mellon, secretary of the treasury, Will De
relieved Of I'll law enforcement responsibility relating
to the eighteenth amendment and the Volstead act
Heretofore violation of the Volstead act was a INSIDE
meanor. Now tt is a capital crime. In the closing
days Of the dead congress the Jones bill was put over.
II provides drastic punishment for the violator Of pro
laws. 1t carries with conviction five years %imprison-
ment in a federal penitentiary and a fine of $4,000
Never in the history of pro law enforcement in any
country under the sun have the penalties been 50
drastic.