The Washington times., 1929-07-18
STATE DRY.
AID HIT BY
R|TCH|E Z
By JAMES L. KILGALLEN

IOY " 6A4EAAHSS A4R 84AA4SS S&3NAS~@SN
GROTON, Conn, July Is
(I.N.S.). "The Eighteenth
Amendment imposes no obliga-
ton, moral or legal, on the
States of the Union to enforce
prohibition. =
Gov. Albert c. Ritchie Of Maryland
made this vigorous declaration to-
day before the Twenty-first Con-
ference Of Governors in replying to
the suggestion Of George W. Wick
eraham. chairman OF PreSiuehI
Hooyer's crime commission, that the
yovarnors approach the Feoerai
esovArnment with q proposal to as
aunne the burden OF exercislnS inter
nal police regulations to prevent tine
sale of intoxicants in saloons ana
speakeasies.
Scheme Is Detailed
TTnder Mr.. Wickersham's scheme,
tbe Federal prohibition authorities
would have only to prevent impor.
+ation. rnanufacture and shipment
If Iioaor in Interstate fcomnlerce.
Thus far the Federal Government
has .sborne the brlnt'' Of enforcing
nrohibition, VVickerslaal11 said IN p
letter read before the governors ses-
sion Tuesday.
ssIt is time for the country to
realize" sai6 Governor Kitchie. that
thA Eighteenth Amendment imposes
no obligation on the State to enforce
1t.
.oThe amendment gives the State
couc,rrent jurisdiction with the
Federal Government in that regard
hut whether the State exercises it
10 outional with them. IL they
choose to do so they violate no
legal or moral obligation.
Calls Language Vague
"Mr, Wickersham suggests that
the Federal Government stop the
Importation, manufacture and the
interstate shipment Of liquor and
that the States enforce their laws
in their borders. He adds a sug-
gestion in this event the National
and state laws might be modified
so as to become reasonably enforc-
able. But his language is so un.
certain that I am unable to under.
stand what he means so ! can not
comment upon that.
''FIowever, from Mr.. Wicker
sharn's suggestion that the States
must take over the enforcement OF
the VoIstead act within their Dor.
ders. / have already pointed out
that this Is neither their constitu-
tional nor their moral duty.
"I now add that in my opinion it
would not tend to remedy the
crime situation which Mr.. Wicker
sham's commission was appointed
to study"
Doubts Crime Wave
Governor Ritchie declared that
aside from the class Of crime, such
as bootIegging and hi-jaeking, (which
Federal prohibition under the Vol
stead act has created and aside
from crimes for which they are
responsible and for offenses under
the Volstead act. doubt very much
whether there is any crime wave"
''In Baltimore" said Governor
Ritchie, 1--WE have been getting these
data for some year and certainly
there is no more crime wave there.
We had less burglaries in Balti-
more in 1928 than in 1924; less
robberies and practically the same
aumber of murders"
-...# ATLSr ClLlHSs bdlLluOES SAuhS Sld-
Rdstics at some length, Governor
Ritchie continued:
No State Dry Act
eve have no State enforcement
act In Maryland. The Baltimore
,sity police, under ruling from the
attorney general, do not arrest for
offenses under the Volstead act,
and the city courts do not have to-
try that class of cases. The result
IS that both police and courts are
free to give, their whole time to
the detection and punishment of
crime, ana we have in Baltimore
less crime than ever before, and
more arrests and more convictions
than ever before.
II can see no reason why what
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