New Britain herald., 1929-01-12
HOOVER AND PROHIBITION
 ENFORCEMENT

ubat Mir. Hoover IS 6olhe to "o ahout the prohibition law has oeeh fairly well clarified in Washington disnatches. One of the major enor'S of his administration, it is sald' VIII he an attempt to enforce the ls'h .a,,e,t and the Nolstead Act,
 rh. president-elect believes that ma lori,y of American cl''zenS favor prohibition and want to see IL enforced; he believes an educauoha' campaign in behalf of prohio''io" ,,;u tend to case the way toward us enforcement; dry officials who turn criminal who become grafters, must be punished; he secs a pehel'e'"' economical effect in prohioitioh' crcditiug much of our prosperity 10 the workings of prohibition; person. ally he believes in prohibition and as 4 friend of the process will do all m his power to enforce the law ade- quately.
 All of which reads as if the nation js to sail over new route 10 lhe millennium. One gets an uncomfort- able feeling, of course, that the plan as outlined hints that prohibition 50 far hasn't heen well enforced which would be in the nature of left handed criticism of the present ad- ministration.
 Mir, Hoover's election was aided by the Anti Saloon League: he ran on dry platform; he cannot do other wise than promise the most palns- taking effort to enforce the law. He is idealistic about it, too. believing that an attitude toward prohibition can be engendered through educa- t,onal campaigns such as those he headed for the conservation of food 
 in the kitchens during the war.
 While the President elect fondly aspires to encourage greater respect for the law the Senate Judiciary committee has begun consideration of a resolution for an independent and impartial commission to investi- gate the entire prohibition question, in an endeavor to find out why the law isn't enforced. MT. Hoover. it IS stated, will cooperate with the com- mission. It is possible, too. that the commission may come to the re- markable conclusion that the 18th Amendment should be taken out of the Constitution, or that the Vol stead Act should be modified. If this should be the result of the commis- sion's investigation Mir. Hoover would be in 2 rather embarrassing position. But perhaps that is too much to expect. If Mir. Hoover is dry now he will stay dry regardless of the commissions findings.
 pr. J. M. Doran, prohibition com- missioner. recently told the Senate that to properly enforce the dry law will cost the government $3oo,ooo,- 900 annually. How far from such air-tight enforcement we happen to be can be glimpsed from consider ation of the cost of U. g. dry en- forcement for the fiscal year 1880. based on requested appropriations
 Prohibition bureau $11,9SS,7l0
 Coast guard
 fspproX.) ...... 19,o0o.0oO
 Dept of Justice
 (approxD ..... S,ooo.ooo
 Total -......... s3S.9sS,74o
 The |. prohibition unit start d with an appropriation of $2.2oo,- ooe in 1920. It is now near s4o,- oe0. ono. which includes the cost of dry enforcement in all federal branches. The detailed list of costs reads like d page from the ledger Of 10 steel corporation.
 he even greater costs inflicted upon tates. cities and towns These are harder 10 ascertain.
 Mr. Hoover is sincere-he believes. for instance. that American pros psrity is based to considerable cn- tent upon prohibition. Tho Anti Saloon League does not pause to eA- plain why q similar per capita pros- perity engulfs Canada. where provinces modified the dry law after discovering how it worked.
 Nobody in his senses wants the saloons back. Certain dry propa - Eandisfs always try 10 befog any talk about modification of the en- forcement act with this ridiculous premise. The fact is. tho nation al present Is confronted with q species