The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-01-04
TOSTAY
ON DEFENSIVE
in ASSEMBLY
No Effort viii Be Made to
Sharpen Teeth Of
Booze Laws.
sHUMAKER ON ALERT
League Chief Would Like to
Have Search of Autos
LOCALIZED.

Despite desire of the Indiana
Anti-Saloon League to sharpen the
teeth of prohibition enforcement by
strengthening the search and seiz-
ure provisions of the existing stat
utes, no effort along this line is
contemplated in the session of the
general assembly opening Jan. 10.
This was the statement today of
Edward S. Shumaker, superintend-
ent of the league, who declared de-
tenders of the Wright bone-dry act
would be vigilant for efforts to
weaken the statute, but would adopt
a policy of defense rather than Of
Tense"
eff the vets attempt to pull any
teeth from the states dry laws,
we'll see that they don't manage
it," Shumaker said, recalling retalia-
tory tactics the drys employed two
years ago.
Drys Turn Tables
At that time an attempt to put
through bill which would have re-
quired preliminary hearings and
presentation of evidence before
search warrants could be issued was
killed by a rally of dry representa-
tives, who turned about and OBJ
tanned passage of bill bringing the
Wright bone dry law and motor
vehicle laws into conformity.
Dry forces would welcome legiS-
lation which would admit conf1scat-
ed liquor, obtained by officers de-
spite faulty search warrants, as evi-
dence in liquor cases. But decisions
of the state supreme court have in
dicated the futility, they say, of ac-
complishing such legislation with
any hope of its being held constitu-
tional.
But the fact remains" Shumaker
said, ''that officers do enter homes
without search warrants in many
cases where crimes other than
against the liquor laws are suspect
ed, and then go into court with the
evidence obtained and are not crit
icised in the least for lack of search
warrants.
Attitude Is Different
Strictly speaking, officers have
no more right to enter a home in
which they might think murder
just had been committed than they
have to enter it on a report that a
still was in operation there.
"But this is not actually the case.
If they suspect a crime has been
committed, a murder or an assault,
they break down the door and go in.
Their action is not criticised. But
the courts every day show the re-
verse to be true if they go into
homes searching for liquor without
search warrants
Shumaker said it is "too bad" that
authority is not found for stationing
uniformed officers at points along
the principal highways, empowered
to search any and every passing
automobile for liquor.
Cites Corn BOrer Inspection
1.-THE motorist is subjected to an
inspection of his car for the corn
borer," he said, land nobody COM
plains. Every one coming into the
United States from abroad, or from
Canada, submits to search of his
baggage for struggled articles, es-
Gaping duty.
eff it is not an offense against
personal liberty to examine baggage
for the sake of duty that should be
paid the government. isn't it far
more justif1able to make possible the
search of automobiles by regularly
constituted authorities in uniform
to rid the highways of the trans
porters of liquor and drunken driv-
erS who take a toll of lives daily?"