Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-05
Hoover on Law Enforcement.

Elected on dry platform, pledging
himself in his campaign to enforcement
of the eighteenth amendment, that part
OF Mr.. Hoover's inaugural address de-
voted to this most serious Of his coun-
try's domestic problems excites greatest
interest. His remarks inspire faith in
his sincerity and confidence in his
sanity. He makes no effort to minimize
the danger that confronts nation
whose whole system of self-government
will crumble either If officials elect what
laws they will enforce or citizens elect
what laws they will support. +" For
our citizens to patronize the violation
Of a particular law on the ground that
they are opposed to it is destructive on
the very basis of all that protection Of
life, of homes and property which they
rightly claim under other laws"
But he offers no panacea for the con-
dition that exists and he refuses to
conceive Of the Government as an
agency which, alone, can supply the
remedy. He describes the steps he can
and win take. While a commission Is
investigating the whole structure of our
Federal system Of jurisprudence, includ-
ing the enforcement of the eighteenth
amendment, "a large part" of the en-
forcement activities Of the Government
will be transferred to the Department
of Justice, and he concludes that ''to
those Of criminal mind there can be
no appeal but vigorous enforcement of
the law. Fortunately, they are but a
small percentage Of our people. Their
activities must be stopped"
This, however, is only one side of the
picture. There would be little traffic
Ia Illegal liquor II only criminals pat
ronized It. We must awake to the fact
that this patronage from large num-
bers Of Iaw-abiding citizens is supply
ing the rewards and stimulating crime"
He evidently uses the term "law-abid-
Ing advisedly. Under the law the
bootleggers patron is a 'law-abid-
ing" citizen, and II the spirit OF the
law failed to contemplate the fact that
he would be so regarded, the spirit of
the times and the unique tolerance of
liquor law violation have made it so.
Mr.. Hoover places a large part Of the
responsibility for enforcement of the
law upon the citizens. And he makes
It their duty to support their laws to
. degree that equals the Governments
enforcement of the laws. He proposes,
as President. to execute and enforce the
laws ''to the extent Of my own abili-
ties" but the Governments measure Of
success IN this endeavor will depend
upon the moral support which you as
citizens extend"
That Is frank and a sane presen-
tation Of the case. BY nature well
equipped, and by the mandate Of the
majority Of his countrymen ordered,
President Hoover will undoubtedly en-
deavor to enforce the eighteenth amend
ment as 1t has never been enforced
before. He Is not sure Of the result.
NO man can be sure. For the Govern
nent cannot work miracles and it can
not, alone and unaided by the citizens
who added the eighteenth amendment
to their Constitution, enforce that
amendment. But, "if citizens do not
Nike q law, their duty as honest men
and women is to discourage its viola
ton; their right Is openly to work for
Its repeal" Thus does President Hoover
tndict these who encourage the viola
ton Of law while they howl piteously
over the decadence Of the law: who
subjugate their duty as citizens to their
appetites as individuals.