Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-18
GOVERNORS REFUSE
TO TAKE ACTION ON
DRYLAW ATTITUDE
Executive Committee Advises
Against Vote Because
of Controversy.
RITCHIE OF MARYLAND
ANSWERS WICKERSHAM
Declares Crime Wave Following
Prohibition Enactment Is
Greatest U. S. Problem.
Hv the Associated Press.


Twenty-f1rst Annual Governors Con-
ference toda,' refused to go on recoro
rs oficially approving or disappearing
recommendations for reforms in prohi-
b,tion enforcement made in a letter
from George w. WickerSham. head oi
President Hoover's Law Enforcement
Commission, TO Gov. Franklin D. Roose-
velt of New York. The letter was pre-
sented to the conference Tuesday by
Mr.. Roosevelt.
The refusal to allow the question Ia
come to vote was made on recon-
rnendation of the executive committee
which held that the conference was
pledged not to vote on controversial
subjects.
Although no vote was taken, Gov
Dcrn of Utah. chairman Of the executive
committee, said a consultation with
other governors had revealed, however
that all favored the sentiment of the
resolutions
The decision was made on the de-
mand of Gov. Richards Of South Caro-
lima that the resolution of himself and
Cows. Byrd Of Virginia and Gardner of
North Carolina, approving the recon-
mendationS of Mr.. Wickersham for CO.
operation of State and Federal authori-
ties in prohibition enforcement, be
brought to vote.
II brought to an end a round-table
discussion on prohibition, in the course
of which Gov. Ritchie of Maryland had
declared that lit is time for the coun-
try to realize that the eighteenth
amendment imposes no obligation on
the State to enforce it," and II they
choose not to do so they violate no
legal or moral obligation"
Praises Hoover.
During the debate on the resolutions
Gov. Richards, who is a Democrat
predicted doom for the Democratic
party IF it ever again nominates a
man (for PreSident) who is against
prohibition" and predicted that PreSi-
dent Hoover would go down in history
Rs the greatest President the United
states ever had" because of his "ap-
parent dry attitude"
Gov. Ritchie, making his promised
answer to the letter of Mr.. Wicker
sham, head of President Hoover's
Law Enforcement Commission, which
was read here Tuesday by Gov. Franklin
D. Roosevelt of New York. said the
Volstea6 act has not imposed an obi
cation on States to enforce it. He
added, 1T is time for the country to
realize that fact" The Wickersham
letter, pointing out that the weakness
of prohibition enforcement has been
due to the fact that the Federal Gov
ernment has borne the brunt of the
policing work under the amendment,
suggested that enforcement be divided
between the States and the national
authorities.
Concurrent Jurisdiction.
iafa afaf ~
Is that the States are given concurrent
jurisdiction with the Federal Govern
ment In the enforcement of prohibition,
but that it is optional with the States
to choose the policing power conferred
on them.
Gov. Ritchie pointed out that courts
and police in Maryland, under an At
torney Generals ruling, do not act in
prohibition cases. He said that for this
reason the courts and police are left
more time to act in other cases, with
the result that there have been more
arrests and more convictions for other
types of crime than ever before and
that criminality is on the wane in the
State. He believed the same thing
would happen elsewhere if States con-
centrated on classes of crime other
than those created by prohibition.
1T is time for the country to realize
that the eighteenth amendment imposes
no obligation on the State to enforce
It," the Maryland governor said. THE
amendment gives the State concurrent
jurisdiction with the Federal Govern
ment in that regard, but whether the
States exercise it is optional with them.
II they choose not to do so they violate
no legal or moral obligation.
Mr. Wickersham suggests that the
Federal Government stop the importa-
tion, manufacture and the interstate
shipment of liquor and that the States
enforce the VolStead act In their
borders. He adds a suggestion that in
this event the national and State laws
might be modified so as to become rea-
sonably enforceable. But his language
is so uncertain that I am unable to
understand what he means, so cannot
comment on that.
Will Not Help.
1T dissent, however, from Mr.. Wick
ersham's suggestion that the States
must take over the enforcement of the
Volstead act within their borders. I
have already pointed out that this is
neither their constitutional nor their
moral duty. I now add that, In my
opinion, 1t would not tend to remedy
the crime situation which Mr.. Wick
ersham'S commission was appointed to
study.
aside from the class of crimes, such
as bootlegging and hi-jacking, which
Federal prohibition under the Volstead
act has created, and aside from the
crimes for which they are responsible
and for offenses under the Volstead act,
] doubt very much whether there is any
crime wave. Such crime wave as there
is seems to me to revolve around the
existing Federal system of prohibition
statistics are more important than
anything else in determining q ques-
tion of this kind. You must not only
know how many crimes are committed
but what they are, how many are fol-
lowed by arrests, how many charges are
dismissed, how many convicted men are
put on probation, and how many are
sentenced. The larger cities arc Just
beginning to get these data.
''In Baltimore we have been gettina
it fer some years and there Is certainly
40 crime wave there. We mad les:
burglaries in Baltimore In 1928 than u,
1924, less robberies and practically the
same number Of murders.
Arrests Increase.
Arrests for burglary increased from
Fl per cent in 1924 to 80 per cent ir
1928, for robbery from AZ per cent tc
SO per cent and murder from "a to 81
per cent.
Arrests for felonies generally In
i creased from 33 pei cent in 1924 to %
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