Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-14

| thorities. Such a bureau might well be
established in every State capital, with
country, located either in Washington
or in some more central city.
5. Simplify or abolish the indictment.
| It is the basis for every legal sklr1nish
often, when badly drawn, permitting
! a guilty man to go free.
/ s. Abolish the necessity for trial by
| jury in practically all criminal cases by
| permitting the waiver Of a jury trial
| within reasonable limitations and under
/ appropriate safeguards.
| 2. Increase everywhere the so-called
| ''arbitral" courts for the arbitration of
purely civil controversies between indi-
viduals, so as to take some Of the
burden of work of the ordinary courts
and Judges
| 8. Make it a paramount duly OF law
yers themselves to expose and G.sbar
| every unworthy member Of their pro-
fession who so advises or protects pro-
fessional criminals as to make himself
partner in their crimes.
| 8. The newspapers can make crime
not interesting and heroic. but hideous
and cowardly. by emphasizing The cause
10. The people themselves, in every
State and every community, must get
into this fight for orderly government.
Our whole trouble has been produced
by the complacency and supineness Of
millions OF good men and women all
over the land.
Offers Striking Suggestion.
Here are ten recommendations. and
not one of them mentions prohibition,
Obviously Mr.. Ellis sees prohibition
not as the sole subject to be treated by
Mr.. Hoover's commission, but merely
as part of the whole subject
| RV NO means dOec Mr. Ellie joy,0vA
prohibition. On the contrary, he makes,
as respects prohibition, striking and
novel suggestion. 1t is mainly because
| OF the neWnesS and the impressiycness
OF Mr.. Ellis suggestion about prohibi-
tion-and the certainty that 1t will pro-
yoke widespread discussion-that led
! the present writer to take Mr.. Ellis
address as the subject Of this article.
Apparently Mr.. Ellis believes in pro.
| hlbitlon, or at least wishes for the ex-
| tinctlon not only of the trafic in in.
tox1cating liquors, but Of their use he
says: Undoubtedly it would be a good
thing for the country morally, physio-
logically and financially, If the use Of
intoxicating liquors was stopped by
| everybody by common consent"
! Mr.. Ellis concrete suggestion about
prohibition enforcement has to 60 with
the fact that some States do not en-.
force it. The facts on this point are
that three States never passed State
| enforcement acts and three other States
which once passed State enforcement
acts have now repealed them. One
hears in Washington that this tendency
OF the States to recede from the WORK
OF enforcement Is increasing and that
some other States are about to Join the
list OF those repeating their enforce
ment acts. Where States never passed
enforcement acts or, as in the cases Of
| New York and Wisconsin, passed them
but then repealed them. it follows that
| the Federal Government at WASHINGTON
has within those States the Who'll. bur-
den Of enforcing.
! Under this condition the tendency
up to the present has been to say that
the Federal Government should 90
right on enforcing within such States:
indeed. the tendency has been to say
that where State stops enforcing the
Federal Government should increase its
activity and vigilance within that State.
Fair Showdown Urged.
Mr.. Ellis suggests precisely the OPP
posite course. He says:
1T Is important to inspire greater
sense Of personal and local RESPONSE
bility. The power and obligation
to enforce prohibition is precisely as
incumbent upon each and every one
Of the 48 States Of this Union as 1t Is
upon Congress. There is absolutely
no difference either in the power or
the duty. Now I suggest that the
American people put this concurrent
! obligation into effect. Let us have a
fair and square showdown on the Sub
| ject. Let us insist and require that
every State which is doing its part by
legislation and enforcement to secure
obedience to the prohibition amend
ment. shall have the help and Coop
Grafton of the Federal Government
and
Now Mr. Ellis comes to the meat Of
his suggestion:
Every State which refuses to do its
part to enforce the prohibition amend
n,ent shall not have the support of
the Federal Government"
This means that, as respects Wis
consin. for example, the Federal Cow
eminent should withdraw from ordi-
nary local prohibition enforcement
within that State. The Federal Gov
eminent would. Of course. continue to
prevent smuggling into Wisconsin from
Canada. The Federal Government
would pointedly and with particular
care help to prevent smuggling of liquo-
from other States into Wisconsin. The
Federal Government would also within
Wisconsin suppress wholesale manu-
facture of a sort likely to be transported
into dry States, but the Federal Gov
ing down or Furnishing or preventing
small local violations within Wisconsin
of the sort that a State is commonly
expected to handle through its own
police power.
Mr.. Ellis says: What would be the
effect of this? :. In my judgment,
such a bold stroke would have an i'm
mediate and electrical effect all over the
country. The people Of every State in
the Union would realize for the first
time that the enforcement Of prohibi-
ton is primarily their business. 1t
would set them to thinking as no other
experiment would"
Situation VisualiZed.
It Is a fair guess that the bold
stroke" which Mr.. Ellis suggests would
have as he puts it. IAN immediate and
electrical effect" on certainly q portion
of the country. That portion would
be the drys in the non-enforcing States.
! AS to this group. what is their state
Of mind under the present condition?
We can visualize it thus: The State
Of Wisconsin proposes to stop enforc-
ing. What do the drys in Wisconsin
do? What is their natural reaction?
Do they say to themselves, "Oh, well,
never matter, Uncle Sam will enforce
for u.s."
But suppose the drys In Wisconsin
knew precisely the contrary, knew that
the Federal Government would suop en-
forcing in that State? Would not that
knowledge cause the drys In Wisconsin
to make greater efforts toward keeping
their State locally dry?
In other words would Mr.. Ellis pro-
posal result in a greater quantity Of
activity and earnestneSs on the part
0f faerSnns WIN believe In nr0htlitf0no