Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-16
CommonWealths Should Stop
"RetaiIing," U. S. Govern
orS Are Told.
FEDERAL FORCES COULD
BATTLE WHOLESALERS"
Peoples Attitude on Enforcement
Is Scored by Hoover's Law
Commission Chairman.
BY the Associated Press.


Franklin D. Roosevelt Of New York.
speaking at the governors conference
which opened here today, read letter
from George w. Wickersham, head OF
President Hoover's Law Enforcement
Commission, in which Mr.. Wickersham
pointed out weaknesses of the Federal
prohibition enforcement act, and sug-
gested plans for strengthening it.
The letter, described by Gov. Roose-
velt as the first public expression OF the
law enforcement chief on the subject,
points out that enforcement Of the Vol
stead act has rested chiefly on the
shoulders of the Federal Government.
Division of Burden Is Urged.
It suggests that some feasible means
Of dividing the burden Of enforcement
between States and National Government
be found and that States be given police
jurisdiction over the retailing end of
the "pecuniarily profitable crime" of
liquor law violation and the National
Government retain policing power over
the wholesale" end of this business"
Wickersham's letter assured Gov.
Roosevelt that prohibition, being a
most serious subject" will be one OF
the chief national problems to be in
vestigated by the Law Enforcement
Commission.
The eighteenth amendment. the let
ter declares, confers upon the States
concurrent jurisdiction with the Ma
tional Government for the enforcement
of this measure, but that thus far the
Federal Government alone has borne
the brunt of the enforcement. That
measure is written into the Constitu-
ton of the United States. 1t seems to
me the governors conference might well
consider. approaching the Federal Gov
ernment on some feasible proposal to
share the burden of enforcement.
u. S. Attitude Is Scored.
eff the National Government were
to attend to preventing importation,
manufacture and shipment In interstate
commerce Of intoxicants, the States
undertaking internal police regulations
to prevent sale, saloons, Speakeasies, and
so forth, the national and State laws
might be modified so as to become rea-
sonable, enforceable, and one great
source of demoraliZing and pecun1artly
profitable crime removed"
The letter closes with an indictment
of the American peoples attitude to-
ward crime reduction and law en-
forcement and points to the evident
disrespect for the Volstead act" and
other statutes as consequence.
Wickersham told Gov. Roosevelt in
the letter that his commission would
investigate the cost Of private police
protection obtained by firms and in
dividuals because city, local and ma
tional police protection Is inadequate"
Text of His Letter.
The complete text of Mr.. Wicker
sham's letter follows:
President Hoover in his inaugural
address, emphasized the need OF an
urgent respect for law and the I'M
proved treatment of crime and
criminals. In his address to the COM
mission on its organization, he said:
"A nation does not fail from its growth
for long survive failure of its citizens
to respect and obey the laws which
they themselves make, nor can 1t sur
vive decadence of the moral and
spiritual contracts that are the basis
Of respect for laws, nor from neglect
to organize itself
ITO defeat crime and the corruption
that flows from it, he expressed the
hope that the commission shall Sc
cure an accurate determination Of the
effect and cause following them with
constructive. courageous conclusions
which will bring public understanding
and command public support of its con-
clusions. In previous statement to
the press, the President stated that
the purpose Of the commission was to
examine and critically consider the en-
tire Federal machinery of justice, a re-
construction of its function, simplidca.
ton of its procedure and provision Of
additional special tribunals and bet
ter selection of juries, the moral, eff.
fective organization of our agency of
investigation and prosecution. 1t would
also naturally include consideration Of
the enforcement of the eighteenth
amendment.
Scope of Commission Is Broad.
From these statements you will un-
derstand what broad scope we have and
what a heavy duty Is laid upon us.
Every intelligent person must be aware
that the general attitude of the Amer
lean people toward the law has fallen
far short of what it should be. It is
for the Volstead law, but in the gen.
eral attitude of beating the law so long
as one can get by with 1t.
"The first thing our commission did
was to endeavor to secure actual, re-
liable statistics of the existing amount
Of crime, the increase or decrease of
crimes during the past decade. the act
ual delays Of the enforcement of justice
and the amount of congestion of the
criminal courts. There are not reliable
statistics furnishing this information.
"The New York Crime Commission,
whose admirable reports have been
most helpful to us. came upon the same
lack, and upon their recommendations
the Legislature of last year passed an
act to supply this want.
II think If the governors conference
would recommend like action by all of
the States it would be helpful. Our
commission is studying the subject and
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