The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-20

III is easy 10 say, ProhlpltlOn can
not possibly be enforced" But to
one who is aware from intimate
optact with the problem of enforce
ment what can be accomplished
when there is real will to en-
force the law, backed and supple
mented by intelligent cooperation
and coordination of forces, and
legal authority, the statement car
ries no convition.
Victory After Years Delay
For a long time newspapers feat
ured operations of rum row." Ships
with valuable cargoes of choice
liquors "hovered" or 'lurked" be-
yond coastal waters to supply boot
leggerS who could run the blockade
coast guard vessels to these shores.
The most notorious rum rows
were located along the coasts of
New Jersey and Florida. Cities along
eastern seaboard received practically
their entire supply of foreign liquor
from such sources. At one time it
was quite apparent that no real
effort was being made to put an
and to such open defiance of our
laws. Liquor-runners operated off
Florida practically in the open, in
broad daylight, with little or no in
reference from prohibition agents.
Such cases as reached the courts
were handled by corrupt or evasive
agents or "soft-pedaled"
On Sept. Is, 1925, I recommended
complete reorganization of the
United States attorneys Office in
Florida 1t has taken until April
Is of this year to see that happen.
The United States attorney has left.
Men from my office, Mr. Morrison
and Mr.. Hughes, are taking charge
and cleaning up the docket of an
accumulation of 800 cases in Miami
alone 1t just takes hard work and
an unIooSening of the political
strangulation to make improve
mentS.
They Passed the Buck
In Florida for years the prosecut-
ing Office and the prohibition agents
engaged equally in the game of
passing the buck" Prohibition adj
ministratives placed responsibility
on United States attorneys and their
assistants, whom they charged with
dereliction of duty and partici-
patton in the graft that all too
plainly existed in some quarters.
On the other hand, prosecuting
officers attempted to place response
bility upon the agents and prohibit
ton directors whose eyes were
closed apparently to open violations
of prohibition. Both of the prin-
cipal law-enforcing agencies had a
perfectly grand alibi for conditions
that were national scandal.
My own conviction waS-and still |
is-that prohibition can and will |
be enforced whenever and where
ever there is the will and deter
mination to enforce it, and the full
and proper use of legal authority, |
man power and equipment avail |
able.
Accordingly, early in my term of
office, a conference was arranged |
between the head of the prohibition
unit, the coast. guard and customs
service and those in the justice de-
partment who were responsible, I'M
der my supervision, for prohibition
prosecutions.
My opinion that rum row. could
be swept out of existence was
changed to absolute conviction by
my contact at that conference with
the officers of the coast guard. After
much discussion by representatives
of the various bureaus and units as
to the difficulty and intricacy of
the problem, and the display of a
general feeling of hopelessness by
many of those present, I turned to
the representative of the coast
guard forces.
"We'u Do 1t"
He was a fine, clear-eyed, cou-
'ageous looking man of the type who
have battled with the storms that
sweep our coast and imperial ship
ping. With an economy of words
and forcefulness of utterance that
gave me renewed confidence, he
said, when asked what cooperation
could be expected from his service: