The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-12

in a garage.
Most people, unfamiliar with the
liquor history of the national capital,
naturally would view seizures such
as the above, reported almost daily
in the local news sheets, as the
direct outgrowth of the prohibition
law.
MOonshine Is Eclipsed
Such is not the case, however.
Ready market for taX-free liquor al
ways has existed in the metropolitan
centers of Baltimore and Washing
ton. Stills were active and ne
merous operation long before prohi-
bition. Corn liquor always has been
a more or less popular beverage with
certain discriminating drinkers.
Many old-time SalOonkeepers Of
Baltimore and Washington included
the tax-free product among their
merchandise, and reaped the
enormous profits acquiring from sale
Of the moonshine brew to a clientele
whose pocketbook or tastes were
satisfied with the cheaper article.
There may be. and probably there IS,
more illicit distilling around Wash
ington now than before prohibition.
But the basic condition always
existed. The only difference being
that in the old days it attracted
little attention.
Methods of obtaining alcohol with
which to supply a thirsty populace
are as ingenious as they are numer-
Gus. Some time ago a drug concern
located in a sparsely populated town
in Texas secured the release on per-
nlits for medicinal use of 200 barrels
of Jamaica ginger. Jan. aica ginger
is 90 per cent alcohol. Two hundred
barrels of it would take care of quite
a stable quantity of old-fashioned
! ''tummy- ache" -many more than
would be likely to occur in a sparsely
populated Texas community.
The Biggest Leak of All
The fact is obvious that such an
immense quantity of the ready
could not have any legitimate me-
dicinal distribution by any one drug
concern in any one small locality.
In my honest judgment the great
est single source of liquor supply
today is alcohol diverted Illegally
from concerns bearing the stamp Of
respectability in the form of gov
eminent permit.
Long before national prohibition
. the government authorized certain
industries such as paint factories,
dye and chemical plants, manufac-
turers of perfume, etc, to withdraw
tax-free alcohol for use in the
preparation of such products. Under
the existing law these industries
still are permitted to withdraw al
cohol with no reStI -ction other than
regulations promulgated by the
treasury department.
I contend, and have from my eX-
perience for years, that these reg
ulations stop far short of the prop
or legal control necessary to keep
industrial alcohol from being the
chief source Of the illicit cocktail
supply
Let no one make the mistake of
assuming that I would hamper, ha-
rass or even make unduly difficult
the conduct of legitimate business
which needs alcohol. But making
the regulations which govern its use,
crisp. definite and as restrictive as
the law permits, would safeguard le-
ultimate business. 1t would hamper
only the illegitimate concerns which
use their permit as a cloak to divert
alcohol.
"Cover House" Used
These latter all divert through the
weu-known ruse of shipments via
cover houses" A @cover house" is
to the alcohol racketeer what a
fence" is to thief. Let me illus
trate. The dishonest permittee, I'M
der present regulations, is obliged
only to show in his Office letter or
some other form Of confirmation of
the sale of his products. Govern
ment inspectors take list OF the
. pIaces where the permittee's files
indicate that his products have gone.
Row will cite an actual incident.
Inspectors found that permittee "a
shipped $4,000 gallons of highly al
coboiic "Carnation Perfume" to *.
The inspectors went to see TX.
They asked, Did you receive $4,000
gallons of 'carnation perfume from
Perrittee. Az" "X'' replied, Eyes.
The inspectors looked about. but
* apparently had only a rented
room. a desk, and a telephone. They
asked to see where the 10000 gal
Ions of "Carnation Perfume was.
TX" replied, But it's none OF your
business where it is or what
I have done with it." And the tragic
fact is, that so far as prohibition
enforcement is concerned under the
regulations as now written, it wasn't
snv of the business Of the inspectors
to follow the product TO its ultimate
disposition.
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