Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-27
Nebraskan Joins Borah in
Condemnation of Present
Personnel of Service.
SECRETARY is BLAMED
FOR PRESENT FAILURES
Senator Jones Urges Commission
to Make Early Report
on Prohibition.

By the Associated Press.
The resignation of Secretary Mellor
was demanded as the first step In {
clean up" of prohibition enforcement
today by Senator Norris of Nebraska
a Republican dry, who Joined with
Senator Borah, Republican, Idaho, ir
condemning the personnel of the en-.
forcement service.
The Nebraskan blamed politics" ir
the enforcement service for what hs
described as the failure" of enforce.
ment. When asked where he woulC
start in reorganizing he replied quicElg
With Andrew w. Mellon" @
II don't say the law is not enforced
everywhere" said Norris, who is chair
man of the judiciary committee, but
do say it is not generally enforced,
and think there is evidence that the
politicians are meddling too much. I
don't think Andrew Mellon, who is the
chief enforcement officer, is In SYM
pathy with the law. I don't demand
prohibition cranks."
In fact, don't want any cranks in
the service, but I want an admins
tration of that law which is free from
political influence"
The prohibition storm continued to
rumble in the Capital today. Senator
Jones, Republican, Washington, calling
upon the Law Enforcement Commission
to urge an early report by it. However,
the Republican dry leader failed to find
Chairman Wickersham and a majority
of his commission on hand and he
made an appointment for return call
early next week.
Opposition to plan announced by
the Treasury to reduce the number of
ports Of entry from Canada was in
dicated by Representative Pittenger, Re-
publican, Minnesota.
Senator Borah of Idaho, another
ardent dry, took the current prohibi-
ton dispute to the Executive Mansion
yesterday and discussed it thoroughly
over the luncheon table with President
Hoover. What was said was not re-
vealed, but today Borah was as firmly
intrenched as ever in his stand like
that expressed by Norris that the ills
of enforcement lie in the personnel to
which it is intrusted
Undersecretary Mills of the Treasury
has passed back to Congress the re-
sponsibility for improving enforcement
conditions along the border. His de-
partment is ready, he said, to submit
plans for a unified border patrol and a
limited number of Canadian. ports Of
President Hoover's recommendation for
a joint committee to study enforce
ment questions.
House Action Awaited.
The Senate adopted a resolution to
establish such a committee Just be-
fore recessing for the holidays and a
similar House measure is awaiting
action by the rules committee.
Senator Sheppard, Democrat, Texas,
a co-author Of the eighteenth amend
ment, entered the lists with an asSer-
ton that enforcement is a success as
measured by the standard of a majority
OF people obeying the law and a ma
jority of cases against offenders result
ing in convictions.
He said he believed President Hoover
is doing everything within his power to
improve enforcement. that he is in in
innate touch with the men directly re-
sponsible and that these agencies are
entitled to public confidence and sup
port.
Senator Harris, Democrat, Georgia.
who precipitated the present discussion
by demanding a preliminary report on
prohibition from the Hoover Law En-
forcement Commission, has asserted that
increased funds will solve the problem
and make possible the employment of
more capable enforcement officers.
Curran Issues Statement.
While the Senatorial disputants over
enforcement were having their say,
Henry H. Curran, president of the asso-
citation against the prohibition amend
ment, issued a formal statement con-
corning the developments. It read:
II see by the papers that Borah says
the only trouble with prohibition is that
the snoopers do not snoop efficiently
but Mitchell says the trouble is with
Congress, while Doran says the trouble
is with the American people.
did 1t never occur to any of them
that perhaps the trouble lies In the
law itself?
Perhaps they have read their Iolan-
the well enough to make up a trip
and do this little chorus for us:
""rhe law is the true embodiment
OF everything that's excellent.
1t has no kind of fault or flaw
And I, my lords, embody the law"