Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-07
MITCHELL FAVORS
DRY UNIT TRANSFER
Attorney General Urges Early
Action on Prison Relief
Measures.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Early action on the prohibition en-
forcement transfer bill and on prison
relief measures was advocated before
the Senate judiciary committee today
by Attorney General Mitchell to help
administration Of the dry lew.
The bill for transfer of the prohibit
ton enforcement unit from the Treas
llry Department to the Department of
Justice has been passed by the House.
Opposes Senate Liquor Probe.
The Attorney General regarded I'M
favorably the resolution of Chairman
Norris proposing q Senate investigation
OF prohibition enforcement and the
author conceded after the meeting that
he had little hope for the inquiry.
Asked about the charges Of politics
mixing In enforcement. made by Mrs.
Mabel Walker Willebrandt, former AS
SiStant Attorney General in charge OF
prohibition prosecutions, Mr.. Mitchell
said he had declined to comment on
this before the Senate committee.
Chairman Norris called his attention
to Mrs. Withdrawals series of newspa-
per articles dealing with prohibition.
The Attorney General excused himself
from comment on the ground that her
charges dealt with q period prior to
his administration.
Reporting that Federal prisons were
greatly overcrowded. Mr.. Mitchell at
tributed this principally to increased
prosecutions under the dry law. How
ever, he said the Dyer automobile theft
law, the Mann act and the narcotic
act also had contributed to the increase
in the number of prisoners.
Will Hear BOrah and Wheeler.
After again deferring action on the
Norris resolution, the committee held
itself ready to hear Senators Borah,
Republican, of Idaho, who has charged
laxity in enforcement, and Senator
Wheeler, Democrat, of Montana, who
also has asked Senate inquiry, before
taking a final vote.
Senator Norris said he believed a
majority of the committee was against
his resolution and he was uncertain
whether he would carry the fight to
the Senate If defeated In committee.
Arguing for the transfer measure, Mr..
Mitchell said the same Government
apartment which investigates and ar
rests prohibition violatorS should
prosecute them.
He opposed. however, the provision
to transfer to the Justice Department
control over the industrial and medic
inal alcohol permits. He would leave
that with the Treasury.
Discussing his resolution, Senator
Norris said after the committee session
that II don't think We have had fair
test of enforcement and would like to
learn the facts about it."
However" he added, "if the people
who are as ardent prohibitionists as l
am feel that an investigation would
hinder the new administration which
seems to be doing better, according to
its own statistics, don't want TO spill
the beans"
IT have thought an investigation
would disclose many instances where
political influence was brought to bear
To prevent prosecutions or to interfere
with prosecutions after they had been
commenced"
The Nebraskan said he had not OBJ
served an improvement in enforcement
under the Hoover administration.
Adopts Liberal Parole Policy.
Attorney General Mitchell explained
that the department was adopting
liberal policy with paroles as one means
of relieving congestion in the prisons
The department has several measures
pending before the judiciary commit
tee providing for complete reorganiza-
ton of the Federal prison system.
Consideration by the House OF the
bill TO legalize 275 per cent beer will
not be sought by Representative Dyer,
Republican, Missouri, until the Hoover
Law Enforcement Commission has re-
ported on its investigation Of the FEAST
bility of such legislation.
Taking the floor of the House today
Dyer, author of the measure, said he
had received many inquiries from all
parts OF the country, as well as from
members of Congress, as to what was
being done about the bill.
Explaining he had been advised that
the Law Enforcement Commission was
now giving very earnest study and
consideration to this phase of the pro-
hibition question:" he said that "in view
of this action by the commission do
not wish that either the House judi
ciary committee or the House itself do
anything about the proposed legislation
at this time"