Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-13
Court Relief Is
Advocated i'm
Message
CONGRESS GETS
CRIME REPORT
Trial Of Casesb by us.
Commissioners Is
Recommended
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Definite recommendations for
legislation to strengthen the en-
forcement of Federal criminal
laws. especially the enforcement
of prohibition, were made in a
special message of President
Hoover to Congress today.
The President transmitted to
the Congress also the first report
of the Law Enforcement Commits
sion, which for seven months has
been studying the question.
Modification Is Unsuggested.
The report of the commission
contemplates rigid enforcement
of the dry laws. No suggestion of
modification is advanced, al
though the commission asserts
that it is not ready to make a
final report on the subject of pro-
hibition. The tone of the report
is that the law must be given a
fair trial. 1t embodies a number
of recommendations.
President Hoover also sent to the
Congress memorandums of the At
torney General and the Secretary of
the Treasury upon various phases of
these problems.
The proposals advanced by the
President in his message are six in
number. They follow:
1lrrak 80
Court structure so as to give relief
from congestion.
2. Concentration Of responsibility in
detection and prosecution Of prohibi-
ton violations.
8. Consolidation of the various
agencies engaged In prevention Of
smuggling. of liquor, narcotics, other
merchandise and aliens over United
States frontiers.
4. Provision of adequate court and
prosecuting officials.
S. Expansion of Federal prisons and
reorganization Of parole and other
s. Specific legislation for the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Hoover Deals With All Laws.
In making his recommendations, the
President relies not only on the report
of the Commission on Law Observance
and Enforcement, but upon the advice
of the officials of the Department OF
Justice and the Treasury Department.
The report of the Law Enforcement
Commission, indeed, does not cover
several of the recommendations made
by the President. While the President
assigns to the prohibition laws place
of great importance in the discussion
of the failure of law observance. he
deals In his message with the whole
question of enforcement Of the Federal
laws. The Law Enforcement Commits
sion's report is confined to the question
of enforcement of the prohibition laws
President Hoover said in his message:
After exhaustive examination Of the
subject, the Commission on Law OBJ
Servance and Enforcement and the OIL
Gals of the Department Of Justice and
the Treasury Department unite in the
conclusion that increasing enactment OF
Federal criminal laws over the past 70
wears. as to which violation OF the pro-
hibition laws comprises rather more
than one-half of the total arrests, has
finally eliminated in burden upon the
Federal courts of a character for which
they are Ill designed and in many cases
entirely beyond their capacity. The re-
suit is to delay civil causes, and OF even
more Importance. the defeat OF both jus
tice and law enforcement. Moreover,
experience shows division of authority,
responsibility and lack of fundamental
organization in Federal enforcement
agencies and ofttimes results in ine1ec-
tive action.
while some sections of the American
people may disagree upon the merits OF
some of the questions involved, every re-
sponsible citizen supports the funda-
mental principle that the law OF the
land must be enforced.
OF all the recommendations made by
the Law Enforcement Commission In It's
report to him. President Hoover calls
the attention of Congress particularly
to that which contemplates giving
United States commissioners enlarged
powers in minor criminal cases.
Need for Study Is Cited.
The President and the Law Enforce
ment Commission both comment upon
the magnitude of the question OF ade-
uuate law enforcement and the need
for an intensive study covering long
period. The causes of crime, the char
acter OF the criminal laws and the
benefits and liabilities that flow from
them, should all be considered, the
President said.
The recommendations for strengthen
ing the enforcement of the prohibition
laws made by the Law Enforcement
Commission are:
Transfer Of investigation and prep
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