Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-03
Mitchell Reports to Capper
on Legislation Needed to
Improve Administration Of
Justice in Capital.
WOULD ALSO SUPERVISE
SALE OF SECURITIES HERE
Cabinet Members Letter Is Writ
ten in Response to Request From
the Chairman of Senate Com.
mittee Supervising Affairs of
District of Columbia.

Enactment of local prohibition
law for Washington and appoint
ment of two additional judges in
the District of Columbia Supreme
Court were the outstanding rec
concentrations made today by
Attorney General william D.
Mitchell, in a report to Chairman
Capper Of the Senate District
committee.
The Attorney Generals letter
was in reply to one from Senator
Capper in October, in which the
Senator invited suggestions from
the Department of Justice for
legislation to improve administra-
ton of justice here.
The Attorney General said that
no additional local legislation is
needed for the district attorneys
Office, pointing out that any in
crease in the staff of that office
would be merely a matter of in
~ N0oAAAS WIG app OR1 1dOAO14os
Aside from prohibition enforce
ment and appointment of two
more judges, the Attorney Gen
eral also calls attention to the
need for legislation in Washington
to supervise those engaged in the
sale of securities.
The main features Of the proposed
local dry law are to extend to all
- A. L..
prohibition enforcement and the re-
enactment, with slight changes, Of GER
tain parts Of the Sheppard law At
the present time only limited number
OF policemen are available as prohibi-
ton enforcement officers.
Purpose Of Law Explained.
The Attorney General sent to Sen
ator Capper memorandum explaining
the purposes OF the proposed local
prohibition law and how It compares
with the measure as outlined BY Sen
ator Howell. It has been generally
understood that the Howell bill would
increase the authority of all members
OF the local police force In the en-
forcement of prohibition, but until to-
day the details Of the proposed legisla-
ton had not been made public. The
Attorney Generals memorandum ex-
PAd4AAc J11C IIlcdSuIe as IOllOWSs
The purpose Of the bill is to con-
ttnue the operation and enforcement in
the District of Columbia of the national
prohibition act, with one or two ma
terial changes; to add thereto certain
provisions regarded as essential to pro-
hlbltion enforcement in the District, in
Guiding some taken from the so-called
Sheppard act,~ and to repeal the latter
act CThe. Sheppard law referred to
was local prohibition law passed by
congress before the Volstead law). The
only onenses defined In the bill, which
are not oftenSes under the national pro-
hibition act are three in number and
may be briefly described as:
Three Offenses Defined.
Il, drinking and being intoxicated
IN public; 2, driving q vehicle other
than an automobile, while drunk, and
3. permitting the use of ones property
as common nuisance. In preparing
tne present draft it was deemed more
appropriate to set out these offenSes at
the beginning of the act and take up
thereafter the provision dealing with
administration and enforcement"
The section of the bill defining the
onense OF drinking and being drunk in
public was taken without change from
the old Sheppard law except that the
word alcoholic" has been changed to
intoxicating"
Another section defines the offense of
driving vehicle other than an auto
mobile while drunk, with provision for
a penalty equivalent to the penalty
for drinking in public. This
penalty for drinking In public is given
as not less than $40 nor more than 500
or by imprisonment for not less than
5 days nor more than 80 days, or
by both fine and imprisonment.
Text Of Section 6.
An important part of the bill is Sec
tlon +. reading as follows:
THAT 1t shall be the duty Of the
commissioners of the District Of Column
bia and, subject to their supervision,
direction and control. of all members
Of the police force of said District, to
investigate and report violations OF this
act OF the national prohibition act, and
OF all other laws of the United States
relating to the manufacture and taxa
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