Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-01
OFFICIALS
TO HANDLE DRYLAW
Change to Occur July PRO.
hibition Enforcement Proc
eSSes Reviewed in Detail.
BY JESSIE DELL

/ AAchhUeE OAhtSu ot1Ioe OLFu CeIVlCS Oom-
mission.
On and after July /, the Department
of Justice will have sole responsibility
in Federal prohibition enforcement. The
| law authorizing the transfer of enforce
ment activities from the Treasury De-
partment to the Department of Justice
becomes effective on that date. Every
step of investigation, arrest and prose-
cution will be under the direction of
the Attorney General.
The act creates q Bureau of Prohi-
bition in the Department of Justice. 1t
provides for the appointment by the At
torney General, without regard to the
| civil service laws, of q director of pro-
hibition, an assistant director and at
| torneys; and, in accordance with the
competitive provisions of the civil serv-
| ice laws, such other officers and en-
ployes as may be deemed necessary. APP
proximately $500 of the Treasury en-
ployes will be transferred to the De-
partment of Justice.
Backward Step" Indicated.
Many regard as a backward step the
exception Of attorneys from the COM
petitive system. 1t is claimed that once
the safeguard of the civil service sys-
tenn is removed, political or personal in
tiuence steps in, however good the in
tentions of the appointing power may be.
BY the operation of this reorganiza-
ton act, the Bureau of Prohibition
created In the Department of Justice
will be provided with a force of agents,
inspectors, Investigators and others re-
cruited under the civil service system
and expected 10 be a vast improvement
over the personnel appointed under the
old method Of political or personal pref
erment.
In the prohibition discussion, for and
against, which followed Senator Borah's
assertion last December that the Vol
stead law could not be enforced with
the present enforcement personnel, one
thing that all seemed to overlook was
that there had been no basis for judg-
ment as to the results of enforcement
efforts under personnel recruited
through open competitive examinations
given by the United States Civil Service
Commission, including character tests
The law of March 3, 1927, placing pro-
hibition enforcement positions in the
competitive classified service, was
passed because the prohibition ranks
reeked with corruption. Not until now
could 1t be said that the force has been
fully recruited under the civil service
system. 1t took three years to bring
this about.
Force Of Employees Greatly Reduced.
OF the 1850 employees who held the
prohibition enforcement jobs when the
Civil Service Commission was called in
to clean things up not more than one
half are in Office now. The incumbents
were subjected to exactly the same tests
as those applied TO outsiders trying to
get in.
All told, nearly $4,000 persons, men
and a few women, applied for the pro-
hibition examinations given by the Civil
Service Commission during the past
three years. OF this great number of
applicants, about 10000 qualified In the
experience and mental tests and reached
the hurdle of character investigation.
There, more than 1000 OF them, or
more than 40 per cent, came a cropper.
A character investigation in q civil
service examination Is personal in
quiry by an agent Of the Civil Service
Commission among the applicants en-
ployerS, neighbors, associates, and fell
low-townsmen generally, covering a
number of years Immediately preceding.
1t includes f1ngerprinting for compare
son with police records. Evidence of
facts in an applicants history involving
moral turpitude, bad habits, diSrespect
for law, or unethical dealings Is con-
sidered ground for rejection. Every
and low, Is used in gathering the evil
dence.
Plea For Additional Funds.
The Civil Service Commission con-
tended long and loudly for funds for
character Investigations OF applicants
for prohibition enforcement positions.
It now insists that it be given additional
funds to the used in applying character
tests to applicants for all law-enforce-
ment position. It may be accepted as
fundamental that no law, however
worthily conceived, can be more
honestly and effectively enforced than
those entrusted with It's enforcement are
themselves disposed and able to en-
force 1t.
A hopeful sign is the reduction of
personnel turnover. In May, 1927. the
Bureau of Prohibition of the Treasury
Department furnished the Civil Service
Commission with statistics showing
that out of q force comprising approx
mately 1900 positions OF prohibition
agent, there had been LOTT separations,
voluntary and involuntary, during the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1925.
Personal Standards Discussed.
This was q separation turnover OF 81
per cent. During the first IL months
OF permanent appointments OF prohibit
ton agents under the civil service sys-
tenn, covering a total of 876 positions,
100 separations occurred, a turnover
percentage slightly in excess Of 18. This
Is a reduction in separation turnover OF
more than two-thirds. OF the 10 per
cent, about one-haf resigned shortly
after appointment because OF the hard
ships of the service. When 1t Is con-
sidered that personnel standards are
now higher than formerly and that
surveillance of enforcement Officers is
more thorough, this reduction in turn
over is encouraging.
It will be interesting to watch results
under the new organization. It will have
a better start than the former one had