Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-29
CONTINUED From Firx. Page.)

As early as 1777, before there was q
nation known as the United States OF
America, the Continental Congress
passed a resolution recommending the
passage of laws to prohibit the manu-
facture of distilled liquors, whisky and
the like. In 1851 Maine went dry.
Other States followed at intervals until
in 1916, before our entry into the World
War, 10 States were dry. Fourteen more
enacted Statewide prohibition laws in
the three following years, 50 that before
the eighteenth amendment took effect
the manufacture and sale Of tntoxicat-
ing liquors was prohibited by State
wide law in 80 of the 48 States. In the
other Is States large areas were dry
under local option laws. Before the
effective date of the eighteenth amend
fnent approximately IS. 10000 Of our
people were living in territory In which
the manufacture and sale of intOxicants
were prohibited. Since that time other
States have adopted enforcement acts,
Today every State IN the Union except
five-New York, Maryland, wisconsin,
Montana and Nevada-have State en-
forcement laws, and some Of those fiYe
have local option laws.
Congress Aided states.
Congress, too, in an endeavor to aid
k1fE GobdJ6S bAldb 1ia4 GACtAdC0 AAA1OAAS4t~
ing liquor, passed laws prohibiting the
transportation of liquor into those
States.
That was the picture when the ma
tional prohibition act came into opera
ton, in January, 1920. This act, carry
ing out the mandate of the COnstitu-
ton, prohibited the manufacture, trans
portation, sale, possession, importation
and expectation Of beverage liquor con-
tanning more than one-haf Of per
cent of alcohol. 1t also prohibited the
use of alcohol and other liquors for in
dustrial, medicinal and other non-bev-
erage purposes.
At this point let me correct a mis-
apprehension that seems to prevail as
to the effect of the FarTar case, in
which the Supreme Court Of the United
States recently decided that the ma
tional prohibition act did not make the
ordinary purchase OF liquor q crime
The decision went no farther than that.
The act does make the possession and
the transportation Of intoxicating liquor
q crime, and in that respect makes no
distinction between those who sell and
those who buy.
Organization Is Cited.
When the law went into effect an
organization was set up In the Treasury
oEDdIlQ16GL, bkAG ASVAll1A11S1O11CA Va
Internal Revenue, for the purpose Of
enforcing its penal provisions and Of
controlling the issuance and supervision
of permits for the manufacture and use
of non-beverage liquor.
1t is not necessary to review the vari-
ous transmutations and reorganizationS
that occurred during the next seven
years. In 1927, however, q separate
Bureau of Prohibition was set up in the
TNa4ao ysfr, ant 11adar fha f1irar-
ton of DIR. Doran. Equal perhaps in
importance was the provision making
the Civil Service laws applicable 10 all
officers and employees of the bureau.
Rather severe tests were applied by
written examinations, and more espe-
cia1iy by a thorough character investi-
CATION. AS result a considerable num-
Der Of the agents, investigators and
other employees OF the bureau were
dropped from the service, some because
the character investigation disclosed I'M
fitness, and some because they failed in
the written tests. 1t Is unfortunate that
in the latter class there are good men,
who failed only because of the made
Quacy of their education; but If Civil
Service is to serve its purpose-and this
Is especially true in the Bureau Of Pro-
hibition---the Civil Service rules must
: be rigidly enforced.
There has been constant impro, ement
IN the quality OF the agents since 1927,
due to the operation of the Civil Service
laws and of the activities Of the COM
missioner, administrators and personnel
inspectors in the bureau in the Treasury
Department. The agents are In the
main honest and eficient, and their
courage and fidelity is proved by the
fact that during the past year 10 OF
them have lost their lives In the per-
Torrance Of their duties at the hands
Of bootleggers and others with whom
they have had to deal.
Division Of Activities.
Heretofore both the enforcement OF
the criminal phase Of the national pro-
hibition act and the issuance and Su-
pervision Of permits for the manufac-
ture and use OF non-beverage liquor haS
been lodged in the Treasury Depart
ment Under recent act I Congress
these activities were divided, the former
being transferred to the Department OF
Justice and the latter remaining with
the Treasury Department under q unit
known as the Bureau Of Industrial Al
cohol, headed by DR.. Doran. A word
concerning these permit activities VII
not be anniSs.
There are approximately $50 GOO per.
mits outstanding. Most Of them ara
physicians and druggists permits. ThS
others authorize the manufacture and
use of denatured alcohol, wine and
whisky for industrial, medicinal anc
other purposes. To give you an idea o.
the magnitude and importance Of ths
permit activities, during the fiscal veal
ended June 80 thers was withdrawn
under permits los, 000. 900 gallons Of de.
uatured alcohol, $500 900 gallons o
ethyl alcohol, 1,4T0,000 gallons o.
whisky and nearly 100000 gallons o.
sacramental wine. In the past q con.
siderable quantity Of this liquor, espe.
cially derlatured alcohol. has been-anc
some still iS-diyerted by dishonest per.
naittees or their customers TO Illicit use
and has been treated so as TO make j
more or less 1T for human consumption
and distributed TO the bootleg trade
Such diversions have been greatly re
duced during the past two or three year
through the efforts Of the Bureau O
Prohibition as 1t existed In the Treastlr!
Department. While under the new ar
rangemeTlt the Department OF Justici
has q measure Of control over the tsSu
ance OF permits, am entirely confiden
that the Bureau OF Industrial Alcoho
viii continue its good work, and by tn
exercise of caution In the issuance o
permits and care in the supervision o
the pernittees further diminish the II
legal diversion of alcohol and other in
toxicants. We will give them whateve
Information gathered by our bureau tina
NAV indicate violations of permits, an
Swe will work in close and friendly co
nperation with them. both at neadquar
tiers and in the field am convince