Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27

stinence' Col Amos Walter Wright
~ Woodcock, director of prohibition,
y,roSeclites his against the COM
rercial violator along a battlefront
Throughout the United States, but
he believes the time has come for a return
TO tIle& big Temperance education programs on
the days before the eighteenth amendment
Not discouraged still fighting, the dry car
finds more and more that the constitution and
the law are protecting what he calls the private
vioatur' and it is this private violator in the
homes of the Nation Woodcock says, who now
needs the force of public sentiment stirred up
by Temperance campaigns
It is more than o. year since the former
district attorney from Maryland took over the
reinss OF national prohibition enforcement at the
head of a new bureau in the Department OF
Justice from which it had bsel shifted from the
Treasury Department He has borne the ortInts
of battle. He has met sharp criticism he has
dealt with difficult problems, with results winch
have met with widely differing response OF
approval and diSapproval But ne still noioS
his good disposition and his net 150 POUNDS OF
fighting weight.
His manner is, just as steady and as mild az
when ne took office ON July /, 1890. and ne
rises to five feet eight and quarter inches
of soldierly height with the frmnessF and con-
fidenee of the military leader that he is AS u
matter of fact, the whole war against prohlbation
violators is being waged along military INES.
Asked If his military career when lnciuoeo
valiant service in, the World War, was helping
him to enforce prohibition, the colonel answered.:
Tremendously"
81 apply military principles almost continue
o,sly'' the colonel explained. I'VE have what
corresponds to a general staff, organized on the
line of the Army general staff. It has mod1h-
cations to be sure, but it meets our needs
find the whole idea helpful. We have great
many military men in the organization Mill
tary training is good in developing losaaS On
LOYALTY and discipline"
THUS spoke the soldier who was cited Tor gai-
lantry in action north of Verdun, when he
was in command of battalion with the rank
OF captain The forces under Capt. Woodcock,
working single '+one-pounder" against
German machine gun nest not only put tine
machine gun out Of operation, but killed every
German soldier in the nest ON October 3, 1913.
Col woodeock is still active as a soldier in
uniform however, and each year goes to camp.
He has spent some time this year at Camp
Richie. Md. where he served as lieutenant
colonel in the Reserve Ofhcers Corps OF. the
Army
But Col woodcock is more than soldier,
he is lawyer, former district attorney VINO
prosecuted a. lot of tough cases in his nome
state of MARYLAND which has never passed a
State prohibition enforcement act. He, there
fore. knows his limitations as an ofncer OF the
law And it is with such knowledge That ne
insists his administration shall always be not
For instance, he explains, there are hmita-
tions in the statutes and in the Constitution
AGAINST the search of homes and of the person,
which make the efforts Of the law to reach That
type Of violator Intellectual We are not trying
to reach him. We are concentrating ON inc
commercial violator.
I'VE are hoping the forces OF temperance
education win recognize the purely private vio-
lator as their special field. Education for the
private violator and law for the commercial
violator-that il; a good slogan You cannot
realize the ideal of national prohibition Wltnout
a combination of law and education"
Temperance education is not what it used to
be. according to Col. WOodcock. There was
a great deal. of education and agitation Tor
Temperance during the period from 1901 to
1914" he said. But figures show that con-
sllmption of liquor was increasing each year.
These figures are available in the Treasury De-
partnnent because liquor sold had to pay a tax.
..since prohibition, however" continued the
director, there has been. a great deal less
TEMPERANCE education. We do not know WnaI
the consumption is now, but certainly we haven't
brought about abstinence So 1t would seem
that before prohibition education without law
was Ineffective since prohibition law without
education has not been entirely effective. There
FORE to reach the ideal of national prohloltlon
YOU must have a combination OF the two
placing this challenge up to the organized
dry forces of the country. the dry car declared:
Now is their opportunity TO ADVISE. ms Is
their peculiar field"
Declining to discuss the famouse reports Of
the Wickersham Crime Commission, Col Wood
cock said he was not so much concerned about
public opinion except that he hopes by the
merit of our own efforts we will rate higher
regard" Cold. facts show, the colonel said,
that prohibition enforcement TO-DAY more
efficient than year ago. I'VE are making
more cases and better cases." he said. '"The
unknown element is the violator not
reaching. About 5000 cases are being made