Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-20
High Lights of Reports of Enforcement Commissioners
BY GEORGE w. WICKERSHAM.

D1 UEOhUE w. WAChEhSHAM.
1 have signed the report of the
commission, although, as is probably
inevitable when ! people of different
antecedents and temperaments en-
deavor to agree upon contentious
subject, 1t is more or less of a COM
promise of varying opinions. In so
far as it states facts believe it to
be generally accurate. Every effort
has been made to make it so.
should have preferred to have it
state more facts and fewer broad
congratulations from unstated facts.
But the difficulties in securing ac-
curate statistics, owing to the I'M
systematic and unScientiflc manner
in which they are commonly kept
in this country, often makes it i'm
possible to get reliable statements of
fact, although there may be suffi-
cient available information to afford
a fairly reliable basis Of generaliza-
ton.
am in entire accord with the
conclusions that enforcement Of the
national prohibition act made a bad
start, which has affected enforce
ment ever since; that lit was not
until after the senatorial inveStiga-
ton of 1926 had opened peoples
eyes to the extent of law breaking
and corruotion that serious efforts
were made to CO. ordinate 1.-The
Federal services directly and indi-
rectlv engaged in enforcing prohibi-'
tion," and that not until after the
act of 1927 had extended the Civil
Service law over the enforcement
agents were there the beginnings of
such an organization as might have
been expected to command the re-
spect of other services. the courts
and the public, and thus secure rea-
Sonable observance of the law and
enforcement of its provisions as
we'll as other laws are enforced
Until then, too, enforcement largely
had expended itself upon a multi
tude of prosecutions of petty Of
tenders: it mea sured success in en-
forcement by the number of cases.
most of which were trivial and in
few of which were substantial pen
alties imposed. cannot believe that
an experiment of such far-reaching
and momentous consequence as this
of national prohibition should be
abandoned after seven years of such
imperfect enforcement and only
three years of reorganization and
effort to repair the mistakes of the
earlier period. The older generation
very largely has forgotten and the
younger never knew the evils of the
saloon and the corroding influence
upon politics, both local and ma
tional. of the organized liquor in
terests. But the tradition of that
80 IN l1o
minds of the bitterest opponents of
the prohibition law substantially all
of whom assert that the licensed
saloon must never again be restored.
1t is because I see no escape from
its return in any of the practicable
alternatives to prohibition that I
unite with my colleagues in agree
ment that the eighteenth amend
ment must not be repealed. and,
differing with some of them, I have
been forced to conclude that
further trial should be made of the
enforceability of the eighteenth
amendment under the present or
ganization. with the help of the
recommended improvements.
I am entirely in accord with the
views expressed in the report that
prohibition cannot be accomplished
without the cooperation of the
States and the active support of
public opinion. This cooperation
has been, and still is sadly lacking
in many States Even where there
is an adequate State law and good
State law enforcement organization
public sentiment often prevents en-
forcement. The crucial inquiry re-
speeding the national situation is
whether it be too late to expect or
to hope for any more favorable turn