The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-07-13
BY BRUCE CATION
NEA Service Writer


BY BRUCE CATION
NEA Service Writer
States that had had prohibition
acts Of their own knew about the
words ''bootlegger" and speak
easy long before 1920; but it was
not until after January 16, Of that
year. when the 18th amendment
went into effect, that words passed
into the vocabulary OF the country
IL q whole.
The illegal liquor industry
seems to have got under way wEn
no loss of time. The federal pro-
hibition enforcement service made
its first raids on Jan II, Selling
two stills in Detroit and two in
Hammond, Ind. In the first six
months Of that year the govern
ment seized 9.533 stills.
Nevertheless, the era of the
amendment began with the prohi-
bitionists supremely confident that
the law would be made effective
without too much trouble.
The first prohibition commits
sioner was John F. Kramer OF
Ohio, a lawyer and former legis-
Iator. He took over his new job
announcing that 'the law Will be
oheyed and where 1t is not
obeyed It will be enforced" adding
that his men would see to 1t that
liuuor was neither made, sold
nor transported ION the surface
Of the earth or under the earth or
in the air."
Then Came Deluge
A few glances at the calendar
may be interesting.
Before the amendment had been
in effect a month customs Off
Ger was complaining to congress
that a veritable flood Of booze
was being struggled in over the
borders and demanded an appro-
priation of 100000 to help
choke it off.
On FEB 10, 1920, two prohibit
ten agents were arrested for sell
in9 out to bootleggers.
Before spring had come, federal
agents had found that certain
druggists were selling medicinal
whiskey without waiting for doc
tors permits.
BY May, federal agents In New
York were complaining that the
New York police didn't help them
enforce the law.
BY early summer the federal
district attorney in Chicago re-
yealed that the federal court
there was congested with prohini.
ton cases. with more than 500
TRIAL
All of these announcements
were to be duplicated many times
during the coming years. Mean
while. the illegal liquor industry
was getting its feet on the ground.
Smuggling First Source
At first, smuggling was the most
important source.
The United States has more
than 1900 miles'of border. In
1920 to prevent smuggling along
those 1900 miles it had 1850
dry agents-and the coast guard. 1t
soon developed that this combined
force was hardly adequate.
Booze came in by auto and
truck over the Canadian and
Mexican borders. At sea, espe-
cially along the north Atlantic
coast. there sprang into existence
the famous "rum rows"-lines Of
liuuor-laden ships, safely anchored
or hoye-to outside of territorial
waters, to which transferred their
loadsd to smaller boats for the
trip ashore.
For a time this went on in amaz-
ing proportions. By 1924. however,
congress recognized the coast
guard spent $13,00O,000 to equip
20 old navy destroyers for its use.
ana built a large fleet of small, fast
boats armed with one-pounder
rapid fire machine guns.
In addition, the state depart
ment negotiated treaties with such
foreign governments as Great Bri-
tain. France. Germany. Italy and
Holland by which its revenue cut
ters were permitted to stop and
search suspected liquor boats any
where within one hours sailing
distance Of the coast.
This proved much more effec-
tive, and rum row lost lot OF IT'S
prominence. Nevertheless, In 1929
Gen Lincoln C. Andrews, prohibl-
ton commissioner, told the senate
that only about S per cent of the
smuggled liquor was actually being
seized.
Industrial alcohol also was prov
ing a problem. Certain plants had
permits to make alcohol for indus
trial uses, and it soon became evil
dent that a lot of this was finding
its way into various beverages. The
government tried various formulas
to make this alcohol unpalatable,
but the bootleggers had their chem
lists too, and they were about to
counteract practically all of these
formulas.
The near-beer plants - or. more
strictly speaking, some Of the near
beer plants - further complicated
things. To make near-beer,
YOU first make real beer and then
ede-alcoholize It: and the bootleg
gers were not long in finding ways