Evening star., 1935-09-22


~ by way of analysis Of its re-
~ naming dregs, shows that
N despite the fact it is legally
dead and buried, the Shiny traces it
leaves will not be rubbed out for many
years. Murder, kidnapping, robbery
and counterfeiting, we now learn, were
foStered under this amendment. True,
perhaps, much of this would not have
occurred had there been no bootleg
ging. But there was In stating that
the increase of counterfeiting has a
direct relation to bootlegging the
United States Secret Service bases
this opinion on some well-founded
conclusions. DoubtlesSly measur-
able share of the increase can be at
tributed to depression, since all crime
tends to increase along with nom
prosperous times. but an insight into
the workings of the bootlegging racket
plainly shows how counterfeiting first
became natural Sideline. Now it has
: assumed the position of a full-time
nefarious occupation and in the
months of May, June, July and August
.
. have been rounded up and convicted.
To begin with, bootleggerS were
soon confronted with the necessity of
connecting their own compounds when
old whiskey stocks ran out. and, SIM
ilarly, to affiX fake labels to give them
the genuine appearance. With boot
Logging proving so profitable, the con-
cYNiy- tor n g. l.;
! prices. which proved too great
temptation for printers and engravers
g who heretofore had no reason or de-
sire to be law breakers. Looking back
and remembering how people were
: either so easily deceived or else so
, eager to believe in the deception, one
can readily imagine Swindlers being
! encouraged to contrive further ideas
. for growing rich on so naive a public.
The result was that many a person
, not only handed over legitimate money
= for fake liquor, but in addition received
, counterfeit money in change. The
! TACT that most of such transactions
were carried on under cover of dark
made the whole thing simple matter.
A T THE time of prohibition repeal,
~ in 1882, counterfeit cases had
risen to 2,139 as compared to 663 cases
in 1925. BY this year the figure has
reached 1908. The United States
Secret Service Bureau of the Treasury
Department, charged with the duty of
combating counterfeiting, points out
that TINS continued increase Is due to
the fact that many persons engaged
in bootlegging were thrown out of
work at the time of repeal and so con-
eentrated their efforts on counterfeit
ing. Records of the bureau showing
that a great percentage of counter
feiters have past record for illegal
liquor operations substantiate this con-
ciusion. Joseph E. Murphy, acting
chief of the Secret Service, went fur
ther and gave an example of how in
New York City alone approximately
100000 men were thrown out of jobs
when speakeasies we're closed. Many
of these were young men," continued
Mr. Murphy, land they had become
accustomed to this easy way of making
money, so that when they suddenly
had no employment naturally they
would be seeking another easy means
to get money"
Smith, Boyd, White and Ulrich, with
their steel engraving methods, and
such old artists as Jim the Penman,
who worked by hand, soon became
small-timers as compared with this
new crop of swindlers, who made a
bustling business out of the racket. In
today's methods, photo-mechanical
processes are employed. Expert me-
chanics are hired, expensive equipment
including fine printing presses, photo
electric plates, dies, die-stamps, cost
ing many thousands of dollars, are