DEPRESSED “DRYS”

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 10016, 1 February 1926, Page 5

DEPRESSED “DRYS”

NO MORE ILLEGAL-SEARCH WARRANTS REDUCTION IN NUMBER OF PROHIBITION AGENTS (Received Jan. 31, 5.5 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Jan. 30. “Wet” leaders have said that two small developments in the Prohibition situation, namely the warning by the Federal Department of Justice that illegal warrants for searching dwellings ' where liquor is suspected will no longer be tolerated anti, secondly, the immediate reduction in the number of Federal Prohibition agents, mark the end of the Anti-Saloon League Dominion Government activities, consequently bringing in an era of sanity in the “dry” law enforcement. “The “drys” are > obviously depressed and admit that the result will markedly affect the enforcement. The illegal warrant declaration was followed by the judges freeing a- dry law violator. It is claimed he was guilty and deserved sentence, but his conviction was accomplished by a plain violation of his constitutional right and by a method, which the law cannot sanction. Approximately 600 of the 1900 Federal agents will be dropped, because the Prohibition unit is exceeding its eleven million dollars year’s appropriation. There is no likelihood the force can be incieased next year, since the Congressional appropriation, therefore, is slightly less.—A. and N.Z.C.A.