ADDRESS IN SCOTLAND AT W.C.T.U. CONVENTION.

White Ribbon, Volume 33, Issue 383, 18 June 1927, Page 11

ADDRESS IN SCOTLAND AT W.C.T.U. CONVENTION.

(By James Cavender, Chief of Police, Des Moines, U.S.A.)

Another thine I told them: In lowa —and this I believe is true of most states —w’e have at least four different law-enforcing bodies, each absolutely independent of the others, and quite often a little bit jealous. There are the police, the sheriff and his force, the Federal officers and the state agents. Sometimes the Anti-Saloon League and the W.C.T.U. will engage w'orkers to help. To say that liquor could be sold openly in the presence of all of th»*se forces would be to challenge the integrity of each separate branch of our government. It is too ridiculous to discuss. “WASN’T OFFERED A DRINK ANYWHERE,” SAiD EDINBURGH’S CHIEF OF POLICE.

The chief of police of Edinburgh, Scotland, had attended an International Police Conference in New York City in May of this year. He got back to Edinburgh just a few' days before I reached then*. I went to see him. I said: “Mr Ross, you were in New r York City a couple of weeks, up and dowm. in hotels, up the Hudson River, in Central Park, attended the banquets and functions that go with a Police Conference. Did you see any drinking of intoxicating liquors

anywhere? Did you see many drunken men? Did you see alcohol being sold openly? Were you offered it socially or otherwise?” 1 do not know Chief Ross intimately, of course. I w'ould guess he is the ordinary type of British police officer, holding his job for life, doing his duty as he sees it, acceptably to his employers, not taking part in any public discussions. I would not have been at all surprised if he had refused to answer, but he said at once: “I never saw- any drinking of intoxicating liquors anywhere, never saw a drunken man in New York City, and wasn't offered a drink anywhere.” Now, if there is a suspicious w r et spot in the United States, it is surely New York City, for reasons 1 need not elaborate. Itut it i*» not sold openly.

I ga\e many other evidences to show that liquor is really outlawed in the United States, that we no longer have the open saloon where Bill could f/call to Tom and Jack, as they passed, to come in and be good fellows; that while we have bootlegging here, it is done with great secrecy, just like other crimes.

While in England, it was reported in American newspapers that I said Des Moines was “bone dry,” but 1 never said anything so foolish. It is true that w r e have not stopped bootlegging altogether, and there an* many other crimes w r e have not stopped.

THREE CLASSES OF CITIZENS WHO HELP SUPPORT BOOTLEGGERS.

There are three kinds of citizens to-day who an* not able, as yet, to get along without alcohol. These people are well-known to all bootleggers as being perfectly safe to deal with. (Drug fiends will never tell ’where they get their dope, and it is very seldom, either, that we can get alcohol users to tell us). In the first place, we have business men of ‘‘liberal'' leanings, they like to shine among their friends because of a reputation for possessing the “real stuff,” and they will pay big money for it. More often than not they are fooled with faked, forged labels, but they can not afford to squeal. The bootlegger knows he is safe with them and they are his best customers. The second group is composed of those poor fellows who got an awful thirst when the saloons were opera-

ting. They drink the cheapest and most poisonous kinds of stuff, including denatured alcohol, bay rum, hair tonic, essence of peppermint, Jamaica ginger and spirits of ammonia. The reaper, death, is the only one who will relieve that situation. ALCOHOL NECESSITY FOR BROTHELS. Tnen we haw the operators of road-houses and brothels. Alcohol seems to be an absolute necessity to the brothel business. One of the greatest blessings prohibition brought about was the set-back it gave to commercialized prostitution. Alcohol and narcotic drugs will always be found in brothels. These three groups will give the police trouble for many years to come. The first group will sooner or later be lost to the bootlegger under the condemnation of enlightened public opinion. Time and death will take care of the second group. The third lot. being as old as history, will be the last to go. If one is not a member of any of the groups or can not procure a proper introduction, it is almost im-poss-ibif to procuic- nitohol. 1 pay five dollars a day and expenses to anyone who can purchase for me an average of one half-pint of alcohol a day, but it cannot be done. We are forced to make a raid after the first two or three purchases and after that the word is hurriedly passed round and our booze-buyer finds all doors closed against him and that he is in personal danger. Can anyone say that alcohol is flowing freely under those conditions?