The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, March 14, 1929, Page 12

THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE | By RODNEY DUTCHER (NEA Service Writer) Washington, March 14.— Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska is far from convinced that the prohibition Jaw will be enforced, but he believes he knows how. Norris is a dry who doesn’t drink, and he supported Smith for president. He has been a prose- cuting attorney and a judge and so knows something about law enforce- ment. He is probably the only sen- ator or public official here who is at all times willing to blurt out what he thinks and his answer for the prohib- ition problem is consequently both strange and unique. “First,” said Senator Norris, inter- viewed, “I would take prohibition out of politics. “I would refuse to permit the poli- ticians to name the enforcement officers. If I had my way. all judges, district attorneys, prosecutors and other officials having to do with law enforcement would be appointed with- out regard to politics in any event. And no man would be discharged be- Cause of his political belicf. “But when mixed up with prohibi- tion, politics becomes far more dan- gerous because of the financial profit involved. There are millions in pro- hibition. A large scale bootiegger can afford to pay a million dollars to get the right man in the right office. All| otherwise, who were Staging a large | party with plenty of liquor, I would to in order to get people into these | raid it simply with the idea of finding With members of | the source of supply. sorts of jobbery have been resorted Prohibition jobs. Congress and national committeemen naming the appointees, what does anyone expect other than what we have?” * * Norris and his Nebraska colleague, Senator Howell, got together some years ago and put over a Democrat as prohibition administrator for Ne- braska. The Democrat was Elmer Thomas, an Omaha lawyer with a record of success in prosecuting local option cases and a man of excep- tional ability and integrity. The assistant prohibition director ame to Norris and bleated long and loud about the trouble such an ap- ointment would make. Especially what a lot of trouble it would make for Norris in his next campaign. Norris told him, in effect, to go chase himself; he promised honest, effective enforcement under Thomas. Tt was under Thomas, as some Teaders may remember, that Omaha gained such an astonishing reputa- tion over the country for its aridity. ‘Of course the politicians maneuvered into a subordinate position in the end, but he was a holy terror to the bootleggers while he lasted. Norris admits that there probably will always be bribery and graft in Prohibition enforcement, but now WASHINGTON LETTER, 4 —— cause they are crooks and expect to make a cleanup. As long as the poli- ticlans have three men to choose from under any civil service examination for an enforcement post. he believes, the situation won't improve. * oe * “Second,” he continued, “I would devote the energies of my force to the big fellows and forgt the little fellow who takes a drink or carries half-pints. I would try to get the man who makes the biggest sales and prosecute him without limit. If we got those fellows prohibition would be a ecess.” Norris scoffs at the idea that the evangelistic efforts of Mr. Hoover and others to persuade people to stop drinking is going to do any good. You can't reform people overnight, he says. or even in ten years, as has been demonstrated. Neither does he think enforcement officers ought to waste any time trying to convert drinke: He would leave that to the churches and the unofficial professional re- formers. * k * “Naturally, 1 am opposed to drink- ing by public officials,” he says, “but I wouldn't go ground raiding dinner parties and small family gatherings. “Nevertheless, if I knew there were a lot of high hat fellows, official or “We won't have to worry about the people who drink if we can get at the main supplie: Senator Thomas J. Walsh of Mon- tana, another dry and especially noted for his ability as a prosecutor, agrees with Norris about the need of getting the big operators, but is more optimistic about the possibilities of evangelistic efforts. * oe * Mr. Norris spoke an indisputable truth,” Walsh commented, “when he said it was utterly futile to expect any successful enforcement without the backing of public sentiment. 1 have read an intimation that he would look with disfavor on the dis- pensing of liquor by anyone holding an official position, at dinners or like functions. That would be a splendid. place to start a niovement to make drinking unfashionable. “Also I think it rather unfortunate that most prosecutions have been confined to small retail peddlers rather than conspicuously to those who must be engaged in the illicit traffic in a stupendous way.” Walsh said vigorous enforcement and aroused public sentiment should operate together, but did not care to say whether he thought the first could succeed in case the current edu- he says. men enter the service be- cational efforts should fail. After Cherry had gone to bed, Faith awaited her husband's return from the Jonson farm with nervous appre- hension. What news of Nils’ attitude toward Cherry's ridiculous conduct would he bring home with him? Faith, in a scarlet silk kimono, was brushing her long dark-brown hair when, a little after one o'clock, she the sound of an opening and closing door. She uttered a swift er for tact and patience before husband threw open the bedroom door—remembering just in time to be almost gentle, so that the sleeping baby should not be awakened. “Bhe's here, I guess?” Bob greeted his wife in a savage undertone. “Both ‘shes,'” Faith forced her- ‘Self to smile pleasantly, though she {was tired herself to the point of ex- haustion. “Cherry and Hope are asleep in the guest room—at least Hope ts.” + ,, “Don't worry! Cherry's blissfully dead to the world, and all the fuss she's kicked up, and grinning in her sleep, if I know anything about my charming sister-in-law,” Bob an- Swered'disgustedly. “Lord! I'm tired, Hope you haven't used up all the hot water. Where the devil are my pa- Jamas?” “On the foot of your bed,” Faith (Setorted with mechanical patience, “There's plenty of hot water, lear, SBut—what about Nils? How did he— take it?” “Grinning, of course. He told me on the way out to the farm that he didn’t expect to find her when he got home,” Bob growled. “Oh, Cherry's met her match in Nils Jonson, but I'l! be hanged if I'll have her parked here SS ne anecliaaail Aaa bctaditaike while they fight it out at long dis- tance. She's got to crawl home sometime and eat humble pie, and I'm going to tell her in the morning to make it snappy. Thinks she can come here an—” “And she can!” Faith flashed reck- | lessly. ‘I'm not going to have you order my sister out of my home, Bob Hathaway!” Bob, seated on the edge of his bed, with one shoe in his hand, stared up at his wife in amazement. “Is that so?” he demanded at last. “Has it occurred to you that it’s my home, too, and that I've got some say-so as to whether it's going to be cluttered up indefinitely with a scatter-brained girl and her noisy brat?” “Bob!” Faith cried sharply, her pale face flushing with anger. ‘Then anger died as quickly as it had come. He was tired and worried, and his very real anxiety for Cherry's future happiness was expressing itself man- fashion, in harsh words. She went to him, touched his rumpled chestnut hair with a tender hand. “Listen, dear: I don’t want Cherry to be estranged from Nils any more than you do. Neither does she! But the best way in the world to make sure she'll be stubborn about it is to lay down the law to her about going back to him. If you order her out of our home she'll go to a hotel, and then everyone will know. Just let me handle the situation in my own way, won't you, dear?” NEXT: A new day dawns for Crys- tal. (Copyright, 1929, NEA Service, Inc.) 2 Mone is quite so tragically ‘as the “white collar” man who Cast upon the Bowery. Mt re he is between two tides . ony. On one hand the h of send him careening back again. Some- times he makes his way back to the town from which he started and not infrequently, his body is found in the river, or a gas-filled room. * * * The dyed-in-the-wool Boweryite has his own code—if it can be called a code. Perhaps it might better be called an understanding, or a culti- vated instinct. When he meets one of his fellows, the Bo i THERE'S A BURGLAR ALARM FOR YOU= WHEN YNEY OPEN THE DOOR IY PUSHES THAT CATCH YNAT RELEASES A SPRING WHICH FIRES THE BLANK CARTRIDGE THATS IN THERE -RARIN’ To GO- NOW LISTEN To Iv POP- ont, ft fi LONLY WSK WE WERE= IT LOOKS LiKe we ANGAT BE HERE FoR DAYS SIMPLY BECAUSE OF TAE AGED CF A Piece ge Neste ere THEy STORES ON THE DESERT’ UNCLE HARRYD BE SURPRISED TO_KAOW WHAT 2 SAW--Z BET HE WAS AN OLD HERMIT WELL, LSPOSE LEOS GoT mE PLANE FIXED Now So NE CAN BE ON OUR WAY Greig 3 we Pigenrc) LL BECAUSE OF A Plec! oe wae 5's TINK A | THIS WouLON'T, PLANE WOULD cagRy — | HAPPEN AGAIN TAINGS OF THAT SoRT JUST FoR EMERGENCY CASES SUCK AS THIS + WELL, WE'RE UP AGAINST IT SOMEBODY. IT TAKES TGETUS | WHY Any BOY, MERE, OUT OF HERS TUL HARRY? MOM’N POP MERCIFUL HEAVENS! BuT Mom.twer WHAT ARE LOOKING FOR THE OLD THE IDEA OF LETTING THOSE } JUST DIP TwEIR 1f You poING CAT AND HER KITTENS. DIRTY KITTENS DRINK OUT / ~ TONGUES IN UNDER “THE BED, ) I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM OF THE SAME DSH Te AND THEY'RI Pop 2 AROUND ALL ENENING- YOu. SCAT! CLEAN . SALESMAN SAM WELL, AS LONG AS IA ALL SET I GUESS U'EL GO OVER Aur INTRODUCE MAYSELE “TA ALEXANDER, WHO \(Ut HERE, ALEX, OLD Bol my ( HAVEN'T HEARD any. NAME'S HOWDY, AN’ I'd GONNA BE IA WHAT MAKES YA - SWINGS || YOUR “TEAMMATE THIS SEASON — R GONNA BE ON ‘TH’ ST.LOUIS @ CLUB LIKE A SPADE AND 1S ACE j Roster? OF "THE CAROS, AN’ KING OF THE O He SL - ME ON TH! OACK AN’ SAIOTIE a practice UP @ &IT, KID — THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 19y 2 ————— L0,cooKie- How ‘Bout |] No CHANCE SWEET ) (YER? WHO WITA- IF A LIL DATE TINIGHT,. WS ANY OF MY : ROA ? AT \SNT —@uT TH’ OTHER HALF OF TH ACY 15 “TINY”