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Show ADVOCATES DRASTIC DRY EMEMENT GOVERNORS OF STATES WRESTLE WITH DRY LAW PROGRAM Governor Denies That His West Baden 'Speech Was Demand for Housecleaning Among Dry Forces West Baden, Ind-, Prohibition enforcement en-forcement by invigorated action by the federal government was the overshadowing over-shadowing question Thursday before the fifteenth annual governors' conference, con-ference, as preparations were made by a group of the state executives to issue a "memorial to the people of the United States" suggesting a national drive for literal enforcement of the Volstead act. While the address was being draft, ed by Governors Gifford Pinchot of Pennsylvania and William E. Sweet of Colorado, supporters of the move were aligning the conference field for a record test on the enforcement Issue, and there were indications that when the governors met President Presi-dent Coolidge In Washington Satur. day an accepted program of reorganized reorgan-ized federal activities would be presented. pre-sented. Governor P. C. P. Barter of Maine said before an informal gathering of several governors Thursday that "the time has passed when vague declare tions for law enforcement or law and order may be regarded as a state ment of public policy by government officials." Declaring that in his opinion, prohibition enforcement would be the predominant national issue in 1024, he said officials now are called upon to state in unmistakable, un-mistakable, terms their attitude. On turning then to Maine he told the governors that two fast destroyers could wipe out rum smuggling along the 2500 miles of state coast "in thirty days, if the navy would attack the problem with true American vigor." His state is successful in dry enforcement within Its own jurisdiction, juris-diction, Governor Baxter declared, but Is unable to cope with smuggling operations without assistance from federal authorities. |