The Toughest Job in the State
Senator Wesley L. Jones defends Prohibition Director Roy C. Lyle against critics, promising severe penalties for any official caught winking at law-breakers.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Senator Wesley L. Jones recently told a Seattle club that Washington possesses one of the best federal prohibition directors in the country in Roy C. Lyle. The Senator noted that he knew when Lyle was appointed that he had the most difficult job in the state, but stated that Lyle has made good. 'I believe in the enforcement of the prohibition law, not only because I am for the law enforcement, but because I am for prohibition,' said Jones. He added that every official should cooperate with Lyle. 'If any deputy is winking at or condoning violations of the law, the principal shall be held responsible for such acts, and no man will be recommended by me for re-appointment who fails to give the aid he ought to give.' Jones emphasized that the more prominent and influential the offender, the less consideration should be shown, and that United States attorneys should insist upon prison sentences.
“The more prominent, the more influential, and the more respectable the offender is, the less consideration should be shown and the more severe the penalty.”
This 1923 report highlights the intense, top-down pressure applied during the Prohibition era to ensure compliance. It mirrors contemporary debates regarding the selective enforcement of laws and the reliance on federal appointees to reshape local civic behavior, a persistent theme in Pacific Northwest politics.
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