Removal of W. W. Anderson, deputy administrator of prohibition in Southern California and Arizona, and the announcement that a padlocking campaign against every place that is caught harboring intoxicating beverages marked the return to duty yesterday of Col. Robert E. Frith, Federal dry administrator in this district, after the national administrators' conference last week in Washington with Gen. Lincoln C. Andrews.
    Anderson will be replaced by Capt. Jesse L. Thompson, deputy administrator for New Jersey, who is now in the Walter Reid Hospital in Washington ill from the effect of being gassed during the World War, but the change in all probability will not take place until November 1 when Thompson will be in condition to travel to Southern California.
    The removal of Anderson came as a surprise to officials of the local division as Anderson has been in government service for twenty-eight years and prior to the appointment of Col. Frith, a year ago this month, was director of prohibition enforcement for Southern California. This was offset, however, when it became known that Anderson probably will succeed to the position of Pacific Coast co-ordinator, a job recently created in the East and one that requires an intimate knowledge of government procedure.
    As Pacific Coast co-ordinator, Anderson would travel about the five districts in the twelve Western States relaying procedure information and acting as counselor for the administrative bodies. Influential friends of the veteran government official already have lent their support to his cause.
    Col. Frith returned from the Washington trip with an additional $50,000 per annum with which to prosecute enforcement. The apportionment increase means that Col. Frith will have $328,000 for his office during the fiscal period ending September 1, 1927.
    This money will be distributed among employees of the regular prohibition force, the Mexican border patrol of twenty men and the newly created coast patrol composed of fifteen so-called customs inspectors who operate under direction of Collector of Customs Louis H. Schwaebe and are directly charged with seeing that American ships docking are free of liquor.
    Col. Frith declined to comment on the disposition of the cases against John H. Wynkoop, former chief field agent; Howard Kimball and William B. Clark, agents who were suspended during his absence for asserted diversion of seized liquor.

    "The matter is entirely in the hands of U. S. Atty. McNabb, S. H. Hamer, head of the prohibition intelligence unit this district; Maj. Dixon and Judge Sheldon," Col. Frith declared. "The circumstances developed while I was in the East and I am not familiar with them from first hand experience."
    Maj. Blaine Andrew Dixon is Frith's recent appointee to the enforcement division as assistant administrator, and Judge Sheldon is former Police Judge Caryl M. Sheldon, now chief counsel of the prohibition office.
    The quartet named by Col. Frith will confer at 9:30 o'clock this morning in Mr. McNabb's office to reach a decision on what course to pursue in meting out justice to the accused trio. An indication of what in all probability will happen was given yesterday by U. S. Atty. McNabb in a statement as follows:
    "The public cannot look up to anyone but Federal officials enforcing the Volstead Act and when they violate the provisions of their oath I, for one, am certainly inclined to deal harshly with them."

    The consensus expressed at the dry office, however, did not coincide with the views of the legal chief as they were inclined to more latitude and a full hearing for the three dry agents who, as one man said: "A great injustice may be done these men whose position has been difficult because they are constantly handling liquor for the purpose of apprehending commercial violators."
    Wynkoop, Kimball and Clark were accused of taking approximately five cases of bonded liquor "planted" in a barn at Long Beach. Every bottle was filled and when some of these were found in the officers personal quarters their suspension ten days ago ensued. All are in Los Angeles awaiting the outcome of their cases.
    Frith's complete program for a tighter enforcement rein will not be forthcoming until the arrival here before January 1, next, of Gen. Andrews, national dry czar, and C. J. Loeps, head of the wine division under Commissioner Jones.

    This much he revealed:
    "Cabarets, cafes and roadhouses will be padlocked from now on as they are being done in New York and Chicago," Col. Frith said. "I have just conducted an exhaustive investigation of the methods employed in Chicago and these procedures have been approved by U. S. Atty. McNabb.
    "Our increased budget calls for higher salaries for faithful employees and we hope that we are now in a position to attract the highest-calibered men and women possible for the nerve-racking dry enforcement work.
    "I have given Maj. Dixon carte blanche to hire or fire, where it seems advisable and he will be held strictly responsible. Our policies arc strictly in line with those advanced at Washington by Gen. Andrews and as long as I am in office I will stand squarely behind him in their operation."

Source:

Unknown, "Padlocks For Wet Cabarets, Col. Frith Gives Warning on Return from East," The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Friday, 1 October, 1926, p. A5.