Washington is buzzing with controversy as Assistant Secretary Andrews defends President Coolidge's explosive new plan to turn local police into federal Prohibition agents—but insists it's only for California, not nationwide. Under fierce criticism from both 'wets' and 'drys,' Andrews admits the order is 'very dangerous' while defending its legality. Senator King of Utah has already introduced a resolution questioning whether the whole scheme is constitutional. Meanwhile, California's own Attorney General U.S. Webb throws cold water on the plan, expressing doubts about its legality and pointing out that crowded federal courts would create a nightmare backlog of cases. Closer to home, the Census Bureau announces Washington has officially joined America's elite club of half-million cities, estimating 528,000 residents by July—making it the 13th largest city in America, squeezed between Buffalo and Milwaukee. But local police aren't buying it, citing their own house-to-house count last November that found only 472,052 residents. In sports news that's capturing international attention, 19-year-old Roland Mackenzie of Washington becomes the first American to win a match in the British Amateur Golf Championship at Muirfield, Scotland, overwhelming his Scottish opponent 3 and 2 with drives that sailed 40 to 60 yards beyond his competitor's shots.
These stories capture America grappling with the growing pains of Prohibition enforcement in 1926—six years into the 'Noble Experiment' that's proving anything but noble. The federal-local police controversy reflects deeper tensions about states' rights versus federal power that would echo through the century. Washington's population boom symbolizes the broader urban growth transforming 1920s America, as cities swelled with new residents seeking opportunity in the Roaring Twenties economy. The international golf victory, while seemingly small, represents America's growing confidence on the world stage—a young nation's athletes proving they could compete with the best of the Old World, much like America itself was doing economically and culturally during this transformative decade.
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