Arizona republican., 1920-12-21
America Leads In
 Crime
Bv Frederic ]. Haskin

WASHlNTIONs U. C., OSC. IU- Washington has about three times as many homicides as Liverpool In New York more people are murdered in year than in all of England and Wales put together. In a typical American city there are several times as many burglaries every year as there are in London, in proportion to population over 5000 automobiles were stolen in New York in 1919, while 290 were stol- en in London and 10 in Liverpool.
 These are a few typical samples, chosen at random, of the statistics presented by Raymond B. Fosdick in his book on American police systems. They show that the United States leads the world in crime, not by small margin, but by several hundred per cent. It is perhaps the most lawless place on earth which pretends to have a civilized government.
 MT. Fosdick occupies a unique place in this country as an expert on crime and police work who has studied all the principal police systems of Europe, as well as that of hir own country. During the war he was placed in con- trol of the commission on training camp activities. which was certainly one of the most creditable of our war time activities. His book is not of a popular nature, and appeals chiefly to students and professionals. It there fore seems worth while to give the gist of his remarkable facts and arguments here.
 Far more interesting than proof of Amefica's world leadership in the pro- duction of all kinds of crime is his acute analysis of the reasons for this. His viewpoint here is that of cos mopolltan rather than a typical American feformer. He does not see the cause of our crime-ridden state primarily in the fact that we do not all so to Sunday school, nor in the movies. nor in the dime novels, nor in the foxtrot, nor in short skirts. home brew nor cabarets. He does not be- lieve that a great wave of moral re- form could sweep all this crime away, nor that a multiplication of laws would solve the problem. On the contrary, he makes out a strong case for the view that what we suffer from is too many laws. which attempt to regulate personal conduct instead of to prevent crime, laws which are fundamentally -enforcible, because they are not sufficiently supported by opinion, and which havo had the effect of making all law ridiculous, and of giving social sanction to much law breaking.
 Causes of Crime
 True, he sees other causes for our national criminality. He shows that our astonishing mixture of unassimil- ated racial clements presents a unique police problem, He shows that the absurdity of our administration oi criminal law is an encouragement tc crime. He shows that almost any criminal who can hire a lawyer has al least an even chance to escape convic- ton. This is painfully true, and ha: been pointed out before. But Mir. Eos dicks analysis of the national mind il the most original and arresting thing he has to offer. He shows that non' but the Germans of the period before the war were ever so ridden by law designed to make of men a regimenteC mass, rather than a group of free in dividuals
 The willingness with which we un dertake to regulate by law the persona habits of private citizens is a source O perpetual astonishment to Europeans, he writes. "In no country in Europe with the exception of Germany. is al attempt ever made to enforce stan dards of conduct which do not mee with general public approval. or, at tn behest of what may be minority, t bring a particular code of behavio within the scope of criminal Legislation With us, however, every year adds it accretion 10 our sumptuary laws. suits the judgment of some and tn temper of others to convert into crime practices which they deem mischiev ous or unethical. They resort to laV to supply the deficiencies of othe agencies of social control. They at tempt to govern by means of la things which in their nature do nc admit of objective treatment and eE ternal coercion. The views 7 particular groups of people on ques ton of private conduct are made tn legal requirements of the state. W are surrounded by penal laws who's only purpose is to enforce by thres certain standards of morality.
 Moral Laws
 Indeed. this presents one of tI strange anomalies of American life with an intolerance for authority an an emphasis upon individual righ more pronounced, perhaps, than in an other nation, we are, of all people, n' even excepting the Germans. pre-en inentIv addicted to the habit of star dardizing the lives and morals of ol citizens. Nowhere in the world
 there so great an anxiety to place tf regulation of moral affairs in tf hands of the police, and nowhere al the police so incapable of carrying o' such regulations
 our concern, moreover, is Tor eNtel hals for results that are IOrInal ar apparent rather than essential. We al less anxious about preventing a ma from doing wrong to others than
 preventing him from doing what consider harm to himself We a tack symptoms, rather than cause and in doing so we create species moralistic despotism which overrid the private conscience and destro, liberty where liberty Is most precious
 There is little anyone can add to tn paragraph. but Mir. Fosdick goes on describe some of our laws.
 Unonforcible Laws
 -~sten tho laws are such as to de