New Britain herald., 1921-10-15


 describing the special squad of police selected this week by Chief Rawlings to concentrate it's attention particular lv on suspected violators of the liquor laws. New Britain is in no immediate need of vice squad and until the population becomes more numerous and general morality more lax we shall not have work for squad under thls name.
 New Britain is not a wild mining town where might is right and where moral standards are unknown, as the state has been informed rom some quarters It ia normal community with no special claim upon virtue and no special leaning in the other dlfec- ton. Its men and women are Just normal folks with human fralltles ana human strength which pretty well counter-balance each other, result1ng in a good mark for department on the recording angels book. New Britain lays no special claim to distinction for being better than its neighbors, but it does resent the publicity it IS receiving in out of town newspapers which hold it up to the world as city where sin and crime are rife.
 The failure of few citizens to rec oenize their duty toward law and order has brought a heavy penalty on the good men and the good women Who live here. The fact that news reports are frequently grossly exaggerated oy sensationa1ists has weighed upon NC" Britain heavily, and 1t Will require many months for the city to convince the outside world that it is not nearly as bad as represented. In the mean 1srNyf yfo, time it behOoves all New Brltaln1tes to keep stiff upper lip and hold tnelr heads up. It is not a vicious city ana has no need of a 'vice' squad.
 The action of the police in ordering all saloons to close is remarkaele demonstration of what can be accom- plished without the support or Written law when the authorities entrusteo with protection of the pupllc are backed by moral support. So 1ar' no reputable lawyer has come torth "ith the statement that the police nave the legal right to close saloons, put the police know that they have the sup port of the better element in the com munity and saloon proprietors nave bowed in recognition of this 1act. | Rhere Is no question that there IS Ia growing sentiment in favor ot clos- ling places where alcoholic liquors have been sold. This is not because the people like the prohibition amendment more, but because they like the boot leggers less Almost since the rati- hcation of the amendment by the states. there has been a disposition to l smile quietly, the while bootleggers
 were waxing rich. But popular anger l hxy
 that have been made since the arrest
 of New Britain men alleged to have l taken an active part in rum running land all have come to realize that the Iegame has more seripuS conrcqueT1e.5s l far the general public.
 l Although no definite information is ! obtainable whether the state authori- l ties will try to link the deaths of three New Britain men with the bootlegging | gang, there is strong suspicion that | before the clouds roll by, an attempt
 will be made to show that murder was
 committed. Because of the scope
 which the investigation has taken on
 the public mind has reacted and the
 police now find sympathizers among the ranks of those who openly scoffed l at their efforts to enforce the law.
 Will the closing of the saloons helr l materially? This is question one hears frequently along the street. Open violations of the law where the
 police could put their finger on then
 was one thing. Now, it is feared, the
 law will be violated just as fagrantlJ
 but instead of the saloons, kitcher
 barrooms and cellars, which will be
 difficult to hunt down, will probably
 be found to be distributing liquor not l even on a par for quality with the
 drinks that have been sold almost
 openly.
 With the passing of each Columbus
 Day, Americans are becoming better
 informed as to the purposes of tha1
 intrepid navigator in sailing the seas
 History is rich with the names of ex-