The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1921-06-23
The Laws OnlyNeed
Support Of People

Bruce Craven has such a timely
treatise on law and order in the
Green's ooto News Sunday with the
caption "Seeing North Carolina" that
it deserves reading b! everyone, hence
we reproduce the whole article:
Do you know the names of the Off
GERS of the association of thieves and
Gamblers in your city? Il you think
This is a joke, you are going to wake
nm in aamzement some> day in open
daylight. A little more than a year
ago, this idea was first presented TO
me. and l didn't take it seriously. |
believe in courts and government, and
have always inclined to the theory
that they are the protection of our
liberties, and need only the support of
the people to'do all that is necessary.
! have been more or less mistaken,
how much more or less, is not yet
cprtain.It is a fact that in every city
and considerable town in North Caro-
lima today, the criminal element is
thoOrughly organized, with their own
ntficers. into a working force that is.
more effective for their purposes than
i the local government and pollce
force for its purposes. In most OF tne
nIaces. the criminal aggregation
laughs when the police force is men
toned.
know the name of one man WOh
has been convicted as thief and as
:, gambler. He has a'cash balance IN
hank at this mincte exceeding $2O,OOO'
! know his address, and the NUMBER
hn drives.
! Lnw he'hauls liquor regularly into
Tho citv. and turns it over to the as
.ociation of crime, and that he hasn't
Gone All honest days work in i've
Tears. In my presence and the pres
once of another citizen, he recetnly
made the statement that he stole S5O,-
900 worth of automobiles in the last
Year. A number of other people know
~ these facts, and they can easily
he presented to any court or any"
Jury. | know that in -one city IN
North Carolina, there is "a list OF
known criminals who live Wy crlme'
containing nearly hundred names;
The we'll Informed can make an equal
list nearly anywhere else IN Che
state. Anv citize nknows that his au-
+o1nohile is not safe on the main street
If his CITY unless it has several Sc
cTn+ locks. and even then he is uneasy
shout t. The informed citizens know
that their sons and daughters are
20 not safe in a place where there IS
conducted a school for gamblers and
thieves. that entices the half grown
how bv easv stages into the gamblers
den. and all of whom t'lie In walt
for anv chance to drag a woman INTO
the dirt.
Along comes some friendly critic
md SaTcasticallv remarks that if l
know so much and think knowledge
and wisdom will die with me, as one
of them said of me recentl y, why
don't I go into the court sand lay my
knowledge before them? This ques-
ton l am going to answer peI0re IL
is asked. The answer is that Know
the courts will give their sympaCny
and show their mercy to the cflrnlha5
preving upon decent society, lns1eau
Of toward the decent element IN tne
community. Several earnest cltlzenS
rocen+Iv banded themselves together
10 rid the community of ,one terror.
st is difficult and unpleasant Tor pfl-
yate citizens to take upon> themselves
fhe duties that the sworn public OIL
eials should perform, but these men,
got the evidence, sWore out the war
rant. and had the man tried and con-
Nicted, showing that he had MAGE
living by crime for years. Inc Juuge
ef the Superior court fined him Sloo'
and the criminal met one OF the MN
iisters on the street the next DAY anu
threatened his life. There are ~ ou-
perior court judges in the state 1Hey
have the power, the easiest In the
world, to break up organized crime;
.All they need to do is to SIT sClll, any anu
When a known criminal is convlcteu
10 mt him out of touch with his or
ganization. They don't do it, and as
Ionc as the courts make joke OF law
enforcement by assessing hne OIL
$3.50 against a man Whos makes thOu-
sands every year by crime, 1t is pc
Eond my knowledge as to what the
cure for the situation is. will thank
any Superior court Judge who will an
swer the problem. The Peacock case
is not worse in principle than cases
that happen at every term q oupe-
rfior court.
Il
Judge Oliver H. Allen is one, OF
our oldest judges, and one OF my OesI
friends. | heard him sentence
young man once to the chain gang;
The boys mother was in court ana
the lawyers made a great plea IoI
mercy. Judge Allen answered lt oy
Saying that he had merc1fulm ~ neart,
but aside from his oath OF once 70
enforce the law, he felt that his mer-
.cy was due first to the community
and the law-abiding citizens, and only
after. that to the lawbreaker. lh4s
is the truth in a nutshell. NO man
has more sympathy than l have io1
any man caught in the net, knowing
as do that he SO guilty do usually
escape. l was on a Supreme. cour'
once for some time. I was IN tne m
army, but the main situation was Ene