The New York herald., 1921-05-23

fair. He Is to-day, IN my judgment, con-
aucting the greatest single handed,
silent fight ever staged in this COM
Fitzmorris is fighting not alone
for himself but for the good name o.
a little more than four months ago
youngest chief of police took
office Here are some of the more I'M
portant things he has accomplished
Abolished all soft details and
put practically every one of the mems
bers OF the force into uniform and
active service.
Der or criminal complaints to be-
tween twenty-five and thirty-iive
day as against 50 to 100.
Abolished political pull" and
favor
Put il effect a new system or pro-
motion based on actual. achievements
II policing rather than on paper ex-
aminations.
Placed IN operation an original
method for preventing automobie
thcfts and, as eorollary. the crimes
committed with the help Of stolen
cars.
Reduced from two years to four or
five months the period between the
.
DISCOVERED and marked for dismiss
sal 500 dishonest or incompetent po-
lcemen.
Dropped more than 100 policemen
Tor various causes.
shown TO tire world that ne is the
Chief OF Police Of Chicago.
The real menace to 4 city nova
days said Chief F!tzmorris. "is the
organized gang Of criminals with rnaa-
ter crook as their leader, Twenty years
ago regular gangs OF holdup burglars
We're unknown. To-day every city has
gangs which make busl-
ness Of burglary and robbery.
Here Is another thought along that
line. History tells us that after every
war comes the pirates. After the re-
cent world war America was invaded
by tie automobile pirate. Instead of
ships these pirates commandment auto
mobiles ana LIN place g. the high seas
gool roads afforded tile thorouehfaye
who're plunder and booty could be OBJ
tained cheaply."
hat tyre Of character Is the Chi
caGo gunman?" was asked.
~ coWardly sneak" replied the chief /;
"a fellow who flashes a gun when he
thinks the other fellow hasn't got one or
won't have time to draw. He differs
from the Western and Alaskan gun
fighter just as q cobra differs from q
grizzly. The cowardly Chicago gunnan
never wants the other chap to have a
chance for his white alley. out OF the
last seven so called bad guhmen hanged
in Chicago IL was found necessary to
carry six Of the condemned men to the
gallows. 1t takes nerve to walk 10 the
gallows."
fet 49, ~, -
IN mind to rid Chicago Of these cow
ardly gunmen?"
wants Gun Law Like New gorIk'a.
Make the carrying ola gun 4 very
serious offence like they did ia New
York. The enactment Of the statute III
New York making the carrying or gun
2 serious offence did more to clean New
Yorks gunman population than any
other method devised. And when that
law went into effect SO per cent. OF the
gun toters Of New. York migrated to Chi
cago.
My men can place their hands on al
most 1000 criminals in this city right
now" said the chief. ITO be exact. lust
q trifle more than 500 thieves, holdup
men and crooks of all kinds are now
running around loose in Chicago. And
every one Oh tnem has q criminal record.
I can pick them up within a day. But
what's the use? They will be turned
loose the next day by the courts because
they haven't been caught In the act.
They have records, but that doesn't
count. This job Is like bailing river
with q sieve.
Daily and nightly-ny men raid the
haunts or criminals and find men sup
posed to be in the penitentiary-free be-
cause Of some technicallty of the law, or
out on probation. appeal. writ OF super
sedeas. bonds. parole or some one or
the many other subterfuges, These
criminals ought to be IN Jail But
they don't so 10 jail, even after have
picked them up.
Instead. the policeman who arrests
them Is told that his complaint IL wrong.
that he has not sufficient evidence. and
that he is prosecuting a man who is
trying to live right. The policeman is
tried not the crook.
ALI / ask IS that somebody cares IN
Chicago; the way 1t Is now nobody
cal es."
Out OF Town Crooks Blamed.
Chief Fitzmorris after a thorough in
vostjgation has found that a large per-
certlgc Of the crimes committed In Chi
cago are being committed by out OF
town crooks who visit Chicago in stolen
cars