The Topeka state journal., 1922-02-13
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC }. HAsKIN. Dlreste~,
WasisIngz0u. D. @.
-THE POPULARITy OF GRIN

the late war is entirely 10 plane iof
present conditions. There must be,
/ our authorities on criIninelegy say,
| other reasons for such an enduring
Some believe that the wave would
shrink pereeptibly in size if only our
| metropolitan police forces were larger
and equipped with all the latest de-
vices Of war, such as airplanes and
gas bombs and Instructions to kill the
| enemy at sight. Others believe that
/ the repeal of the eighteenth amend
| ment would have a soothing effect
\ upon our criminals. The New York
| police declare that quicker trials and
| denial of bail to criminals of des-
perate character would greatly ameli-
crate their problems. Still others as
! sert that what is chiefly needed is a
complete change of attitude on the
part of the public. which is not suf-
/ ficiently stern toward crime. While
we do not openly give oar moral sup
| port to rebberies and murders, they
| say, we are by no means as antipa-
thetie to crime as we should be.
! In support of this last contention. it
country has always been unusually
violent. Statistics show that more
| murders are committed annually in
| the United States than in any other
part of the civilized world, with the
possible exception of Mexico. When
!
| clared that he was afraid to come to
America, he had just received our lat
| est annual figures on homieides, with
special mention in regard to lynchings.
This reputation for unique and un-
paralleled crime is by no means re-
cent either. 1t has long flourished
| in Europe. Years ago, q celebrated
English writer. when taunted by an
American concerning the great British
| losses in the Boer war, replied that
his country had not lost as many men
in the war with the Beers as We're
murdered every two years in the
/ United States.
Wholesale American Murders.
Not only is murder more prevalent
| in this country than in foreign coun-
tries" declares one eriminolegist.
but we have here whole classes of
offenses which, these countries do not
have to contend with at all We
have. for instance, men who make it
I a business to commit train robberies,
armed with dynamite and other
weapons. Why is it that in Cahada,
our nearest neighbor, train robberies
seldom occur?
I'm our southern states we have had
murderous family feudE, lynehings,
and, recently, the unique activities of
| the Ku klux Klan. These crimes are
peculiar to this country. Yet why
SHOulQ Un1S De so
| This student of the question believes
| that it's largely because Americans
unconsciously possess a rather SYM
pathetic attitude toward most crimes.
Robbery, for instance, unless COM
nitted by a professional burglar, is
not frowned upon half as vigorously
as it should be- When a bank clerk
absconds with the contents of the
bank safe he is seldom harshly cen
sured, unless by rea son of his act
the bank is forced to close it's doors
and money is lost by his friends and
n6ighbors This indulgent attitude on
the part of the public, moreover, is
fusually reflected in the light sentences
| delivered by Judges for crimes of this
stole 100000 from bank was given
only seven years.
| Murder is another crime which does
not inspire as much horror in the pub
lie as one might think. This is clearly
shown by the numerous acduittals
handed down by juries in murder
cases. 1t is extremely difficult to con-
] Wet a mai for Wifa murder, for in
stance, declares prominent criminal
! lawyer. and women are scarcely ever
convicted for killing their husbands.
Legal Killings Make Heroes.
Curiously enough, this lawyer who
! believes that too much leniency is
shown toward criminals, does not be-
| lieve in capital punishment for muir
der, because, he says, it simply makes
| q hero of the defendant and is re-
| sponsible for more acduittals than any
other one thing.
LAS the state AUTHORIZES hanging or
electrocution,' he declares, "a senti-
| mental attitude is created from the
| beginning. The state seems to be
seeking a life, and everybody has SYM
pathy for what may have been done
! merely in the heat of passion. 1t is an
old and well known fact in criminal
| Jurisprudence thatvacduittals increase
! when penalties appear too severe, ana
/ that a crime CAN often be made less
frequent by reducing the punishment
| In other words, whenever there is q
steady increase in aequittals. the first
probable cause OF it is public dislike
| of the penalty.
"The spectacle of a man fighting
for his life appeals strongly to the
! sentimental character of our people
| and at every murder trial the news
papers and the public abound in such
| statements as He is making a fine
fight for his lfe,
Crime Is also undoubtedly greatly
encouraged in this country by the
practice of bonding criminals and by
the long waits that occur before cases
are brought to trial According to
| Commissioner Enright of the New
which criminals obtain bail is one OF
the greatest evils the police must con-
tend with. He cites the case of a
man who was arrested three times
during the past year and every time
had his bail ready.
''All three cases." he said, "were
! awaiting trial against him. A few
weeks ago we again caught him red
handed at a hold-up trick. Somewhat
surprised, I asked him what he was
up to, trying another trick while out
/ on bail in three cases. His answer
was that he needed the money to pay
his bail bonds and his lawyer"
Hoard Gains for Bail.
IT is this experienced type of Grim
inal who knows the ropes who i:
playing the most conspicuous role IL
the crime wave. The first offender
who has yet to learn the power o.
what the crooks call fall money, i.
unable to obtain a bond and has te
remain in jail AS the law provides
that those held in Jail must be tried
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