The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1922-08-09

wave" of today to be of such potential
menace to the nation.
From New York, Chicago, st.
Louis, Boston, Seattle, New Orleans,
Cleveland, Cinhinnati, Detroit, San
Frandisro, Los Angeles, Philadelphia,
Milwaukee, Kansas City and many
other lities these rings of arch Grim
inals radiate out to the surrounding
country. Here we have rings of au-
tomobile thieves, bank robbers, boot
leggers, white slavers, dope peddlers,
burglars, bunco men, blackmailers and
even murderers.
These rings, through liberal use of
money and political influence, have
corrupted members of the state, coun-
ty and city police forces, have pur-
chased the bar and often reached the
bench itself until honest officials who
themselves helpless, their hands vir-
tually tied. Thus the public is left
defenseless, at the mercy of the ene-
mics to society. The press, which
should sound the alarm and awaken
the lethargic public to it's danger, US
ually cXpcnds its energies exploiting
the results but ignoring the basic
cause.
There is a remedy for this menac-
ing state Of affairs. 1t is an obvious
remedy, and simple one. If the
members of the legal profession, if
90 per cent only Of the members of
the bar would forget their private in
terests and devote themselves unrc-
scrvedly to the public welfare, the
crime wave could be wiped out in six
months and future crime reduced to a
minimum.
Lawyers, Defend Yourselves
The truth is that the bar upon
which the public depends for the pro-
per ADMINISTRATION of justice and pro-
lection from those who float the law
is no longer either efficient or honest.
Craft, mental and moral corruption,
the greed fir money and notoriety
and the "Let George do it" spirit have
brought it to ap oint where instead
OF acting as q crime deterrent it func-
tions largely as a crime inciter.
Crime is not only defined as vio-
!ation of Divine or human laws but
it's also defined as an omission Of a
duty commanded. 1t is the sworn
duty of every lawyer to uphold the
law. Failure to do so classes him
with the criminals.
A few honest and courageous indi-
viduals in the legal ranks are battling
bravel " to overcome this inertia, this
lnefliciency, this disregarding of pro-
fcsslonal ethics and ideals, and down
right dishonesty swamping their pro-
fession
That the leaders of the bar have
begun to realize this condition them
selves is evidenced by the investi-
cation now being conducted by the
American Bar Association.
The report Of the committee which
is looking into the causes leading to
the present crime wave gives five pro
bable causes, three of which reflect
upon the bar itself.
This committee consists Of such
eminent members of the profession as
". b. Swasey, of Chattanooga, Tenn,
Charles S. Whitman, former governor
OF New York; Judge Marcus A. Ka-
yanaugh, of Chicago; Charles w.
Farnham, of st. Paul and Wade II.
Ellis, OF Washington, D, C.
The five probable causes for the
crime wave, which the committee dis
covered after taking testimony in the
follows: ''e 80
First that the crime wave is p ma
tural outgrowth of the World War.
Second, that the crime wave in
stead of being an outgrowth of the
war IS merely one of the causes that
lead to the war and which is continu-
ing IN aggravated form since the war
has ended.
Ihlrd, growing belief on the
part of the masses throughout the
country that the courts are only for
the rich and that they deny Justice to
the poor with a resulting tendency on
!he part OF the. poor to take the law
INTO their own hands.
..,Fourth, that the trouble Is largely
with the members of the bar them
selves. Many men practicing law to-
day, (the. committee has been told)
ought to be in Jail.
firth, that conviction for crime in
the courts Is becoming increasingly
and that the criminal once
convicted is not punished sufficiently
offense." .'
That the trouble may lie in all five
IS true, but for this article the first
TWO causes may be dismissed. They
were lergely psychological. A few
weak MINDS may have been Influenced
by war.induced hysteria and a sense
OF the injustice of the scheme of
things to, turn against their fellow
men but it is difficult to convince n
reasoning mind that the great mass
of the men who went abroad to give
their lives if necessary would so
quickly reverse their convictions. Our
excuse for going into the war was to
preserve democracy and democracy
1oes not mean anarchy and crime.
The High Cost of Justise
The third cause given Chat the
courts are for the rich and deny ius
tlce to the poor" is not new COM
plant. Here the trouble is not with