The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-13

the crime wave shows every ind1-
! cation of becoming permanent
many remedies are being advanced
for its control. 1t is no longer be-
! lieved that the late war is entirely
to blame for present conditions
There must be. our authorities on
criminology say, other reasons for
such an enduring reign of violence.
Some believe that the wave
would shrink perceptibly in size i:
only our metropolitan police forces
were larger and equipped with all
the latest devices of war, such as
airplanes, and gas bombs and in
structions to kill the enemy al
sight Others believe. that the re-
peal of the eighteenth amendment
would have soothing effect upon
our criminals. The New York police
declare that quicker trials and a
denial Of bail to criminals OF des-
perate character would greatly
ameliorate their problems. Still
others assert that what is chiefly
needed is complete change of at
tltude on the part of the public,
which is not sufficiently stern to-
ward crime. While we do not open
ly give our moral support to rob-
berries and murders, they say, we
are by no means as antipathetic
to crime as we should be.
In support of this last conten-
ton, it is pointed out that the tenn
per of this country has always been
unusually violent. Statistics show
that more murders are committed
a " in
in any other part of the civilized
world, with the possible exception
of Mexico. When George Bernard
Shaw recently declared that he
was afraid to come to America, he
had just received our latest annual
figures on homicides, with special
mention in regard to lynchings.
This reputation for unique and
unparalleled crime is by no means
recent either. 1t has long flourish
ed in Europe. Years ago, a ceIe.
brated English writer, when taunt-
ed 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 were murdered
every two years in the United
States.
Wholesale American Murders.
Not only is murder more preva-
lent in this country than in for
eign countries" declares one Grim
nologist, 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 a business to
commit train robberies, armed with
dynamite and other weapons. Why
Is it that in Canada, our nearest
neighbor, train robberies seldom
occur?
In our southern states we have
had murderous family feuds, lynch
ings, and, recently, the unique &C
t1vities OF the Ku Klux Khan. These
crimes are peculiar to this coun-
try. Yet, why should this be SOP
This student Of the question be-
lieyes that it is largely because
unconsciously possess g
rather sympathetic attitude toward
most crimes. Robbery, for instance,
unless committed by 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 censured, unless
by reason of his act the bank is
forced to close its doors and money
is lost by his friends and neigh
bors. This indulgent attitude on the
part of the public, moreover, IS
reflected in the light SEN
fences delivered by judges for
crimes of this kind. In a recent
case, a man who stole 500. 900
from a bank was given only seven
years.
Murder is another crime which
does not inspire as much horror
in the public as one might think |
This is clearly shown by the num-
erous acQuittals handed down by
juries in murder cases. 1t is ex- |
difficult to convict a man /;
for wife murder, for instance, de- |
clares a prominent criminal law