The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-12-28
OUR CRIMINAL RECORD

Gritty, certainty and fnality. This
lack, together with a general public
indifference to the situation, ac-
want of respect for law in this coun-
try and the failure of It's enforce
ment."
Behind every defect in the en-
forcement of our laws, more danger
Gus than any fault in the machinery
of the law, more powerful than any
other factor in accounting for the
number of crimes committed in this
country is the apathy and indiffer-
ence of the American people. The
first great work to be accomplished
in bringing about better enforce
ment of law must be the awakening
of the public to clear sense of the
situation and of their responsibility
for it. Improvement in our laws
can accomplish little unless accom-
panied by a determination on the
part of our citizens to have those
laws enforced"
Enforce the Laws Now on Our
Statute Books and Crime Will Be
Diminished. We Need No New
Laws. Excerpts From The Mime
apolis Journal as Follows in Re-
gard to Judges in Massachusetts.
"They have a Judge Thayer in
Massachusetts, who has rid two large
cities of the Commonwealth of
violent crime. Both Springfield and
Worcester had been enjoying a
reign of terror in the streets both
day and night, before this judge
applied his method. How did he
manage to accomplish the impossible,
which appalls ordinary citizens, baf-
fles the police, perplexes the soci-
ologist even gives the sentimentalist
pause?
Nothing simpler. He merely sends
up gunner arraigned and convicted
before Judge Thayer get twelve or
fourteen years without probation as
minimum, and as maximum a
life sentence. Consequently gun
men no longer operate within this
judges jurisdiction.
| There is no use searching around
for reconcile remedies or vainly
trying to devise reforms that will
eradicate criminals before crime is
committed. The simple truth is
that, if some men can live without
working and on robbery and "get
away with it." they will do So The
simple truth is that such men are
| allowed to do so in many American
cities and some countrysides. The
simple truth is that all that is re-
quired to end their activities and to
afford citizens security is just plain
old-fashioned justice that makes "the
punishment fit for crime" undeterred
by politics or sentimentalism. More
of the simple truth is that punish
ment nowadays does not fit the
crime, because public opinion does
not demand it, because a f1abby-
minded public would rather submit to
robbery and assault than get up and
do its civic duty.
In New York State they have the
Sullivan Law, which prohibits carry
! ing of weapons. It operates to
make the decent citizen defenseless
against gunner, who commit glaring
holdups about every night and day
An expensive propaganda labeled
prison reform exhibits zeal and ex-
pands energy, all directed toward
giving the criminal a good time in
prison, and easing him out of jail
as soon as possible.
Meanwhile crime goes merrily on
/ living on the fruits of robbery and
not doing lick of work, getting
coddled when it gets convicted, not
getting convicted too much, and be.
ing more probationed than really
sentenced when it is convicted
Nice for crime! A little hard or
decent people! But it is the lat
:; ter's fault. They do not insist
strenuouslv on justice and THEN
notion of justice has so many