Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-08-21
THE FORUM
ABOUT THE CRIME DEUCE.

OuT SCHOOLS nave committed the
oversight Of teaching honesty. The
young generation too is not altogether
the one that is not honest. Some in
structors are not saints. Recently
two instructors met. one being Ian
guage teacher, three year man; the
other, not being a linguits put the
question Of what the translation might
be of certain poem which the nom
linguist had in mind. "0h," said the
instructor, 81 cannot give you the
translation" ''Well," said the other,
II thought you had the language cor
ner, you said, for three years.
"Well," said the linguist, II had a
pony all the time"
Honesty in examination work in our
schools, for instance, has become all
but stranger, The erase for the dol
lar throughout the land has suffo-
Gated all honorable means to get it.
I think it not presumptive to list here
what the causes of this crime wave
are:
1. Lack Of grounded honesty in our
schools.
2. Lack of instruction to students
on the dignity of labor. Inefficient
vocational training.
3. Bad examples shown by rich men
who by hook or crook are making
great fortunes.
4. Laxity Of the courts and dis
honest lawyers.
In case after case, such as the De-
Atrimony boys who did the killing
Of four train men in robbing the
train in the Siskiyou mountains, the
Loeb and Leopold case and all the
larvae Of crooks in our cities, had
these people been grounded in right
instruction at our schools, this would
have gotten the parents as well, we
should have had a different minded
population. Now we have a vast
population that is not likely to discern
correct lines of reasoning. A crooked
man is not to be expected to put
blame where it belongs. He reasons
that if another croek ''gets away with
the goods" that ''that's clever"
That's smarti' "That's working your
brainsl" Such a condition in large
country like ours is simply startling.
Another false impression that pre-
dominates a large number of young
mems minds is that everybody got
rich during the war, and SO, allthose
young men who were in the war
think they were held in a straight
jacket because they had no chance.
Just as if the war gave a free for
all grab for all who did not go. The
reasoning is false. Only very few
people who were left at home profited
blythe war. Nobody should have prof
tied thereby, but reason should step
in here and recognize that our govern
ment is not perfect and that therefore
imperfections must be tolerated. Mr..
Darrow's contention that criminals
should be let off because of their
training is utterly a false doctrine.
He knows this better than the courts
and juries. Criminals should be held
for crime precisely as our present
state of civilization measures it out
to them. They expect it. They know
they are not to enter heaven if they
are caught, and that even the angel
smote the guilty Cain. In this con-
nection there are two measures that
ought to be put into force in every
country, big or little:
l. People-individuals having hands
and feet, and who are stalking about
without any visible means Of support,
who are out and out loafers, and who
are habitual criminals or vagrants--
these should be gathered up by soci-
ETY., the law, and placed at some use
full labor. 1t would cost far less to
establish a colony for these people
than to support a raft of police on
account of their misdoings. Then,
again, all of our prisons should be
places Of building up the unfortunate
criminal who, of course, represents q
mistake of society, by teaching him a
trade, in a healthy, sanitary, self
supporting prison. Even the profits
if possible should become a trust fund
to aid prisoners after they are re-
leased.
2. The measure in this connection
that / would name is like a sleeping
dragon, as yet in the minds Of most
of the worlds people. It is the cause
of endless trouble, especially to the
mind that winks at shady transactions
in worldly affairs. 1t is a me sure
against speculation.
The time for consideration of laws
against speculation in any form is
here. The mere spculator is mani
testify detriment. He is entirely a
useles creature. He, too, knows the
truth Of the tsatement better than any
oilers. He is a mere throttler of pro-
gress. He checks all legitimate effort
and in reality he is dishonest. He ex-
lists also as q mistake Of civilization.
There, too, is no real difference be-
tween a speculation by what we call
a trust or by an individual hold up.
It is the same. True, these acts are
legalized, but they are nothing short
of working your brains" to extort
money from your neighbor, giving no
return. Toleration Of this form Of