Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-12-25


What about crimeg What ere the
causes Of increasing crime7 What
can the National Crime Commission
do about It. What can labor meme
Der do on the Crime ComuIssionl
This newspaper, IN cooperation with
the 40 other publications working
through International Labor News
Services. has asked these questions Of
national figures in the labor move
ment
That the question Is Of great inter-
est Is shoun clearly BY the .nunbsr
Of replies and the nature Of the re-
plies. These replies win be published
through series Of weeks.
Here are two replies BY two figures
Of international prominence Andrew
Furuseth, president Of the Internal
tionaI Seamen's Union, and Charles
Edward Russell, noted writer and
member Of the international Typo
graphical Union. More viii be pub
Iished next week.
It seems that in al societies and
at ali times there has been STRAIT
ification Of the population. The upper
strata has been the depository OF
ethical standards.
The stratas below have looked to
the higher stratas for leadership. The
lower stratas have, so far as they
were able, initiated The upper stratas
in their manner Of living, Of thinking,
Of speech, of manners and OF dress.
IN societies that were growing and
healthy, there has been > gradual
Improvement IN reverence for re-
ligion, improvement in and obedience
to laws and customs. In society in
decandence, the converse has been
true.
In seeking for the causes Of in-
creasing crime, the commission should
therefore, look for the causes among
the upper strata Of existing society
OF course there are subsidiary causes
among which II viii, think. not be
questioned that at least part Of the
causes Is to be found in the mixture
Of our population through the enter
ing into Il Of large numbers Of per-
sons growing up in societies with
ethical standards different from our
own. laws different from cur own
and method Of enforcement Of law. IS
well aa the law ITSELF entirely differ
emit from our own.
A commission to inquire into the
causes Of crime ia all bosh. We know
well enough the causes Of crime.
What we want is enough honesty to
acknowledge them and enough cour-
age to end them. 8
When You have the great mar
jority Of the population deprived OF
the right to enjoy the life they are
endowed with, when their children are
sent into the world with, Say, one
fifteenth Of the education they are en-
titled to have, when they are ern-
! ployed all day In monotonous and un-
interesting work that beats their
minds down and cramps their under
standings, when so large part Of the
population is improperly housed and
poorly fed, when the whole nation
Is taught, the ideals Of grabbing and
keeping as the loftiest ends OF life,
when vast fortunes are accumulated
by dishonest means and the men that
get them are eulogized to. youth,
what on earth are we to expect but
crime7
The eighteenth amendment as q
crime breeder is negligible. The four
teenth1and fifteenth amendments were
shattered to bits before the eighteen
h was more than dream. AS nearly
as lean make out, the motto of our
school system today is Get It--No
Matter How You Get It." So long
as we teach that and approve the
practice Of teaching you can have q
thousand solemn-sided commissions
trotting about the country taking
foolish testimony and the crime wave
viii go on and get worse.
The number and the variety Of
opinions expressed by labor men in
commenting on the crime situation at
the request Of this newspaper, in assoc
citation with international Labor News
Service and its associated newspapers
show that the prevalence Of crime is
stirring deep and widespread interest.
Labor men, who are in closer touch
with the great masses Of the people
than are most so-caIled 'erime 4
perts,". are observing the crime stu
alton, watching its effects and trying
to see beneath the surface to find out
the why's and wherefores.
Their answers, as here published
from week week, win be presented
to the National Crime Commission for
the consideration Of that body.
Here are two more instercsting re-
sponses from men at the head Of in
ternational unions. There viii be-
more next week.
The trade union in its effort to IN
crease wages and better conditions
Of the great majority, is doing more
to aid in the prevention of crime than
any other organization or institution
.r.slJ ~.~nnsI.I-~ 81 It.ne. xsrho rsootIu