Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-18

In the fiscal years 1925 and '27, there
were. in Philadelphia and its environs,
760 murders Of which crimes l04 were
put down by the police as ''unsolved
mysteries 1t would take the hearses
alone half a day to pass City Hall: or
the combined murder funeral. including
the relatives and other mourners, would
be as long a parade as that of an Army
corps and would stretch through two
DAYS and a night before it's dirges would
cease to accuse the Government of thu
City of Brotherly Love.
A report Of the crime commission of
citizens of Chicago. which was made
public within the last week. accuses
the Police Department OF connivancS
with criminals and with Systematically
lying to cover up the reign of terror BY
diStorting the nature of crimes reported:
for example. highway robbery has been
entered as "disorderly conduct" muir
der as assault" More than $4,000
cases of similar false entry are charged
against Chicago police within the last
year The police are alleged 10 have
sought to cover up either their con-
nivance with crime or their utter in
competence Since the Chicago beer
var OF 1922 there have been. in that
Sotiom no fewer than 37S murders in
elusive of 3lS killings in what are known
as gang killings" aside from the $50
deaths caused by the police In making
or attempting arrests.
Americans are shocked at the felds
OF Albania and other "Semi-civili2ed'
regions. Are such more horrifying than
the union OF police and gangSterS in
Philadelphia Chicago and New York?
In the greatest metropolis OF the United
States, gangsters are said by the police
TO go about the streets in automobiles
seeking their marked victims to murder.
The automobiles are batteries on motors.
openly loaded with sawed-off ShotgunS
and sometimes machine guns such as
armies use in warfare. Such transport
ing of weapons openly does not conflict
with the law against carrying concealed
weapons. for the guns are not concealed,
The crime comes only when the victim
is ccrnered, helpless and is ruthleSsly
slain within sight and sound of police
Is all America In the grip of murder.
like The gang wars of the three greatest
cities? If not. why not? Whence
come the gangsters. that they dare defy
The Law of America and of civilizationP
Why do they not attempt such course
OF lawleSsnesS in the National Capital
and in other cities rs brazenly as In
New York. Chicago and Philadelphia
The answer is given indirectly by
Philadelphia Public Ledger editorial
which alleges that the reason of the
gang war i'm that city is the incom-
petence or corruption OF the police the
gangsterS hold a lash which the police
dare not face. The police themselves
fear the low politicians who hold a grip
on the controlling ofticehoiderS. Ths
citizens are cowed by crime rampant in
the very centerS Of Government
The conspicuous gang murders IN
Philadelphia In the last three years
have all been hy-productS of bootlcggine
gangs No systematic and determined
effort has been made 10 drive the
Fogues out OF the city since Gen.
Butler resigned as chief Of police. Even
If they had been so driven out of one
city IL would mean simply their scat
tcrinS Ia other places--prohah large
addition 10 the criminal classes of
WASHINGTON. We have no Baume law
which would send persistent criminals
to the penitentiarv for life. leaving no
power Of lenicncy to the Judge
Ono police official explains that the
reason the National Capital has had
no gangs" Is because we have no vote.
hence no ward heelerS 10 protect the
gang" Vet the United States is a re-
public. 1t boast It's democracy
II is claimed al police headquarters
that We have not more than two or
three unsolved murders year. The
murder record for the last decade begins
ia t0iH Utifh % ttHuedarx tyH
md since then has ranged from IS to
"a an average of ais. The population
has increased from 340 TOO In 1919 q
$40 900 ESTIMATED by the Census Blu
reaul for 1925, The population increase
amounts to so per cent, hence, to keep
up the same ratio as to murders We
would have had an average OF SIS. tn
stead OF the last two years average of a..
The common apology for the national
or METROPOLITAN increase OF violence and
murder In the last 10 years Is that 1t
IS du" To THE violence Of the World
War" Has not the District of CO.
lumhia as good grounds for increase az
violence as any region II the violence
II attributable To- the war; No region
,surelv not Chicago, Philadelphia nor
New York; sent higher percentage
Of fighters into battle than did the CITY
OF Washington
In trafic 'manSlaughter" killings, the
statistics show for 1918. IA such deaths;
IN 1927, 26 deaths, That is nearly 100
per cent increase. as against the In
crease Of so per cent In population. but
the proportion of automobiles In use
has more than doubled In the last 10
years and has outrun police control.
The District became dry" under the
sheppard Ia In 1918. but In that year
efM far sfrts. IA 4.,t
public: In 1876 there were only i6i
such arrests, ard Fiast YEAR only lis.
II
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