Evening star., 1928-12-11

tne navy anu AIIIly, anu OllC OOilSlCSS
man. No one disguised the fact that
crime is increasing. dangerously.
What is to be done about 1t? One
who has had experience as governor
of Federal possessions overseas spoke
firmly for rigid enforcement of law.
In Chicago. according to our chief OF
detectives, who Is veteran OF the
World War, it is "open warfare" with
crime. Machine guns and everything!
1t transpired in the conference that
the dockets of our washington courts
are overcrowded: that the judges try
"jail cases" first, and postpone bail
cases. If a criminal can furnish bail
he may not come to trial for years-n
ever-and in the meanwhile the evi-
dence vaniShes. Lawyers can continue
the cases interminably. Justice Is
mocked when bail can be given there
are too few judges to. keep pace with
criminals. Sometimes q criminal re-
leased on bail repeats his offense and Is
released again and again on new bail
for new crimes. without trial-and
finally the charges are nolle pressed.
For law, as we read In ancient sages,
Has been like cobwebs in all ages.
Cobwebs for little flies are spread.
Laws for little folks are made" etc.
Tramp! Trampl Trampt The boys
are marchingl"
Thirteen thousand and more. march,
ing down Pennsylvania avenue and past
the White House! Real boys, not out
of their teens" The average age Of
felonS Is % years.
Yesterday the Fifth International
Conference on Boys opened In Wardman
Park Inn-200 strong. 1t was addressed
by an "alley cat who confessed that
since he had been welfare ofhcer OF
Philadelphia for several years he had
come into touch with the boy problem.
He confessed that. although bachelor,
he had taken eight boys from the slunns
and was educating them as his boys.
Last June, tears of pride came into his
eyes when three of his boys graduated
from college-one an engineer. one q
physician and one q graduate from
wharton school, Nine years ago, his
doctor" was boy singing hash In
l5-cent restaurant. No relation to that
man Grakelow who Is supporting his
eight "alley CATS" but where Is there a
father prouder than he of his boys
Or one who has greater right to be
proud?
MIR. Grakelow has served as supreme
exalted ruler of the Elksl Grakelow feels
for "alley CATS" for he has been one.
Later while welfare officer of Philadel-
phia he knew how to meet such boys
problems. He knew how TO trust boys
and inspire their better natures. once
he grew peeved when parents brought
to him la-year-old ''incorrigible" and
asked him to send the child to some re-
form school. for they could do nothing
.1tk, hi Ha gn
Elk Grakelow is proud. too. OF the
Junior organization of the Elks-tne
Antlers, 5000 boys, whom the Elks are
looking after as big brothers. Isn't
there q lot of good in this world!
Grakelow declares he didn't think
much of a boy who lacked pep enough
to get into trouble sometimes. But
it's up to real men to help them out,
how they-the grown-ups
had all been Just as wicked II they
had chanced to get caught at 1t, when
they, too, were boys.
Then a learned professor of law OF
Columbia University discussed the two
classes of people in their attitudes
toward criminals and the law. He
classified them. as professors classify
animals and bugs. One set consists OF
people who hold the classical view"
as was held in their early lives-strict
punishment OF criminals. The other
class are "positivists," who want to pre-
vent making criminals. in place of wait
ing until the boys become criminals and
then Furnishing them.
1t Is clear that this conference is
made up of "pOSitiviSts. who are not
seeking to pamper crimiAalS, but rather
TO keep boys out Of such environment
that they will become criminal 1t Is
only rs years since the lord chancellor
of England denounced the idea that in
sanity is disease, now considered a
palliation of crime Environment. with
lack of right guidance. today. Is recog-
nizsd cause of crime. and sophisticated
men and women-not boy victims-are
responsible for such causes-are the
guilty ones.
The classicaliSts pass the Baumes
law, sending criminals 10 the peniten-
tiary for life, upon their fourth con-
viction of felony. Society demands
protection. Later the legislators decide
10 study crime. Not before.
1t was the intent to outline here what
IS being done in Washington to reduce
the army of 1917 boys parading our
felonS--but. after all. the
organized work for boys is so made
luate that the story Is rather too humil-
ating for the Nations Capital. This
S said. not in depreciation of the
worthy devotion of little organizations
and big individuals. but that parade
ontinues its muSicleSs march by our
churches and charities and public In
'titutionS. II is half division. and
or a division to pass q given point Is
In all-day march.
There is also an army OF girls-"bad,"
milan uirls-hnf laf,s nnf talk nf that