The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-07-17
Shooting to Kill

Banditry having reached the stage of bold
ness where life and property are unsafe upon
the public highways, the necessary and newt
able response Of organized society is shooting
to kill
It is not pleasant situation-nor pleas
ant task. 1t is reflection upon the good sense
and the two thousands of years of civilized life
that such a course is ever necessary.
But banditry could have been expected and
prophesied No one should be surprised that
Grant and bold youths take their guns in hand
to violate laws and resort to the very primitive
methods against which organized society itself
is protest and an answer.
We have been breeding bandits these last
few years by some new and strange develop
ments in our governmental life and the things
which have happened in this State and in this
city could be expected to bring forth nothing
else.
We have, to begin WITH picked the laws
we ourselves choose to regard and follow. The
big majority Of citizens have taken to them
selves the right to select for themselves the
written statutes they choose to follow.
That was because we have believed that
law meant order and character That was be-
cause we have followed the belief that by
passing law we could change the entire out
look of society and make >men good through
fear.
We have laws which the majority or at
least a very large portion of society does not
regard as morally binding We have made
crimes out of acts that are perhaps sinful. And
the answer was that those in very high places
disregard these laws openly and flagrantly.
That has produced disregard for all law.
If the banker or the judge or the merchant
picks his law, what shall be expected Of the
ignorant, perhaps degraded, type of human
being who also sees nothing particularly
wrong in using gun and mask to get what
he wants?
An~even greater factor has been steadily
increasing disrespect for courts and the ma
chinery for the enforcement of law.
Crime has become comparatively safe
business, with fewer hazards for failure than
the starting ora corner grocery.
Even the criminals who are caught still
have many chances to escape punishment.
Lawyers have introduced technicalities that
bewilder the officials who represent the State.
Delays in trials and in decisions on appeals de-
lay the hour of penalty, if it is ever paid.
More than that, the government has been
built by throwing the votes of very snail
group of the undesirables into the conflict be-
tween elements who want the decent things,
but who are divided by slogans and party labels
md ANNALS IN rre iudiceS
We have a government, in many instances,
founded upon the trickeries and the skill and
the zeal Of the underwood at elections.
There is very definite connection between
the bark of the bandits gun and the vote of
a repeater, the vote of dead men, the vote OF
the cal of the underworld at elections.
We are now shooting to kill. That seems to
be the only way out. But after we have shot
and killed and temporarily frightened off the
pack of wolves who prey, we might take time
this fall to spend an hour ON election day in
an attempt to see that we have government
that is not built on the votes Of those who pro
duce bandits.
We might even forget prejudices and hates
and party names and decide that we will have
a government that produces justice, not guns.
We may even return to government by ballots
instead of bullets.