Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-26
RETIREDBURCLAR COMMENTS
ON CRIMES AND THEIR CAUSES
Tells How Jobs Are Pulled by Aid of a
Handy Gun-Insists Gun Toting
Should Be Outlawed.

chances of being robbed In New York
City are SO times greater than In
London?"
Social Causes Of Crime Cited.
The subject of this interview is an
unusually intelligent man and the
author of recent book on crime. He
has devoted the last five years Of his
life to the study of crime, supple
menting his own experience with all
obtainable data He said:
"One could fill library with dis
cussion of the social causes of crime.
This is a job for phychiatrists and
sociologstS. and as such l can not
qualify I do know lot however,
about how and why men are able to
commit crimes in this country and get
away with It, l believe immediate
causes are more obvious than one
might think.
For instance, any tough young
guerrilla, badly brought up and falling
in with wild gang. can pick up a
gun almost as easily as he can go to
the corner drug store and buy tooth
brush. All through this country both
law and enforcement are shamefully lax
in restrictions on the sale of firearms.
In the gangs / have travelled with l
have known many Job to be pulled
Just because somebody happened TO
have a gun handy or found 1t easy
to get one.
Have Laws With Teeth.
Il have checked up on the laws cover
ing this In England. France and other
countries. These nations have put
gun-toting out of business by laws
with teeth In them. That alone ac-
counts for fairly large proportion
Of their lower percentage in killings.
mo one can advance a single sensi-
BILE reason why revolvers should be
sold to the public. From rather intimate
personal experience. can tell any citi-
zen that If a burglar enters his house
he is better off without gun than with
one
Second, the average American po-
lice force is pretty badly organized,
through political complications and other
outside forces which cripple its efficien-
cy. Opposite any police station or
hall of Justice in any large American
city you will find an office, usually shah
by and dirty. bearing the sign, Bail
Bond Brokers' These outfits not only
supply bail, but usually they are the
center and focus Of system involv-
ing shady criminal lawyers. fixers and
manipulators of all kinds. with ratni-
fications of political influence"
Fall Money" a Factor.
Frequently the only question involv-
ed is whether the gInman or yegg, per-
haps caught on the job. has enough
fall money" If he has, there is more
than an even chance that he will either
go free or get a short term.
II think the Baumes commission is
right about paying the police more
money and getting better men and hold
ing them to higher standards. But
this will be useless unless they reno
vate the whole political system sur
rounding every hall Of justice and
criminal court in the country.
1T isn't so much the length Of sem
fences: it is their certainty If bur-
glar finds that he hasn't dead mans
chance OF escaping arrest he will quit,
even II sentences are short. He doesn't
want to co life on the installment plan
am more than he does down payment.
More concentration on certainty and
less on degree Of penalties Is my pre-
scription."
(Copyright, 1927