Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-13

Philadelphia battle with bootlegger'
and gangsters is watched by the country
at large with interest. accompanied b,
doubts that vice can be suppressed ir
the Pennsylvania metropolis or ans
other city through flares of crusading
unless supported by a rnilitantly favor
able public sentiment.
The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin
believes the ire of good citizens has
been stirred to the required pitch
From time to time" says the Bulletin
the people. ordinarily pessiIte. have
been reused by some extraordinary
scandal or by the cumulative growth
Of the graft and there has been house
cleaning. That is what has happened
and is now happening in Philadelphia
and there is every expectation here that
the law and its fearless prosecutor. Dis
trict Attorney Monaghan. will come
through with substantially clean
sweep"
III politicians work hand III hand Ii,
such game. they can be exposed and
the practice broken up" contends the
Philadelphia Record. with the explana-
ton that admittedly there is good
deal of cheap and crooked politics in
the protection given by the police to
the bootleggitlg industry
The Lancaster Intelligencer journal
wonders why Mayor Mackey should
wait until his administration was tar
nished before he acted. The Williams
port Sun expresses the opinion: There
may be some question as to whether
police corruption is an effect of crime
or its cause There is less question
about the rcmedy-a police force which
is the enemy of crime. rather than its
ally
Whenever authorities wait for some
one to complain before wiping out A
nest of iniquitv." advises the Utica OBJ
Dispatch, lit spreads and pro-
duces other similar nests People OF
shady morals. seeing that outlawed
practices are profitable. and that the
Law is not enforced. rush into the busi-
ness. They corrupt the city Govern
rnent if they can. Philadelphia over
run with law-breaking business, is pay
ing the price of delay"
The Louisville Courier journal sug-
gests that when the grand jury re-
of gunner. "the police probably were
as panied and surprised as the mayor
was at the news" Pointing out that,
in the mayors drastic crusade" "a
hours notice was given by him." the
Roanoke World-NewS asserts: THE
inference is that the underworld was
given time to get to cover. Liquor deal
ers may merely lock the front door and
wait for the storm to blow over. AS 1t
always has done before"
The Syracuse Herald holds that
Mayor Mackey. feebler officer. is not
likely to succeed where Gen. Smedley
Il,,tI f~iI Al tIx Nn,n. VOHb vi
1t appears that what the mayor OBJ
viously desires is to give the city
surface cleaning and get everybody to
forget the liquor and crime scandals"
The Bellingham Herald remarks. New
York and Chicago have been vying with
each other for the vice spotlight. and.
no doubt both will welcome an oppor-
tunity to retreat to the wings while
Philadelphia puts on its little show"
The indianapolis News states: Pub
lie opinion must. of course. cooperate,
for where that is poisoned little can
be done. But 1t is to be assumed that
Mayor Mackey is in earnest. that he
means what he says. and that the de-
cent people of Philadelphia will sup
port him in his effort to make the city
decent" The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
thinks that "inSistence on a high
can prevent what the most jealous fits
of moral revivalisn cannot easily cure"
i = 4 &
What seems significant in these de-
vclopmcnts." in the opinion of the Bal
tiinore Sun, lis that while they have
been going on ever since prohibition
was adopted, t.was not until the gun
man began hts nurdercus outbreaks