Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-09
LAWS DISREGARD
CITED AS MENACE
Maj. Gen. HeImiCk Points
to Alarming Increase
in Crime.

The campaign for law and order in
augurated by the Society Of the Sons
of the American Revolution was marked
last evening by radio address by Maj.
Gen. Eli A. Helmick, U. s. A, retired,
who spoke from Station WJSV, Mount
Vernon Hills, on the subject Of Law
Enforcement"
Gen. HeImick cited 1.-The widespread
disregard for the prohibition law and
the general alarming increase in crime"
as two postwar tendencies that have
become SO general as to cause serious
concern"
1.-THE opponents of the eighteenth
amendment claim that this amendment
and the Volstead law were enacted dur
ing the period of the World War when
people had become responsive to strong
emotional appeal and that they could
not have become law under normal con-
ditions," he said.
Swayed by Personal Feelings.
"Those who are opposed to prohibi-
ton do not look upon the violation OF
the prohibition law in the same light as
they do in the breaking of other laws,
he said. They refuse to classify 1t as
crime or felony. because they do
not believe that one class, as majority,
has the moral right by the enactment
of law to convert rights Of this nature
into crimes or felonieS.
This argument cannot properly be
made an excuse for the violation of the
law" he declared. although appropri-
ate while the passage of the bill was
under discussion and would be again
if the question Of its repeal should
come up.
THE real trouble" he commented
sis that in situations like the present,
men and women who take sides on the
question are swayed by their personal
feelings; common sense. reason and
logic no longer control them. In the
eyes of the vets the drys are fanatics:
in the eyes of the drys the vets are law
breakers.
Held Good for LabOring Glass.
Cali will acknowledge that the law
must be enforced or repealed" he as
serted. will any unbiased man deny
that prohibition benefits large classes
Of people such as the great body Of
laboring men and women? For this
class liquor may be said to be out Of the
question. 1t has become too expensive.
There is such a mass of loose, queS
tionable statements and downright
falsehoods put out by both sides about
prohibition that it is difficult to arrive
at any reasonably correct conclusion
about it," he asserted. suggesting that
the next census be made to furnish in
formation on which sound conclusions
may be drawn.
Crime has become an organized
business" in America, he said "One
may well ask why this is permitted in a
civilized country" he suggested THE
answer is he said. that the gunman
shots Unfortunately, and escapes dur
ing the panic he has caused; the peace
officer knows that he will be held re-
Sponsible if he kills any but the outlaw
in his efforts to apprehend him.
"A possible remedy" he said, would
be to prohibit the possession Of firearms
without Government license; to place
the manufacture and sale in the hands
of the Government, and require each
arm to be numbered and its owner
ship to be recorded. The unauthorized
possession of a firearm should be made
prima facie evidence of intent to COM
NIT crime, and punished accordingly"
The campaign Of the Society of the
Sons of the American Revolution was
lnaugurated last week by an address by
Wade H. Ellis, former attorney general
for Ohio. Col. James A. Moss, U. S. A.,
retired, will be the next radio speaker.