The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1929-03-07


address of President Herbert Hoover,
delivered Monday at Washington:
My Countrymen:
This occasion is not alone the adj
minisration of the most sacred oath
which can be assumed by an Ameri-
can citizen 1t is a dedication and
conservation under God to the high
est office in service of our people.
assume this trust in the humility of
knowledge that only through the gui-
dance of Almighty Providence can |
hope to discharge it's ever increasing
burdens.
1t is keeping with tradition
throughout our history that l should
express simply and directly the opin-
ions which l hold concerning some of
the matters of present Importance.
Our Progress
If we survey the situation of our
nation both at home and abroad, we
find many satisfactions. We find
emerged from the losses of the great
war and the reconstruction following
it with increased virility and strength.
From this strength we have contribu-
ted to the recovery and progress of
the world. What America has done
has given renewed hope and cour-
al h. 60,
ment by the people. In the large
view, we have reached higher de-
gree of comfort and security than
ever existed before in the history of
the world. Through liberation from
widespread poverty we have reached
a higher degree of individual freedom
than ever before. The devotion to
and concern for our institutions are
deep and sincere. We are steadily
building a new race-a new civiliza-
ton great in its own attainments. The
influence and high purposes of our
nation are respected among the
people of the world We aspire to
distinction in the world but to a dis
tinction based upon confidence in our
sense of justice as well as our ac-
complishments within our own Dor
ders and in our own lives. For wise
guidance in this great period of re-
covery the nation is deeply indebted
to Calvin Coolidge.
But all this majestic advance should
not obscure the constant dangers
from which self-government must be
safeguarded. The strong man must
at all times be alert to the attack
of insidious disease.
Failure of Our System of Criminal
Justice
The most malign of all these dan
gers today is disregard and disobedi-
ence of law. Crime is increasing.
Confidence in rigid and speedy JUS
tice is decreasing. am not perpared
to believe that this indicates any de-
cay in the moral fibre of the Ameri-
can people. l am not prepared to be-
lieve that it indicates an impotence
of the federal government to enforce
its laws.
1t is only in part due to the addi-
tional burdens imposed upon our
judicial system by the 18th amend
ment. The problem is much wider
than that. Many influences had in
creasingly complicated and weakened
our law enforcement organization
long before the adoption of the 18th
amendment.
To re-establish the vigor and effec-
tiveness of law enforcement we must
critically consider the entire federal
machinery of justice, the redistribu-
ton of its functions, the simplifca-
ton of its procedure, the provision of
additional special tribunals, the bet
ter selection of juries, and the more
effective organization of our agencies
of investigation and prosecution that
be swift. While the authority of the
federal government extends to but
part of our vast system of national,
state and local justice, yet the STAN
dards which the federal government
establishes have the most profound
influence upon the whole structure.
We are fortunate in the ability and
integrity of our federal judges and
attorneys. But the system which
these officers are called upon to adj
minister is in many respects ill-adapt-
ed to present day conditions. Its in
tricate and involved rules of proce-
dure have become the refuge of both
big and little criminals. There is a
belief abroad that by invoking tech
nicalities, subterfuge and delay the
ends of justice may be thwarted by
those who can pay the cost.
Reform, reorganization and streng-
thening of our whole judicial and en-
forcement system both in civil and
criminal sides have been advocated
for years by statesmen, judges, and
bar associates. First steps toward
IL,