New Britain herald., 1929-05-29

taa jurists and lawyers and oae woman educater-plan to continue their seasiens for the remainder of the week to lay the foundation for their undertaking. They devoted their time yesterday to receiving their mandate from President Hoover, getting acquainted and ex- changing views to bring out the various angles of their task.
 They are expected to begin, with . survey of reports and other data already available through the work of federal, state and civilian investi- gators, and then to proceed with their own investigation by dividing into groups committee to specific tasks Special investigators also may be employed from time to time to assist the commissioners out of tfe $.50.00O fund they have available for their work.
 IAqas0r stand Improbable
 Pressed for a statement as to whether the scope of the commits sion's authority was broad enough to enable it to find the prohibition laws unenforceab ble. Chairman Wick ersham. a former attorney general. declared 1t was Intellectually pos- sible, but. I might add. improbable.
 The attitude of the American people toward law ia not bounded ty prohibition" he said.
 He emphasized that the commits sion would not act as arbiter be- tween vets and drys. At the same time. he said it would consider on their merits such reports and data as any organization which has studied one of the problems before it may submit. It starts, he de- clared. with minds open to con- slider on their merits all intelligent suggestions from unprejudicei l sources"
 Task Assigned Difficult
 Recalling that the president had charged the commission with finding out the causes Of the American peo- ple's present attitude toward all laws. he observed that the "discov- cry of this is the most difficult of all problems"
 He estimated that the work would require "a year and maybe two." Whether its program will include open hearings remains to be decided. but Mr. Wickersham's experience with public hearings Is that you do not get very far with them"
 My ideal" he remarked, "is to have the organization of law such that 1t will make it impossible for a person to violate the law without being speedily brought to book"
 President Hoover, in brief ad- dress, told the commission that "the American people are deeply concern ed over the alarming disobediencc of law. the abuses in law enforce ment and the growth of organized crime. which has spread to every field of evil-doing and in every part of our country"
 The problem, he said, is not con- fined to the enforcement and obe- dience of one law or the laws of the federal and state governments sep- arately, but ''is partly the attitude toward all law"
 seeks Fact and Cause
 Tt is my hope" he declared, that the commission shall secure an ac- curate determination of fact and cause, following them with construc- tive. courageous conclusions which will bring public understanding and command public support of its solu- tions.'
 The chairman suggested afterward that from time to time we may make q statement or recommends tion on one particular subject" rather than waiting to complete it's whole program before advancing any conclusions. Replying to Mr. Hoover. he said:
 We are under no illusions as to the difficulty of our task. We know there is no short cut to the millen- nium. But We have confidence in the fundamental honesty and right mindedness of the American people and their readiness to support sound methods of reform when the exist ence of evils is exposed and practical methods for their eradjcation sub mitted to popular judgment"