Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1929-03-09
PRESIDENT HCoYER'S INAUG,
URAL ADDRESS

Hon. Herbert Hoover OF Call1or-
MIA is now President of the United
States. and he and his family now
occupy the White House of the ma
ton. His inaugural address has oc-
casioned much comment. He an
nounces his unequivocal intention to
uphold all of the constitutional en-
actments, including the much de-
bated eighteenth amendment. In
this connection he said;
"But all this majestic advance
should not obscure the constant dan
gers from which self-government
must be safeguarded. The strong
man must at all times be alert to
the attack of insidious disease.
"The most malign of all these
dangers today is disregard and dis
obedience of law. Crime is lncreas-
ing. Confidence in rigid and speedy
Justice is decreasing. am not pre-
pared to believe that this indicates
any decay in the moral fibre of the
American people. | am not pre-
pared to believe that it indicates an
impotence of the Federal Govern
ment to enforce it's laws.
at is only in part due to the adj
ditional burdens imposed upon our
judicial system by the eighteenth
amendment. The problem is much
wider than that. Many influences
had increasingly complicated and
weakened our law enforcement or
ganization long before the adoption
of the eighteenth amendment.
"To re-establish the vigor and eff
fectiveness of law enforcement we
must critically consider the entire
Federal machinery Of justice, the
redistribution of its functions, the
simplifcation of its procedure, the
provision of additional special tribu-
nails, the better selection of jurles,
and the more effective organization
of our agencies of investigation and
prosecution that justice may be sure
and that it may be swift. While the
authority of the Federal Government
extends to but a part of our ya5t
system of national, State and local
Justice, yet the standards which the
Federal Government establishes have
the most profound influence upon the
whole structure"
Has the distinguished Californian
in this d dissertation "bitten off more
than ne can chew" Can he accom-
rlish this task in the four years al
lctted to him or in the four years
of reelection which are presumed to
follow his successful occupying of
the presidential chair? 1t would ap-
pear to be more like q twenty year
job. 1t is the result of the condon-
ing of the disregard of the law in
dealing with the brother in black"
Still he is right in the open de-
claratiohs as to his intentions, real
izing that he has charge of one of the
three coordinate branches of the
government. The prohibition qucs-
ton has resulted in upsetting many
of the fundamental guarantees OF
the constitution itself. Personal
rights and privileges have been
Haunted and punishments out Of all
reason in proportion to the gravity
of the offenses committed have been
meted.
This has brought about contempt
for law, for the rights and privileges
of the innocent citizen have not been
safeguarded in blind desire to pun
ish the guilty. This has caused
revulsion of feeling and led thou
SANDS to believe that the govern
ment itself is unjust and the ma
chinery of legal procedure unreliable
in accomplishing its purpose.
Still President Hoover's address is
a great state paper and must neces-
sarily evoke favorable comment from
all citizens who are in favor of up
holding the law. Enforce the law
as it stands or repeal it is a safe
platform for any statesman, and Mr.
Hoover is standing squarely upon it.
Just what he will do when it comes
to the enforcement of the fifteenth
amendment to the Constitution OF
the United States remains to be seen.