The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-03-05

lied by unlimited attacks on
what is called "crime" through a
reorganized judiciary in which con-
victions will be easy, and by means
of greatly augmented "organiza-
tion of our agencies of investigation
and prosecution"
The strengthened dictatorial sys-
tenn outlined by Hoover he refuses
to call Imperialism" but he de-
clares must be extended over "other
races" More mergers of public
utilities at home, high tariff,
world court controlled by Wall
Street with means to be applied
through U. S. reservations, and the
Kellogg pacts are part of the "sys-
tem," according to Hoover.
In his usual monotonous way Presi-
dent Hoover today read from his
stand at the capitol building to those
Washington residents and visitors
who braved the promised rain, an
inaugural address evidently COM
posed by some "ghost writer" along
the lines of a meagre outline by
Hoover's managers, the big finan-
ciers he has always faithful served.
In language deadly impersonal,
without a single striking phrase,
without even Wilson's "may / not" ,
or Harding's ''normalcy," or Calvin
Coolidge's brevity, Hoover's speech
dealt with manities, and CLOSED
over practically every important
issue that he did not cover with
hypocritical and equivocal phrase
ology.
He did not mention rationaliza-
tion of industry, the imperialist
conflict with Britain, the four mil
lion unemployed, Melons donation
of millions from the treasury to
his own companies, the profiteer-
ing on flood sufferers, navy build
ing, the conquest Of Nicaragua, the
chaos of bribery of federal officials,
the corruption of elections, recogni-
tion of the Soviet Union, or any
problem dealing with workers. He
ignored the recent brutalities and
murders of the Pennsylvania coal
and iron police, as also the great
and little strikes of recent months.
He did claim brazenly that peace
and prosperity pervade these United
States, and he did intimate very
strongly that mergers of public util-
tiles were all right and should con-
tinue.
He referred casually to his
friendly reception on his trip thru
Latin America, without a word of
the cries, "Viva Sandino" which
greeted him from the workers of
many central and South American
capitals.
Crime-That's 1t.
Hoover saw one dark spot in this
idylic picture:
"The most sore necessity of our
times" read Hoover, "the most
malign of all the dangers today is
disregard and disobedience of law.
Crime is increasing. Confidence in
rigid and speedy justice is decreas-
ing. | am not prepared to believe
that it indicates an impotence of the
federal government to enforce its
laws.
at is only in part due to the ad-
ditional 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 weak
ened our law enforcement organiza-
tion long before the adoption of the
18th amendment"
Bootleggers Worry Him.
Hoover said nothing in his speech
to indicate that he was thinking
of the alliance of murder gangs in
Chicago with the police department
there, nothing to show that he
meant the clubbing and framing
of strike pickets and labor leaders.
He seemed to be referring to private
hold-ups, bootlegging and burglar
les, so distressing to those who have
found themselves in a position to ex-
tort wealth from underpaid labor.
Hoover's cure of this problem is
to so reorganize the judiciary de-
partment that convictions are easier
to get-that the frame-up will work
better.
ITO re-establish the vigor and ef-
fectiveness of law enforcement we
must critically consider the entire
federal machinery of justice, the re-
distribution of it's functions, the
simplification of its procedure, the
provision of additional special trib-
unals,' the better selection of juries,
and the more effective organiza-
tion Of our agencies of investigation
and prosecution that justice may be
sure and that it may be swift" said
Hoover.
"The more effective organization
Of our agencies of investigation and
prosecution" he stated in his hollow
voice, with a quiet glance at the
serried ranks of his secret service
agents-and if these words mean
anything, they mean great in
Continued on Page Fivel