Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-07

O6pRCHs hoSs AthSAt cRNAAN~AS VIZ sAAS ~
weekly forum on national affairs.
forcement is not with these. 1t is with
those crimes where gain comes to- the
lawbreaker by the voluntary act Of
those who. buy from him Illicit goods.
This Is distinguishing feature Of Of
Tense against the national prohibition
act. The bootlegger is In business for
gain. and the gain results because
there are those who are willing to buy.
Let me quote from thee Presidents
inaugural address. He said:
But a large responsibility rests d.
rectly upon our citizens. There would
criminals patronized 1t. We must
awake to the fact that this patronage
from large numbers Of law-abiding citi-
zens is supplying the rewards and
stimulating crime.
IF citizens do not like q law. their
duty as honest men and women Is to
discourage its violation"
I believe there has lately been dis
tinct Improvement in this respect, and
that the law-abiding people Of this
country have responded and viii re-
spond to the requirements Of good citi-
zenship so emphasized by the President.
Much to Be Dome.
This short review Of our problems
represents the conclusions arrived at
during the short period that has elapsed
since this administration has been in
office, There is much to be done. 1t
cannot all be done at once. We can
only strive and hope for steady and
gradual improvement.
Senator Capper spoke as follows:
Despite assertions that this Is the
richest nation In the world, We have lit
tie to boast Of so long as We stand out as
the most lawless nation the world has
ever known, with crime bill Of $l0,-
0O0, 000, 600 annually.
We have evidence Of q growing
thought among the people in recent
years that any law man diSlikes he
may disregard with impunity. They
forget that II man can disobey law
because he does not like it, then any
other man has the right to diSobey the
same law, or any other law for the same
reason. and the end Of the whole matter
is anarchy.
Education to Law II Urged.
The all important job ahead for
American citizens at this time is to
educate ourselves to observe the Con-
stitution and obey the laws Of our coun-
try, and to make the fight necessary to
see that the Constitution Is observed
and the laws enforced on all alike.
There Is an inSistent demand, @ cry
ing need. in this Nation for every citi-
zen Of the United States, no matter what
his station in life, the captains Of in
leaders, as well as the men In the ranks,
to respect and abide by the laws Of this
Republic.
Millions Of good Americans rejoice
that Mr.. Hoover's first public utter
ance as President was strong appeal
for observance Of law by the country's
"respectables" and with 1t, an. equally
f0rceful arraignment of Its decent"
lawbreakers It is not the criminal
classes who are our greatest crime
problem, the President told Us. but the
citizens who supply the rewards that
stimulate crime.
Gang Wars Are Cited.
The shocking criminal excuses grow
ing out Of the laxity of the wet cities,
eerinE" are dangerous disorders and
the bootlegger's customer comes In for
his share of the blame.
Chicago, where graft, bootleg and
politics are partners, had SGT killings
last year; New York City, 337. Chi
cago had more than 100 bombings.
There were sluggings, kidnapings or
Killings, to make "racketeering" easier
the collection Of dues" for "protec-
ton" and for many other forms Of
graft.
Graft. bootleg and rotten politics
have evolved q new kind of crook In
our big cities-the gangster racket
It is a Chicago estimate that rack
600 yearly.
The few VIGOROUSLY miseoyerned
cities, which dominate the anti-pro-
hibition States. make no genuine EFFORT
or ever have to enforce the LIQUOR law.
But their '1aw-abiding" citizens oc-
casionally are amazed at the gang wars
and the spread Of racketeering, which
are the natural development of their
own law breaking and which seem to
make us TIE most lawless people In the
Wet Lawyers Assailed.
Now group OF wet lawyers In one
OF these wet cities notifies this large
criminal element that the law viii be
made to protect it In its lawlessness.
When did lawyers become q privileged
class with authority to decide what law
they win obey and what ignore?
The breakdown Of law In the United
States has become slow process for
which the legal profession itself, the
laws delays and justice-cheatin tech
nicalities admittedly were much to
blame before the Volstead act was
born But when lawyers band together
to educate" juries and jurynen to
nullify the Constitution Of the United
States, We invite criminals to break
the laws and the gates are thrown wide
for that dangerous expansion of the
criminal element so frankly pointed
out in President Hoover's inaugural
address.
And SO it again. IS brought sharply to
our attention how imperative IS the
Presidents strong appeal for the OBJ
sefyance Of law by the so-called re-
spectacle citizens.
Commission Plans Praised.
think the country Is to be congratu-
lated that the President Is appointing q
national commission for searching IN
veStigations of the whole structure OF
our Federal system Of jurisprudence, to
include the method of enforcement Of
the eighteenth amendment and the
causes Of abuse under it.. Out of this
win come helpful recommendation for
reorganization OF the administration OF
.