Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-26
Crime.

President Hoover's demand that the
States enforce their laws to put down
the "rackets" which have made the crime
wave in some of the big cities of the
country almost permanent should not
be necessary. The police powers are
reserved to the States under the Fed
eral Constitution. States rights have
been jealousy guarded, and encroach-
ments upon the prerogativeS OF the
States have been resisted. The duties
of the States and their fulfillment by
the State governments are as impor-
tant as States rights. The Federal Gov
eminent should not be called upon to
deal with the crooks and gangsters
who violate the laws of the States.
The Federal Government, the Presi-
dent made it clear, will cooperate to
the extent Of its power with the State
governments to rid the States OF the
Rangsters and the "rackets." There are
Federal laws under which criminals may
be prosecuted, and these Federal laws
already are being enforced. Mr.. Hoover
does not plan to ask Congress at the
coming session for an extension OF Fed
eral criminal law. He believes there ic
sufdcient law on the statute books of the
States and the Federal Government TO-
day to deal with the criminals. He
has, however, sounded a demand that
the States themselves tackle the job Of
reducing crime through the process OF
Furnishing the criminals and breaking
I'D the criminal gangs.
The eyes of the country have been
turned toward Chicago and New York
City particularly, because Of the daily
reports Of murder and robbery in those
cities. The charge IS made that the
judicial system in New York has been
tempered with by corrupt politicians
who sell judgeships. More and more
testimony is being developed to show
that this charge is correct and that the
men selected to see that justice is done
and the laws upheld are In league with
the criminals themselves It is situa-
ton that the people Of New York must
deal with. The protection Of the criminal
classes In Chicago by officials Of city
and county has been charged again
and again. II the State and municipal
governments In this country would do
their share and their duty. murder and
robbery would diminish.
There has been far too great q
tendency throughout the country to seek
20 lay all the troubles Of the citizenry
on the doorstep of the Federal Govern
ment In Washington. Congress and the
executive branch Of the Government too
often have been guilty Of encouraging
this attitude on the part Of the States.
The breakdown Of the whole system Of
the Government Of the United States,
which leaves to the individual States
the duty Of protecting their citizens
against criminals, viii follow II the
peoples Of the States do not take these
matters to heart and insist that their
State governments shall function
properly.
From many of the States have come
walls because of the national prohibi-
ton laws. These dry laws, State oh-
edals say, have widened the field Of
criminality and have made it impossible
for them to cope adequately with the
criminal gangs and the racketeers. The
great trouble lies in the fact that State
officials, not sympathetic with the pro-
hibition laws, have been content to
turn their backs while bootlegging has
dourished. Under the Constitution the
States are jointly directed with the
Federal Government to enforce the
eighteenth amendment. AS long as
these prohibition laws are on the
statute books it is the duty Of the
State officials to uphold them. But
there are many laws aside from the
dry laws which are violated constantly
and With increasing frequency. The
offenders in many cases are never
caught. or If they are caught, they go
scot free.