Evening star., 1930-12-02

impression that the part Of the Federal
Government in this war upon crime
Is one OF minor importance"
1t is very evident that the Federal,
the State and the municipal govern
ments OF the country will be compelled
to join hands in a determined effort to
make an end Of racketeering," contends
the Altoona Mirror, while the Syracuse
Herald, conceding that the main re.
lance" must be in local instrumental
tiles, thinks the Federal Government
can help at all points where Federal
law supplies supplementary means of
detection" The DeS Moines Capital
holds that 'the weapon of the anti
trust law may not be sufficient to wipe
out all the rackets, but it should be
used for all it is worth" The Lynch
burg Advance indorses the Presidents
position as to municipal and State
duties, but concludes that "ferreting
out the income tax dodgers, the dope
peddlerS and the liquor racketeers u O
duty Of the Government"
National, State and city govern
ments, as well as individuals enlisted in
the hight on crime, must get to the bot
tom of it before the efforts of any or
all will avail anything of Importance"
says the Memphis Commercial Appeal,
charging that "a great part of the prob
lem revolves around the prohibition
Importance to the Federal share in pro-
hibition come from the Hartford Cou-
rant and the Detroit Free Press. The
Lexington Leader points out that many
or the racketeerS are operating on an
interstate basis, which gives the Gov
ernment hold on them"
Noting signs that the American peo-
pie are aware of the laxity of some of
the officeholders who were intrusted
with the job of protecting them and
their possessions" the New York Sun
asserts that the pressure ought to be
Kept up until every State has cleaned
hcuSe." The Savannah Morning News
Is convinced that "the States can do it
II they will select officers and officials
instead OF political lackeys to admin
lister and enforce the law" AS a solu-
tlon, the Newark Evening News de-
mands. Let the local governments tell
why they have fallen under gangster
control That paper continues: "Mr.
Hoover deplores that the Federal Gov
ernment is forced to make use of the
income tax law to convict men who
have violated State laws. The income
tax law was not intended for such pur-
pose. To so use it Is to, stretch its
fundamental purpose. 1t is an act of
deSperation; necessary because tits one
OF the fsw effective ways the Govern
ment can get its hands on the
criminals"
Local rights and duties are empha-
sized by the louisville Times, the Pitts
burgh PoSt-Gazette and the Rockford
Morning Star. The Chicago Daily Trib-
une maintains: "It is not the Federal
province to undertake the enforcement
of criminal laws in the States. 1t will
destroy the States if it does so. Nor is
it the province of the Federal Govern
ment to give the States laws regulating
the habits of citizens, which laws in
turn make the criminals the Federal
Government does not propose to handle.
If the sovereignty of the State is i'm
paired and its competence as an au-
thority destroyed by the intervention of
the Federal Government after a condi-
ton has been created, how much greater
is the impairment If the Federal Gov
eminent creates the conditions?"