The Washington times., 1932-05-18
Our Real Fault

GILBERT srLDrs Our Real Fault
The truth is that we have condoned all the minor
crimes Gncluding mass murder between gangsters and
the murder of innocent people by officers of the law
which prepared this foul crime; but the shock to the
country's system from the day the baby was
stolen to the moment murder was discovered, shows
that under the leadership of morasts and politicians
we have blundered into a dark swamp. We thought
that gangsters might kill each other off without affect
ing the death rate and that the protection" paid
for really could protect There something pltltul
in shock when discovered few weeks ago
that criminals had of honor and would accept
without returning their victim, and some of
US shocked again to discover that criminals COM
NIT murder.
No Common Respect
Crime and KIDNAPPING particularly existed before pro-
hibon and the restoration of liquor will not auto
matcally make saints of the underworld.
All prohibition has done has been undermining the
common respect for law and enormously exaggeratng
the criminals feeling of safety; it has given the
criminal code of morals upon which Al Capone for
instance, falls back with smugness which ought to
make the Anti-Saloon vince It is the law which
criminals are organized to defeat confident that public
opinion will applaud their efforts. That other bands
should take their from this organization and con-
spire to break other laws is inevitable.
Minds and Morals
Because the country is heartsick, it need not grow
flabby in its mind. The satisfaction of sense Of
justice requires the capture and execution of the muir
derers; but prompt and successful our police may
be, they will not change the record of the crime nor
The kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby
is assassination, accomplished for money Yet it
is not the outcome of Americas money-madness. 1t
is directly the outcome of the corrupt morality which
imposed the Eighteenth Amendment on the country;
and what calls for s-a revaluation of morals We
have to use our intelligence to discover the exact de-
gree of nobility in the inspiration and the execution
of the Amendment; merely going into sackcloth and
ashes will not get very far.
go back to John, the keeper of the speakeasy, be-
it impressed me that the revolt against the
domination of the racketeers should be so marked
1SNoo 11jc4E IOhn
is breaking the law and is paying large sum OF
money to be allowed to break the law; yet can see
none of the stigmata of criminality in him. Nor in
Mike, another proprietor of speakeasy who, as l
noted few weeks ago, told that in the past four
months he has been working "for downtown" That is
to say he has made profit because protection
so high and receipts are diminishing.
The Hard Fist
Since the habit of smashing bars and furniture has
been counenanced by law, the grafters of protection
have speakeasymen in wise; their slightest threat
can only paddock leased place, but smash So, 600
worth of equipment. So their rakeoff is higher John
and Mike both headwaiters before prohibition
and Mike running proper restaurant in 1919; he
had to serve liquor go under.
am, of course in the pay of the Vets, and to earn
the half a. million & year they pay E me- must M Popa
head must be fellow slave of mine. From his report
on the workings of the Brat system in Sweden,
gather the following figures: Consumption of spirits
off 80 per cent convictions for drunkenness-off 81
per cent? arrests for same-off rs per cent; deaths
due to chronic alcoholism-off S9 per cent cases of
alcoholic nsany-otf 81 cent; crimes of violence
off "A per cent.
A Middle Way
Now note that do not say whether the previous
record was under wet dry regime. It doesn't
matter. If Sweden was bone dry the decreases are
significant; if it wet, so Or vice versa
(Actuay the Bratt system replaced the Goteborg sys-
tenn which abolished the saloon, but allowed the sale
of liquor at certain hours The idea upon which our
drys need to concentrate is that regulation is DOS
sibility and that there is middle ground between
drunkenness and the Lindbergh crime
Dru Goods Men Hit WOn,nn's AssniI0nf