Evening star., 1932-03-13
This kidnapping Racket

burden that 1t is not titting the Fed
erAl courts should bear. These are es-
sentially local concerns and should be
regulated by the local communities. To
impose the full burden of these local
problems upon the national Govern
ment means eventually not only gov
ernmental tneff1ciency and a blocking
OF the calendars of the Federal courts,
out more fundamentally 1t means an
increasing failure Of local communities
to deal with offenses which lie within
their own domain.
OF course, one argument greatly
stressed in the plea for the enactment
OF Federal statutes to deal with offenses
involving interstate commerce, such as
kidnapping or the stealing Of automo-
biles. Is that the extradition laws Of the
States are so incorporating in their
nature that it Is impossible to have
speedy justice done. It would seem
however, that the way to meet this dif-
aculty Is not by removing the obligation
from the local government but by hav-
ing the State governments, for the
maintenance Of their respective SOW
erignties, enter into arrangements with
other States for the mutual recognition
OF their processes Under our national
Constitution the States are authorized
to enter into compacts or agreements
on problems common to two or more
States, subject to the approval of the
Congress. Striking illustration of the
need OF these compacts may be seen in
the gaps and inadequacies In the en-
forcement of the criminal law. It is
now proposed to enact a statute en-
poWering Congress to consent in ad-
vance to compacts between States de-
sirlng to aid one another in securing
the attendance of witnesses in criminal
proceedings. The subpoenas for wit
nesseS issued by the court Of one State
would be honored in the State in which
the witness was found.
Exercises Police Power.
Congress now regulates interstate
commerce to the extent of forbidding
and Furnishing the use of such COM
merce as an agency to permit immoral
ity; or as an adjunct of certain crimi-
nal operations. In doing this 1t is
merely exercising the police power for
tne benefit of the public within the
neld OF interstate commerce.
1t Is only wise to say that the mere
enactment of the Federal statute will
not cure the evil of the crime of kid
naping any more than it has that of
other crimes; in fact, its net result may
be to further relax the vigilance of local
agencies In their enforcement. It is
the laxity Of the community after all
tnat enables the criminal to become
immune, and 1t Is the community which
must pay for that laxity.
In recent article Mr.. Ernest Je-
rome Hopkins, a careful student of
American police problems, has pointed
out that the failure on the part of the
police system is essentially the fault of
the public. and that the primary fault
Is the strange dualisms of personality
which permit us to violate the law and
refuse willing popular assistance to the
police in the exercise Of their duty and
yet demand that the representatives of
our Government be better than our
selves.
Enforcement Is Answer.
The answer to the problem Of kid
mapping is the answer to every other
form Of outlawry and criminality prev
alent in the country today-the
prompt and uncompromising enforce
ment Of the law. Before that answer
can be made, however, there must be
reawakening of governmental con-
sciousness within the American people;
the responsibility Of Government must
again be borne by the people who would
be governed and not by the powerful
forces of the criminal and dishonest
who seek to govern. No matter how
widespread these evidences of lawless-
ness are in their expression, they are
matters of local concern, and while
they may be best met by concerted ac-
ton. yet the instigation of that action
must come from within the commu-
mites and not from q remote and Fed
eral Government.
The maintenance of a kind Of Gov
ernment such as we have is dependent
upon the active and intelligent par
tlcipation Of all its citizens. That par
ticipation does not mean going to the
polls and voting for particular candi-
dates. 1t means the daily and con-
slant participation in the affairs of
government. The conditions of the
country today ought to bring home to
all Of us that the reason for the con-
dition is the lack Of that participation.
There can be no honest and clean
government without that participation.
A fight against the lawless element,
like any other fight, demands constant
vigilance, and no quarter. SO long as
we in our local community shirk this
obligation and attempt to shift 1t to q
remote central government, Just so long
will the advantage lie with those crimi-
nal forces who know so well how to
concentrate their attack upon society.
Many thousands Of Chinese laborers