Evening star., 1933-07-30

Some States have enacted drastic
laws against kidnapers. Utah passed a
bill this Spring making kidnapping for
ransom a capital offense, and Missouri,
where kidnapings have been particu-
larly frequent, now has q similar law
on its statute books. When Walter H
MCGEE was arrested last month and
charged. along with seven others. with
the kidnapping Of Miss Mary McElroy,
daughter Of the city manager Of Kansas
City, q Federal jury indicted the eight
prisoners. But since the Missouri State
law provides for the death penalty
where the Federal law does not. the
prisoners were turned over to the State
courts for trial
Still Local Problem.
kidnapping is still regarded as q local
police problem, when the very nature
of the crime puts it outside of the police
power of any locality. The methods
Of the kidnap gangs emphasize the diff
f1culty of fighting the menace locally
The gang usually selects a victim in q
town in which the gang has no head
quarters. Word is passed along to an
other gang. which makes the actual alb
duction. Should the trail be picked ur
by local officials. the victim is immedi-
ately moved into another State ano
given into the keeping of another gang
And should the investigators meet with
any success in following this maneuver
the victim may be moved about from
State to State and from gang to gang
until the trail is lost. The result Is
that when likely suspects are picked ur
and their rendezvous raided. there Is
no evidence that would aid in q con-
viction.
The impotence of the local investiga.
tors was given bizarre twist in the
kidnapping Of young O'Connell. The
law enforcement officials of that local
ity are satellites Of the O'Connell po-
litical machine, and therefore were un.
able to call in any Of the O'Connell:
and question them. as would be done iu
an ordinary kidnapping.
This Is q unique case, yet 1t furnishes
additional evidence that kidnapping Is
crime that can be met successfully
only by the Federal Government.
In the days when the word of q
Roosevelt picked an American captive
out Of an Arabian desert, it was said
This is still true If the offense against
the Federal Government is counter.
feiting or robbing the United State:
mails or any other of1ense against the
Government except that Of bootlegging
Uncle Sam gets the bootlegger or the
banker for failure to file an income tax
return. but he Is impotent to get the
one for the violation Of the eighteenth
amendment and not very diligent about
getting the other for robbing his de-
positors. He has set up the most
effective secret service In the world tc
prevent and punish counterfeiting. and
the finest bureau OF investigation fol-
other crimes agaist the Government
but John Citizen. who pays for all OF
this and is entitled under the Consti-
tuition to life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness. can't expect any protection
to his person or his pocketbook from
Uncle Sam II his local police force
which he also pays for, can't provide II
for him.
The kidnaper throws down q chal-
lenge to the Federal Government. Tht
crime has become a national menace
Local police authority is impotent te
cope with it, and where the State fails
the obligation rests squarely on the
Federal Government. The only cure
Is to strengthen the Bureau of Investi.
cation. Appropriate more millions thar
were wasted on prohibition enforcement
If necessary and spend every penny OF
it on the relentless pursuit, prosecution
and punishment of the fiends who
practice this inhuman deviltry.
Franklin Roosevelt: The shade ol
Theodore Roosevelt shouts: "Perdicari.
alive or Raisuli dead!"