Evening star., 1933-08-04
RACKETS CURBPUT
FLATLY UP TO U. S.
Senator's Report Says Fury
! and Fear of Federal Po.
lice Will End Crime.
By the Associated Press.

problem of suppression of crime In the
Nations cities today was put square'y
up to the Federal Government in an
official report by Senator Louis j.
Murphy of Iowa.
"A Federal law enforcement unit tha.
will cover the populous centers, working
quietly, thoroughly and relentlesSly, Is
the answer to the need" said Murphy,
who is a member of the Senate sub
committee investigating rackets.
His report was directed to the people
OF Chicago, where he made his pre-
liminary investigation, and where he Is
to hear further testimony soon.
The Iowan advocated fighting fire with
fire as he declared: For the terror
ism of hoodlums must be substituted the
terrorism of law
He criticized the weakness Of certain
law enforcement agencies swayed by
criminal elements but laid the actual
blame to the institutional character OF
metropolitan government where good
intentions at the top may be trans
formed into bad actions at the bottom.
Sees Two Things Needed.
The Senate Committee, Murphy be-
Neves, has two definite tasks; to deter
mine new legislation needed to give
complete coverage to racketeering and
KIDNAPPING and to examine the possible
reform of judicial procedure in respect
to the writs of habaes corpus and
supersedeas.
AS a final statement, the Iowa Sena-
tor who co-operated with Senator Cope
land of New York in the first hearings,
suggested making it felony to pay
money or to negotiate with kidnapers
or their agents.
The text of the Senator's report
follows:
"Ths solemn deliberations Of Sen
ate committee are not needed to sup
press kidnapping and racketeering; q
solemn determination to enforce the
law is the prime need.
Most of the 35 or more industries
enmeshed in the major racketeertng in
Chicago are engaged In interstate COM
merce. The Is mobs operating In kid
naping north of the Ohio and east OF
the Rockies disregard State lines. It
will merely delay things to withhold
organized enforcement action while
constitutional authorities debate the
question of where Federal police power
ends and State police power starts. A
ment officers will render academic the
question of constitutional process.
Blames Political Set-Up.
"The elemental passions of greed and
fear explain racketeering. For the ter
rorism of hoodlums must be substituted
the terrorism of the law. The power
of gangs originates in precincts. With
a gang offering a municipal or county
@o6 nj
nomination means that the gang cor
rupts the very instrumentalities in
whom society must put its reliance to
combat them.
Looking at the system Of local gov
ernment for what it Is, recognizing the
fact that the dependence OF officials
at the top must be in thousands OF
official agencies reaching down to the
bottom, and that rectitude OF purpose
at the top frequently becomes venality
at the bottom, one Is impressed with
the need Of going outside for law
enforcement agency that Is beyond the
reach of local control.
That agency Is the Federal Govern
ment. Its power got Capone. 1t will
get every man it goes after. Not the
least of its virtues Is its detachment
from local influences.
Fear Of U. S. Powerful.
President Roosevelts announced
purpose to direct the forces of the Fed
eral Government against kidnapers and
racketeers is the beginning Of the end
OF these evils Robbery of the mail,
counterfeiting and income tax frauds
are rare crimes The fury and the fear
Of Federal law enforcement agencies
have made them that
The fury and the fear OF Federal
prosecution will make racketeering and
KIDNAPPING just as rare. A Federal law
enforcement unit that will cover the
populous centers, working quietly.
thoroughly, and relentlessly, is the
answer to the need.
The hoodlum is not the only rack
eteer. The business man who willingly
conspires with him to put up a COM
modify or service price because he
gets a share off, it is a conspirator
against the law and must be restrained
by the fear of its penalties. The minor
ity in racketeer- ridden industries who
are bombed and machine -gunned into
paying tribute excite our solicitation
and merit our protection.
Public Enemies Routed.
you have made some progress in
your resistance to racketeerS and Grim
inals OF the % public enemies listed
by your Crime Commission few years
ago, all are either in the penitentiary,
dead, fugitives from justice or under
indictment. Three years ago they be-
Ieved themselves immune.
THE principal task of our Senate
Committee, in my view, is to determine
the new legislation needed to give COM
plete coverage to these crimes and the
possible reform of judicial procedure in
respect to the writs of habeas corpus
and supersedeas
I'VE should, moreover, make it fell
ony to pay money or to negotiate with
kidnapers or their agents"
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