Evening star., 1934-11-05
APATHY TO CRIME
SCORED BY NOEL
Bar Association President
Makes Radio Plea for
Support of Police.

An aroused public must come to the
support of Jaw enforcement officers II
crime conditions are to be bettered
here, F. Regis Noel, president of the
District Bar Association, declared in a
radio address last night.
"a community gets exactly the gov
ernment it deserves" Mr.. Noel said.
."If this community is apathetic, salts
fed and Indifferent, its public leaders
and officials will reflect exactly that
condition"
Speaking over Station WJSV in a
series arranged for the Fall and Win
ter by the bar association, Mr.. Noel
declared that if the majority of the
people are interested in law enforce
. ment and civic improvement these
objectiveS will be achieved
Cites Specific Needs.
"The recent outburst of public in
tereSt,'' Mr. Noel said, lis not because
of a particular fatality or of crime
wave IN Washington, but it arises from
a realization of the need for suppress
sion of such crime as there is found
within our confines. Like too many
other public matters, needed action
has been too long neglected
There are other features of our
local government, some of a strictly
civil nature, which have been just
as much neglected, to the detriment
of the citizens of this city. To men,
ton a few, our domestic relations
laws, lunacy provisions and regula-
tionS of jury service are at least a
half-century behind the times.
Hundreds of natives of this city
are forced annually to establish con-
structive residences in foreign States
for the purpose of getting fictitious
divorce DEGREES which should be af-
forded by the laws of the District
of Columbia. Lunacy proceedings
before our courts are practically the
same as they we're in Colonial Mary
land. Scarcely any one denies that
the cream of our citiZenry is excluded
from its greatest public duty, jury
service, solely because no one has
taken the lead in bringing an ancient
mistake to the attention of Congress.
Traffic Conditions Criticized.
Local corporation laws are little
further advanced in this jurisdiction
than as they existed in England in
the eighteenth century. There is no
up-to-date legislation providing for
the origination and control of cor
porationS, consequently most cor
porate businesses operating here were
organized in States which cultivate
such matters, came here and sQuatted
with all their activities.
Without dissent, the traffic situa-
tion In this city can be said to be
entirely out of hand and too little
standing and upright citizens daily
diSobey traffic regulations.
Doubtless the personnel of the
Permanent Committee on Criminal
Justice, authorized by the public
meeting held at the Mayflower Hotel
on Monday, October 20. will be an
nounced in day or so.
1T was in no sense a 'whitewash
meeting and the committee about to
be announced will not be back
slapping group. What the commit
tee will want is information, con-
structive criticism and harmonious
support from the civic organizations
and citizens of this city.
Its members will realize at the
very outset that its good intentions
and work will be handicapped and
futile unless it has the support of
an aroused public sentiment"