Evening star., 1935-10-29
ABUSE OF BAIL
{ SYSTEM ASSA|LED
Attorney General Cummings
Portrays 1t as Deterrent
/ to Speedy Justice.

~
The abuse of the bail system was
portrayed as an outstanding deterrent
to speedy justice by Attorney General
Cummings in an address last night in
the National Radio Forum, arranged
by The Star and broadcast over a
Nation n-Wide chain OF the National
Broadcasting Co.
The Attorney General, who has just
returned from Europe, where he made
o study of criminal procedure, de-
clared that this country has not met
its problem as have those on the
continent.
II do not suggest that the bail
system be abandoned" he said, but
lido suggest that those who wish to
improve the administration of GRIM
inal justice in the United States might
we'll turn their attention to the out
RACES committed against justice in
abuse of the privilege of bail, an abuse
that so often has no other result
than to permit persons guilty of crime
to escape punishment"
Check on Firearms.
The Attorney General said also that
another need is for more effective
check on possession of firearms, and
that he intended to press In the next
Congress for legislation along this
line that was introduced at the last
session.
Asserting that "our great American
underworld is armed to the teeth"
Cummings ascribed this in part to
National Guard armory robberies.
Text of the Address.
The text of Secretary Cummings
address follows:
Recently I have been engaged in
examining the methods of criminal
law administration in three of the
countries of Western Europe-Great
Britain, Belgium and France. To-
night, through the kindness of the
National Radio Forum, am afforded
an opportunity to report upon some
OF the results Of that investigation.
embarked upon this tour of study
In the hope of obtaining information
that might be utilized in the war on
crime at home: to learn how the
problem presents itself in other coun-
tries. and to ascertain what methods
have been there devised to deal with
1t: and in the still further hope that
through comparison Of foreign
methods with our own I might have
a more acute understanding of the
reasons for our failures. and a sounder
confidence in the reasons for our
successes.
The first place I visited was Scot
land Yard. 1t is a virile and efficient
organization, splendidly ofhcered and
admirably conducted.
Scotland Yard is the co-ordinating
factor in the varied police forces of
England and Wales. The bulk of its
work, however. is confined to policing
London. Its investigative excursions
outside of that area are infrequent,
and assistance is not rendered to local
authorities except upon specific re-
quest. 1t is under the general super
vision of cabinet minister respon-
sible to Parliament. The personnel
Of Scotland Yard numbers more than
10000 men, including about 1000 de-
tectives assigned to the famous GRIM
tnal investigation department, the
C. I. d. known to popular fiction. Its
annual expenditure runs to about
e35,00oO00.
Police School Important.
The new police training school re-
Gently established at Hendon is an
institution of great promise and one
OF which they have every reason to
be proud. 1t strikes a moderate note
of marked significance. 1t is pat
termed somewhat along lines which
we have been following in the train
ing of our agents in the Department
Of Justice
During the visits I paid this great
institution. I examined its technical
facilities and equipment, its methods
of training, its filing system. its scope
Of activities and its general mode of
procedure. Comparisons are un-
gracious and I have no intention of
entering upon them except to suggest
that a study of Scotland Yard and
Of our own Federal Bureau of In
Vestigation reveals the profound dit-
ference existing between the problem
of crime in the United States and the
same problem in Great Britain.
Quite apart from constitutional
limitations. it is apparent at once that
Great Britain-an island, relatively
small in territorial extent, homoge-
nous in population, without conflict
ing sovereignties and Jurisdictions
has a problem far less complex and
difficult than our own. The rowing
criminal who carries on his depreda-
tions across state lines and whose ac-
tvities cover vast geographical areas
is unknown to Great Britain. That
is the problem that brought our Fed
eral Government upon the scene.
Investigation of the Urschel kidnap-
ing case. for example, extended over
an area of nearly 100000 square miles,
which, if superimposed upon map
of Europe, would cover most Of the
countries in the Western part Of that
continent.
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