The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1936-03-26

ually bad spring breakup. The
quick rise Of flood waters in billy
sections of the state is a constant
threat to bridges, culverts and
roadways. Maintenance crews must
be constantly on the alert and the
department must be prepared to
spend large sums Of money to make
quick repairs. Surely no motorist
who has driven on the highways
this winter can fail to realize the
necessity for an adequate automo-
bile license fee to supply funds for
highway upkeep. This is one in
stance in which the taxpayer has
no difficulty in seeing that he gets
value received many timse over for
what he pays.
Any authoritative sociologist will
declare that nothing like a crime
or vice wave exists. And he will
produce figures to substantiate his
contention.
What we know as crime or vice
waves are merely campaigns
brought on by newspapers or polit-
ical parties for the purpose Of
gaining circulation, placing a pol
itical rival 'in the hole or attain
ing some equally mercenary end.
Thus an intelligent reader Of
newspapers will discount the lurid
headlines in the daily press which
suddenly appear one day claiming
the city Is filled with vice or that
crime has suddenly become ram
pant. Vice and crime may be ram
pant at that time, 1t is true, but
any investigation will reveal that
vice and crime was equally ram
pant a week before, a month before
or year before the newspaper
suddenly decided 1t had an axe to
grind. Crime and vice do increase
in periods of economic stress, 1t is
granted, but this increase is grad
ual and does not suddenly flare
such as the press would have one
believe.
So discount the play" the Min
neapolis press is giving to vice con-
ditions in Minneapolis at present.
Vice may exist there and crime as
well, but not to any greater extent
perhaps than it did two years ago,
or than it did Is years ago. a
Department of Justice figures for
1885, incidentally, give Minneapolis
a crime record which is cleaner
than that of any other city out
side that staid and established Sec
ton, New England.
The State Fire Marshal depart
ment, under Dewey w. Johnson, is
planning spring Fire Prevention
Week in cooperation with Mime
sofas 645 volunteer and paid de-
partments. This Fire Prevention
Week will be from May 40, and
all citizens will be urged to clean
up the litter accumulated from a
hard winter. In conjunction with
this, with the commencement of
the tourist season, the State Fire
Marshal department also will re-
lease poster designed to warn
residents and tourists alike against
the careless use of fire in Mime
sofas forest areas.
some newspapers are apparently
trying to make a political football
out of the old age assistance stu
alton in Minnesota. Director Ken
meth Haycraft has been attacked
unfairly by the daily press in both
Minneapolis and st. Paul, as well
as by portion of the rural press
of the state. He has been charged
with being responsible for the ac-
tions of the Social Security admin
istrators in Washington in holding
up federal approval of the Mime
sofa act.
These charges are so palpably
false and unreasonable that every
one should be able to recognize
them as merely examples of peanut
politics. The facts are perfectly OBJ
vious to anyone who Is interested
in facts rather than political bunk
UNI. The Social Security board OBJ
jected to some of the administrative
provisions of the Minnesota act; as
it has with the old age assistance