Evening star., 1951-03-27
The Political Mill
TSTHTUn6nC CWOTU CGGn
Needed to Check Crime
Kefouver Committee Should
Be Made Lasting by Senote

NSIuuNST SOWW1ttSS SHOu1U
Be Made Lasting by Senote
By Gould Lincoln
The KefauveE crime committee of the
Senate. by turning the spotlight on
organized crime-along with its con-
sort. political corruption-has done
whale Of job 1t is preparing to re-
port to the Senate on its findings in
the field of organized crime and its rec
concentrations for legislation. But that
is not enough-and not all the COM
mittee can do. It can, if the Senate
wills, become permanent Sword of
Damocles, hanging over the heads of
the underworld and corrupt politicians,
as suggested by Senator, Tobey, New
Hampshire Republican member of the
committee. And that, too. is the ear
nest recommendation of J. Edgar Hoover,
head of the Federal Bureau of Investi-
CATION.
It is the opinion of Mr.. Hoover-who
should know something about the mat
ter of criminal investigation-O that
turning the light on criminals and their
work arouses local public opinion 90
that when public opinion is sufficiently
aroused the criminals are effectively
dealt with. The Kefauver committee
has already served a tremendous pur-
pose, with its hearings in Miami, in
Chicago. in New York, in Washington,
and in other cities. The field, however,
has not been covered completely. So
far New England, for example, has not
come under the eye of the committee,
olfh
there and Is prepared to go into gam
bling, crime and corruption in that
section of the country.
Dies Unit Proved Worth.
For years the House of Representatives
continued special committee on un-
American activities-known originally
as the Dies committee, named after a
fighting Texas member. That commit
tee through its exposure Of the activi-
ties Of Communists, Fascists and other
subversive elements so proved its worth
that 1t was finally made a standing
committee Of the House. Mr.. Hoover.
in his appearance before the Kefauver
committee, urged that the crime COM
mittee be made a standing committee
Of the Senate.
has been suffering from a moral de-
preston" The Kefauver committee.
through its investigation of organized
crime and the revelations of the great
scope OF crime and corruption, already
has done major job Of awakening the
American people. It ought not to let
go. II its life is ended now, the criminals
and gamblers and corrupt politicians
would be as joyful, for example, as the
Communists and other subversive ele-
ments would have been had the House
un-American Activities Committee been
allowed to die-as too many people
wanted 1t to die few years ago.
No civil commission ever has been
as effective in ferreting out wrongdo-
ing as congressional committeeman
no crime commission. however consti-
tuted. would be as effective as the
Kefauver committee No civilian COM
mission would have been as effective in
bringing to light the use of political
favoritlsm as the Fulbright committee
OF the Senate In investigation of the
Reconstruction Finance Corp. The
Congress is one of the three great
branches of the Government-consid-
cred by the builders of the Government
the most important. for they put it first
In the Constitution It has certain
powers-among them powers of investi-
gation-Which 1t can more effectively
use than it can delegate to another
agency.
Gambling Root of Crime.
Gambling, it appears from the inves-
tigation of the Kefauver committee, is
the root of present-day organized crime
in this country, just as prohibition and
bootlegging was the root of organized
crime in the 1920s and early 1930s.
National prohibition was finally re-
pealed. The testimony is to the effect
that the gangsters then turned to kid
naping and bank robbery Neither Of
fered the big returns and the compara-
tive safety, however, that gambling
offers. and gradually tremendous un-
derworld gambling industry was de-
veloped, with millions of citizens as it's
clients.
1t has been suggested that legalized
gambling-just like legalized drinking
might be the answer to the present
crime problem. Attorney General Nc
Grath and FBI Director Hoover, how
ever. have told the Kefauver COMMITTEES
1t would be no solution. AS matter
Of fact. years ago gambling was legal
in nearly all States of the Union-and
1t never did anything except bring IN
its wake crime and corruption.
Mr.. Hoover's considered opinion Is
that organized crime-gambling pros
titution. murder, robbery kidnapping
can best be dealt with at the local
level-and should be. He is strongly
opposed to any Federal police force.
Such a force would ultimately bring
about totalitarian state. Public
opinion when aroused, he claims, can
deal with any criminal situation any,
where. Public opinion has been aroused
and can be again when necessarily
the Kefauver committee.