The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1929. PROHIBITION AND CRIME.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1929. PROHIBITION AND CRIME.

It lias apparently not been osta dished yet whether the abominable outrage in Mileage on Thursday of last week was Hie work of scoundrels on police pa.\ with extras) or of the better-paid .scoundrels whom it is the work of the pdice to run to earth. The Prohibition Administrator has given reasons why it .should he regarded as a retaliation murder by police officers disappointed o! their brines, the Chicago “Daily News” “proof” that it was a gangsters’ outrage which was merely an iniilent in a “gigantic war.” Hut the most interesting explanation is that given by the Police Commissoiicr himself. According to this official, the "cause of this curse on Chicago is liquor,” and the way to remove it is to "cease drinking liquor.” J.'t is no doubt his opinion a.so, comments the Jiristchurch Press, that the cause ol bank-robberies is money, and that the way to end those is to cease using money. Even in Chi ago they would not murder bank-clerxs for the fun ol .e thing, or dynamite safes for the ■ acre privilege of looking inside. Burglars could be put out of business, rain-robbers and hold-up men reduced to utter harmlessnoss if everyone would simply burn up liis bank-notes and tlirow Ills gold and silver out of the window. It is indeed odd that no police officer has thought of this before, and to be expected, now that the discovery lias been made, that the police will give the principle the widest possible application. In the meantime, however, there is the perversity of the public to lie reckoned with, a nil it is an obstacle that may remain for some Lime. The people of Chicago will take as much notice of the Police Commissioner’s appeal to them to go without nquor in order to prevent men from killing one another in the scramble for their trade as they would if lie asked them to go naked in order to prevent shop-lifting. Men ilo not kill one another in Chicago over their boot or collar or silk-stocking rights, and there are no killings in other lounlrii*s among those who supply beer and wine. In other ords, the “caiis,e o tins curse on Chicago” is not liquor but the prohibition of liquor, and the way to remove TT is to remove toe prohibition. it is true, of course, that Hie law lias been defied anil broken so long that it will not be easy at lint to get it respected again, since tli we lias been a blunting of the legal and moral sensibilities of people who have not themselves been active lawbreakers. There is a'so the appalling fact that the whole police force of the United States has been corrupted to a degree for which there is no parallel in any other Western country. It will take years to restore confidence in it, whatever happens, but even if it could he purged to-morrow confidence in the jk»l ii-e is not enough/ The curse on Chicago is the fact that it is subject l:n a law which has no foundation in the minds and hearts of the people, s that law-breaking has become a natu 11 a 1 industry.