| Show I DECLARES VOTERS CAN CLEAN UP CRIME d. d II w w I L rr w i t The Thc sinister influence of the machine machine ma chine politician who helps s l law aw en en- enforcement enforcement officials to o win on election day and then collects favors for tor his gangster clients later is illus illustrated us F here by Staff Artist Art Krenz At the right is William l an assistant states state's attorney in Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago who was wa murdered by gangsters gang gang- gangsters several years ago Machine Politician Charged With Being Father of Gangs Gangs' By ALEXANDER JAMIE JAl Director of the Secret Six of the Chicago Association of I Commerce Written Especially for the NEA Service and The Telegram I am often asked How can gangs be destroyed Here is how any city can do it Stop the interference of politicians with the law enforcing enforcIng enforcing ing machinery Elect to public office men who will refuse to become indebted in indebted indebted in- in to shady politicians for election day favors Get a police force that will not be bc handicapped by machine politics Coordinate the activities of your I law enforcing agencies such as the courts the prosecutors prosecutor's office and the police department I The machine politician is the godfather godfather god god- father of the gangs in Americas America's cities I toda today He is the instrument that makes existence possible and and also profitable I to If decent citizens ever expect get Set anywhere in the war on organized organized organ organ- I crime they first must stop these shady politicians from interfering I with our law enforcing machinery These men have ever everything thing to do with our crime situation today toda True there have been many cases of dishonesty in our police departments departments depart depart- ments but please remember that our police departments are subservient to our politicians And as long as the politicians are arc in control there is going going go go- ing to be bc trouble LARGE CITIES ALIKE I am not speaking now of Chicago alone I am speaking of practically every large city in the United States These men in the parlance of the theda day da know their onions On election elec clec tion days they are busy with the themen themen themen men and mane money resources of their gangster friends in the interests o of certain candidates Later when the time comes to intercede for a gangster friend who has gotten into trouble with the law they rush to the judge or other public official whom they helped elect The necessity of running for elec tion Lion or reelection and the resultant campaigning for votes puts any judge under an unfair handicap In federal federa courts judges are appointed for life and therefore they do not have to look to politicians for election day favors That is I believe one of the main reasons why Uncle Sams Sam's courts command such deep respect As an illustration of the criminals criminal's fear of the federal courts consider the recent war the secret six has been waging against thefts of merchandise from trucking concerns We took the position that these trucks being engaged engaged en en- in interstate commerce were entitled to government protection So Sowe Sowe Sowe we caused the cases to be taken into federal court Later an attorney fa for l' l one of the defendants accused of robbing a truck assured us that if his client had known that they were under the protection protection pro pro- of a federal law he would have never undertaken the theft UP TO VOTERS In view of the thc fact that we must elect our local law enforcement officials such such as judges majors prosecuting prosecuting prosecuting prose prose- attorneys I I think the remedy for organized crime can lie only with the voters There should be enough honest voters to elect honest men who willbe will willbe willbe be above the influence of machine we politicians politicians we must get at the situation situation sit sit- through the ballot box Determined public officials can destroy destroy destroy de de- stroy gangs without much difficulty All they have to do is to cut of off the sources of gang revenue revenue revenue-by by closing a gangs gang's gambling houses its vice resorts resorts re reo re- re sorts stopping the sale of its liquor etc Such resorts could not operate in the face of a determined campaign to close them This will take from gang leaders their power of money and without money money and and plenty of it no it-no no gang can possibly survive With such organizations or or- organizations money is everything Kill the revenue and you ou kill the gang Obviously the question may be asked What is a voter to do when both sides have nominated machine I candidates The only answer is that the business men and the decent citizens citizens citi citi- zens of oC the town should take matters into their own yn hands by nominating candidates who are not affiliated with either machine Certainly there must be enough decent citizens to do this certainly these are plenty of honest men to run for public office with their support GOOD TIME MONEY In surveying the causes of at mercenary mercenary mercen mercen- ary crime crime omitting omitting crimes of passion passion pas pas- sion from consideration I I am convinced con vinced that the root of most of it is the desire for high living the desire for fine clothes wild parties Very little of the money obtained by crime Is ever applied to any legitimate legitimate mate use use use-it it is usually lavished almost almost al al- al most immediately on a good time and the man who robb robbed d a bank of ot thousands of dollars yesterday may maybe maybe maybe be broke tomorrow Gambling has much to do with It it rA if I too A man who loses loses' loses loses-at at gambling often orten turns to crime to recoup I do dp not believe that business depression depression depression de de- and unemployment turns honest men to paths of crime A Aman Aman man who has been accustomed to earning an honest living will not take takeI I such a course when misfortune comes his his inclination is to tighten lighten his belt grit his teeth and md hope for better things The idea of or crime doesn't I occur to him I Of course unemployment may be responsible for some petty crime b bno but t no law enforcement agency ever has given much thought to a man who steals a loaf of bread to feed his hungry hun hun- hungry gr gry famil family The real answer to organized crime and the growth of the nations nation's gangs is the crooked machine politician who distorts the law el enforcement machinery that society has set up upI I for the protection of its citizens |
