Salt Lake Telegram | 1935-12-24 | Page 4 | A Challenge

I ey A Challenge HEN HEN forthright American citizens arc driven W by grounded rounded fears of criminal v violence lence to tos to's s 's geek protection under governments in which they have greater reater confidence it is a challenge that ha must be met Cowardly corrupt or sentimental senti mental officialdom and abuse of pardon and parole powers are destroying faith in the ab ability lity of our government to uphold law and preserve order These axe ate the plain implications in the hastily arrived a at decision of Colonel and Mrs Charles A. A Lindbergh to seek asylum a abroad road for their year old son Jon and peace of mind for themselves Mondays Monday's news dispatches carried by all allpress' allpress allpress' allpress press press' association wires were based on a startling story appearing in the New York Times The conservative Times is not given to sensational sensational- ism It may be depended upon that every de detail detail detail de- de tail of the alarming revelation was painstakingly painstakingly checked for fact The restraint in handling han han- and the absence of the names of persons furnishing the Times with information only make the whole story the more credible astound astounding ng as it is Th The added fact that the flier and his family took passage on ori a slow freighter with poor accommodations for passengers passengers passengers pas pas- is convincing that their concern for their child drove them to precipitate action That Colonel Lindbergh may represent American aviation interests in connection with the preliminaries to the i inauguration of transatlantic transatlantic transatlantic trans trans- trans trans- atlantic commercial air service is a matter of no consequence The grave and tragic fact is that fear impelled these fine Americans to seek safety and security on foreign soil This is no time to waste words in excoriation excoriation excoriation tion of the underwo underworlds underworld's l s 's hyenas nor to permit sentiment or emotion to get out of hand The nation is face to face with ugly facts that must mustI I be dealt with quickly and effectively This is a responsibility facing every public officer from the president down to the humblest constables in our smallest hamlets All arms of government executive legislative and judi judicial i i are confronted by this challenge It is a problem problem lem bigger by far than the matter of seeing that the law gets its due in the Hauptmann case bigger by far than creating reassurance reassurance for the Crime turning to even more rabid violence than marked the prohibition tion era as it has turned from one unholy business business business busi busi- ness to another to terrorize every home and every child in the land is thumbing its nose at atthe atthe atthe the majesty of government The immediate demand is that the dragnet be thrown out in every community in the country country country coun coun- try that every known criminal be rounded up and every person deserving of suspicion be re required required required re- re to give an account of himself In state and nation every public servant charged with law enforcement is called upon to face stern duty with fidelity and courage Every Eyer court and law officer must exact the laws law's full due from the guilty evildoer e Every decent citizen will sustain those who by their official acts prove worthy of the trusts lodged in them The legal profession owes it to itself and to society to purge itself forthwith of lawyer lawyer lawyer law law- yer criminals who infest its ranks and who arcin are arc in alliance with ith ith the underworld Government itself is destroyed when it loses the faith of its citizens through its impotency in guaranteeing th the safety and security of life and property In what now is a patent national emergency the situation calls cans for honesty diligence diH- diH dili gence and co courage rage on the part of all public officers officers officers cers statesmanship and patriotism where politics politics politics poli poli- tics and serving self-serving motivate the unfit in places of responsibility