| Show Official Toleration of Violations Blamed for Chicago Crime Wave WaveA I v v q r I I I I jg 4 im A ove is States State's Attorney John JohnA A A. A Swanson of Chicago chief prosecuting official who is is con conducting 1 ducting an investigation of the latest gang war outrage At the right is Al AI Capone accredited leader of Chicago enjoying enjoying enjoy enjoy- ing himself in Florida Below is Dr Herman N. N Bundesen Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago coroner corone I A Editors Editor's Note A graphic pie pic ture of the rise and the reasons for forthe forthe the gangster movement in which has just been marked with the firing squad murder of seven men is presented in the following article by Arthur V. V Lashly Chi Chicago cage cago who directed the recent crime crime survey for the Illinois Association for Criminal Justice Though he ascribes prohibition as the reason for the gangsters gangsters' rise to power power Mr Lashly explains that he is is not condemning the prohibition law it itself itself it- it self but the official toleration of open and notorious violations thereof there there- of that furnish the principal basis for gang organizations and their support By ARTHUR V. V LASHLY Illinois Association for Criminal Justice For many years cars Chicago J ke every o oher her great city had it s I gangs an and its underworld but prior to to 1920 the gangs were largely held hel together b by hood and racial affiliations and were dependent upon vice gamb ling Ung and petty thievery for the their r. r The real troubles of Chicago were we're were ushered in with national prohibition pro pro- Simultaneously with this event came the murder of of Big Jim Colosimo the king of the and the succession success success- sion of John With prohibition came brewing breving distilling and bootleg gIng and was quick to to tal take advantage of the hew v source of or riches riches' and power po To i-To organized L force fOlCe of gunmen fr from m the petty criminals of the underworld took over oer s veral and became becam a manufacturer and distributor of liquor or on on an ext scale THE WAR BEGINS BEGINS' Then came j hi cJ ing gangs who raided Tordo's breweries breweries' and held up and ind robbed his hta truCks s and the war ar was wa on From that time until the day th traffic in illicit liquor bringing millions into the coffers coffers' or of organized organized or- or crime has bee been mainly responsible for for the excess of crImEs crImE's or of violence in Chicago carried on with unprecedented success success success' until 1924 he lost e his 01 1 followers fol fol- lowers lowers' because after the election of Mayor MarOT Dever Devel in the preceding year he heas was as unable to secure protection pro pro- for his enterprises which ho he had PreviouslY enjoyed lie was ted a and n l for fOl violating the r laws Jaws and was J I later shot an and sEriously wounded by riyal rival gangsters he recovered recovered re- re covered and served his time in jail lie he was apparently happy to io ne be 1 abre to get out of h c cd d has never never returned CAPONES CAPONE'S RIS TO POWER Gang war after gang war has followed his retirement due clue to 1 efforts ef- ef forts o various upstart leaders Inthe in inthe the underworld to to succeed succeed- him Dy n a process of direct action of eliminatIon and with the aid ot of machine guns guns pi and sawed sawed- off shotguns a former bod bodyguard guard and aid of one Alphonse capon alias Al Brown BlOwn was se- se as the tho underworld leader anti and le has has' succeeded in evading as and cont nue's ti to rule until this day Between 1920 1920 and 1927 over gangsters had been killed by other and an additional killed by police A rge L-rge number of policemen also had been I killed in the the war with these armet armed desperadoes desperadoes' Suc Suc conflicts conflicts con con- between rival gangs and gangs and policemen were carried on with machine machins ur g guns s firing from automobiles rae rae- rac- rac f ing through the streets ts It was this state of affairs which confronted the members of the Bar As Association when they resolved at tie the annual meeting meeting meet meet- ing in July 1926 that an eff effort rt should b made mad to enlist the In- In or of ot other civic throughout the st st. state te to Tave the survey made It was s believed thata that thata a thorough i 1 uld form the b basis sis for intelligent understanding un un- understanding of the problems crime and for fo constructive their theil solution CRIME STRONGLY E TRENCHED ENTRENCHED It It Was obvious that organized crime and Ii tic all all- anees ances were Wele too strongly entrenched hed to tobe be disclosed l by i crusades On these o aks were US d. d to the a advantage of o g crime j H t was N be iid doubt the ilie iJ irk some somi ps ani lly to th thO de- de lur sup n of the tin un lawful t ses Which Were the AN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL On March 30 1869 President Johnsons Johnson's impeachment trial began in the Senate Formal charges had nad been brought several weeks before by the House of Representatives Johnson replied on March 23 and I sixty one years ears ago today his trial began It was as the first time itt in the history his his- tor tory of an any nation that the chief executive was as placed on trial before one of the branches of the lawmaking ing power sitting as a a. court mi n brought by the other branch lIe He was vas charged with haYing having removed removed re- re moved the secretary of state from office in violation ot of law and with having haing delivered speeches derogatory derogatory tory to congresS congresS' ss Thirty five senatOrs senatOrs sena- sena senaI I tOrs voted guilty gunt and 19 n nOt t guilty This was less than the required required re- re two thirds and the impeachment impeach impeach- ment proceedings fan failed d. d The trial climaxed a storm stormy administration administration ad- ad ministration during much ot of which v Congress treated Johnson almost with contempt Insulting ref references refer refer- J to Vere bini frequently rade on the floor of both houses The ar of history coincides with the acquittal verdict however His errors were errors of judgment judg- judg ment rather than of the heart ana even een so so these were not so gross as I some of the of his enemies principal sources of income o of the underworld raided gamblIng and vice houses houses' operated by competitors of the syndicate and jailed members mem mem- bers of the rival gangs operating them for the purpose of getting rid oZ 01 competitors of the recognized syndicate Thus the indignant protests protests pro pro- tests of cItizens were used by the powerful leaders of organized crime to further their tion o the survey surey was begun on on API il OFFICIALS ARE BLAMED Here is n a summarization of some I of th the findings made by the crime survey I. I Failures of j justice stice are traceable traceable trace trace- able able- more often to administrative defects than to weaknesses in the laws The situation In Chicago and Cocik count county has b ben en largely the result of poor administration There seems to be no doubt after making allowance for the maximum in experIence experience ex- ex and incompetence which will always be more or less in dence in public office and allowing for or every failure of justice due to weaknesses and loopholes in the antiquated antiquated an- an laws or of criminal procedure serious problem of crime exists ex- ex In any community o of this state urban or or rural where the police and sheriffs the prosecutors and the courts are aU all doing their duty honestly and to the best of their re- re abIlities Problems of crime arise when one or more of these officials fails or refuses to do I his or their 2 The police do not catch more than 20 0 per cent of those who corn com mit felony crimes 3 Failure of prosecution means the failure of the whole Judicial process six Fifty six per cent of all cases failed to survive the preliminary pre pre- hearing STATES STATE'S ATTORNEY POWERFUL 4 ACquittals by juries are relatively rela- rela unimportant so far as the number of cases cages is concerned Of felony charges filed in Cook county in 1926 only roo were tried by bS' juries and half of these resulted result result- ed in acquittals Eighteen Persons persons per per- sons are arc released through the action action ac- ac tion or influence ence of the states state's attorney attorney at- at torney to one person released by the jur jury rho jur jury is not So important as popularly believed t I 5 In Chicago the worst is presented by organized who are engaged mainly in in the liquor business und they constitute the grats menace Organized crim criminals are mercenaries merce merce- Our reports show that the gangs of gunmen in Chicago and vicinity are bound together and maintained largely by profits or of t nd J gambling 1 BEGIN AS BOOTLEGGERS It is tinder the bootleggers bootleggers' ban ban- ncr that thousands of are I Constantly being recruited attracted attract attract- ed by bv the tho ease with whiCh enormous enormous' enor- enor profits can be made immune front flom l I in their operations in the m facture and distribution of 15 be e ean an and whisky whisk they have bern a to obtain protection from the con consequences consequences sequences of other crimes murder burglary and cause of their new political lJj ances and stronger position the bootlegger anI rum runner a jacker hi who give Chicago i i reputation as a crime center It is said in the Crime report There is no bUnt ing the fact that prohibition lii introduced the most difficult pr r lems of law enforcement in in infield field of organized crime enormous revenues derived fro fo bootlegging have purchased pro protection tee tion for all forms of criminal m ii and have demoralized t t law enforcing agencies Xo No better oetter illustration of the In Inc el locking connection between boo legging and all other forms of c cost crime can be cited thy that presented in the person Capone the recognized leader oAt bootlegging bootlegging- in this con He is also the boss gambling s syndicate and or of comm r vice ice Lately he has a as the dominant factor the control of gangsters who Ie engaged in racketeering |
