Show 0 I 1 A V 11 1 1 OlLA IIAN A lew few days ago the resident president ol of the united states took time on off from his arduous duties to attend the funeral of a newspaper reporter A hundred or more ot of the highest officials in washington members of the cabinet foreign diplomats joined mr and mrs hoover in paying a last tribute ol of respect to th the memory ot of richard victor I 1 think it Is the only occasion ox on wh which ih a simple reporter or ol the news h has been so honored dick could have held almost any public office he might have aspired to he could have been editor ln in chief of almost any great newspaper but he preferred to remain a reporter in the city of hla his birth writing every day tor for the tew new york times the news of washington so BO truthfully and in such a dignified manner that he won the respect of everybody in public life while his personal charm and character mad made P presidents and ambassadors his bis personal friends dick was my schoolmate fifty years ago his life and career were the model upon which many young newspaper men tried to shape their own MURDERS with all the publicity that new york and chicago gang murders have got the public has a notion that those cities must be dangerous places to live in but an alabama college professor who has been collecting the facts about murder in the th e united states reports that there are 77 cities in which there are more murders in proportion to population than in new york and 39 that have a higher percentage of murders than C chicago h icaco there are more murders in memphis tennessee in proportion to population than in any other american city there Is no such thing in any american city as gangs of murderers roaming at large and shooting total strangers because they dont like the color 0 of f their neckties though some such lm impression p re assion ct cf life in the big cities seems to be prevalent I 1 have knocked around this world a good deal and as a newspaper reporter have had to go into some pretty tough districts at all hours of day and night but I 1 never found it necessary to go I 1 armed nor have I 1 ever known of a sober peaceful citizen tending strictly to his own business being killed except by a lunatic I 1 antl are incurable optimists ti mists finland has just repealed its prohibition hibi tion law and american wets are jubilant how little chance there Is of any such |