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Show Itif Eattle Creek L - Well sir, the "Coddle the Criminal" campaign of the U.S. Supreme Court and lesser courts and the public-be-damn-ed criminal defense attorneys is paying dividends. However, unfortunately, they are decidedly decided-ly on the red ink side of the ledger. The latest report of the FBI indicates that crime in U.S. major ma-jor cities for 1967 was up 23 per cent over that for 1966. In the country as a whole, the increase in-crease was 16 per cent. And judging by what we have seen, during the last 2 months the crime rate during 1968 bids fair to break the disgraceful record again. Smug residents of the sovereign sover-eign and supposedly moral state of Utah, have often remarked re-marked in the past, "It will never happen to us." But look what is happening in Salt Lake City. Murders, attempted murders and assaults with deadly weapons wea-pons have been averaging at least one per week. Also, banks, service stations, and food stores stor-es are being knocked over almost al-most daily. Of course, homicide in the heat of anger and passion is pretty hard to forsee, predict prevent or control. Most of it takes place in private homes. But armed robbery, is something some-thing else again. In the opinion of this column any person who enters a bank store or other public service institution and demands money at gunpoint is a potential killer. That's his invariable threat, if the person being robbed resists or refuses to obey his demands. If the victims of armed rob bery have any rights at all, then the perpetrator, when caught and arraigned, should not be admitted to bail. His trial should be speedy and fair and if convicted, he should be salted down for a good long, un-parolable un-parolable term. If this means a change in the criminal code, in the name of sanity, change it. In last Sunday's daily paper, a story told of how grocers in a large eastern U.S. city bought pistols. They then organized a clinic and took lessons in the use of firearms. They said that they were tired of being pushed around by armed robbers and were going to fight back. Following the clinic, six gunmen gun-men were killed and one grocer was slain in foodstore shoot-outs. shoot-outs. Since then, food store robberies in that particular area have fallen off sharply, the article stated. I for one, have never advocated ad-vocated that private citizens singly or in groups, should take the law into their own hands. Too many serious mistakes may be made. However, when the morale and the justice of the courts break down and the so-called rights of the criminal are held in greater esteem than the rights of honest citizens, a change must be made and soon. The "West was Won" by hardy har-dy men and women, who were willing enough and brave enough to face the criminal element and fight back, personally, person-ally, if necessary. If we keep what they won for us, there may have to be a return to such willingness and such bravery. So long 'til Thursday. |