OCR Text |
Show Up to the Public, Too Chairman George W. Wicker-sham Wicker-sham of the National Law Enforcement Enforce-ment Commission says that the growing disrespect for law challenges chal-lenges the legal profession more sharply than any other class of the community, but, at the same time, the public has some responsibilities. responsibili-ties. "The daily accounts of the criminal crim-inal acts which we read in the public press have dulled our sensibilities sen-sibilities so that we do not take home to ourselves the sinister significance sig-nificance of these constant manifestations mani-festations of contempt for law," he declared. "The matter has got beyond the mere machinery ol criminal justice. It has become a public habit of mind." The activity of the criminal is helped by the apathy of the average aver-age good citizen. The lawless a"e able to exert power in political affairs because it seems the great maiority of law-abiding citizens are too busy to take an energetic part in government. This is an unfortunate situation but there are some hopeful signs that it may be remedied. It is up to the pub'ic, at any rate, whether whe-ther or not it shall be cured. |