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{
    "localId": "6857701",
    "label": "Letter from John E. Ayer, M. V., to the Crime and Law Enforcement Commission Citing the Automobile as Increasing Crime and Liquor Trafficking",
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    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6857701"
}

{
    "id": "6857701",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6857701",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Letter from John E. Ayer, M. V., to the Crime and Law Enforcement Commission Citing the Automobile as Increasing Crime and Liquor Trafficking",
    "description": "This letter relates to the increase in criminal activity since World War I, including kidnapping, murder, and bootlegging.",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6857701",
    "collections": [
        "Records of the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement",
        "Letters from the Public"
    ],
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{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6857701",
    "naId": 6857701,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 23,
            "logicalDate": "1929-05-23",
            "month": 5,
            "year": 1929
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 3,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/rediscovery/11035.pdf",
    "mediaId": "576397274864ec45",
    "ocrText": "Officers:\nOfficers:\nPresident-John F. Murphy.\nSecretary--Moncrieffe Cameron\nVice-Presidents--Leonard Daniels,\n314 Central Bidg. Main 1583, Ind. 1299\nPhilip Tworoger\nNew England Club\nTreas.-John E. Ayer\nTRUSTEES:\nHistorian,--Leonard F. Dearborn\nT. W. Arnold,\nOF SEATTLE\nGeneologist,--Mrs. O. H. Carpenter\nA. Roger Merrill,\nRegistrar,--Miss Regina Thompson.\nHenry S. Noon.\nCRIME, and LAW ENFORCEMENT\nEver since President Hoover gave his stinging indictment of the\nlawlessness and lack of character shown by the American people\nsince the War, an extensive agitation of conscience is being shown,\nand a serious intention to study the causes and remedies for thesame.\nIt is being widely charged that much the greater part of the\nvicious forms of crime are committed by recent immigrants who have\nnot yet learned the necessity for conforming to the statutes and\nrestrictions of our government, and especially those who are subject\nto certain alien political church influences. Even if true, this does\nnot relieve our American citizens from any of the responsibility\nWe invited them, and encouraged them-until recently-to come here and\nhelp build up the country. In return for which, we undertook to civ-\nilize them and make them equal as citizens. Now that we have failed at\nto do so, it is our fault;and we shalll continue to be severely\npunished as at present until we meet the responsibility.\nThe first thing to be observed, perhaps, is that the increase of\ncrime is not from the increase of netural criminals, but the great\nincrease of criminal opportunity afforded by the invention of the\nauto. The easy means by which the auto can be used for robbery of\nall sorts, kidnapping and murder, as well as the disposing of liquor,\nhave caused a vast increase in those forms of crime. And in close\nconnection with these lie all of the evils of the liquor traffic\nand drinking. For the liquor evils, sporting business and profes-\nsional men, fashionable society and a certain type of newspapers\nПИАЛОЙЯ\n2d\nare almost wholly responsible. Without the present liquor laws,\nthe conditions would certainly be vastly worse than at present.\nThe great mass of the people, the farmers, mechanics and the labor\nranks are far nore sober and law abiding than they were before\nthe Prohibition Amendment; and as those classeswil furnish prac-\ntically all of the parentage of the future, their interest is the\nonly one entitled to consideration.\nThe checking of the crime wave is not merely a moral, or good\ncitizenship issue. It is quite as much a matter of self preserva-\ntion. The ominous increase of the deadly forces of electricity\nand gasoline in all industries and locomotion, and the well known\nfact that any drinking of alcohol affects the sight, caution and\njudgment in the brain, has made it imperative that all liquor\ndrinking must be suppressed;no matter how much it may conflict\nwith self indulgence or' personal liberty'. It cannot be dodged by\nany such absurd farce as a certain portion of the Press is now\nexhibiting with its mass of letters. There is no line of practi-\ncable compromise. A beer and wine compromise would demoralize the\nwhole country and negative all enforcement. It cannot be shirked\nby loading the responsibility on public officials. They can go\nbut little further than juries will back them with unanimous\nvotes. There must be a strong general backing of the efforts of\nthe President,- the first President who has ever shown a positive\npurpose and ability to deal with the worst evils of society-by\nthe daily volunteer propaganda work of all decent citizens.\nJohn E. AYER, M.V.\n420 Haight Bldg. Seattle, Wn\nmay 23.25"
}