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Newspaper Page Text
THE PUBLIC FORUM HOW ABOUT IT, INSULL? Commonwealth Edison Co. advertises electric heaters are hest of all and old-fashioned coal stoves are the worst of all. Why "then does Pres Insull of the C. E. Co. permit the ele vated roads, which his group con trols in addition to C. E. Co., to op erate with coal stoves? The latter are bad for ventilation. Passengers need the room. Why does Mr. Insull bluff? C. S. ABOLISH THE POLICE DEPART MENT. Mayor Thompson has told us what all intelligent, observing peo ple knew that the police depart ment stinks of graft and corruption. Now that we all know this and it is officially recognized, what is the remedy? The mayor stirs up the stinking pot and lets it be where it is, stinking still more after the stirring process. But the obvious remedy is to remove it as quietly and carefully as possible. Nothing is gained by mixing its various properties and stirring up its contents. Can the police department be abolished? Why not? What pro tection does the average citizen get from the police? Do they ever get any real criminal, unless it be one who runs directly into their arms? How many of our numerous murder "mysteries" do they solve? No real criminal pays the least attention to the police we have in Chicago to day. Why should they? Instead of the lazy, inefficient, grafting police every honest citizen with a well-balanced mind should be allowed to carry arms for the protec tion of his life and property. Crim inals and stick-up men would fear this a great deal more than they fear the police. Citizens would then be awake and prepared to defend them selves, instead of depending on po lice protection, which is no protec tion whatever. As it is now, the meek, law-abiding citizen has no means of defense. The police and the desperadoes have monopoly on the carrying of arms. And the result it that it is practically safe for a hold-up man to rob individuals and even whole groups of people on the streets and then walk quietly away. If any special men be needed to keep order and ,atch in the various neighborhoods, let us have an un paid, voluntary citizen police. Some one perhaps objects that crime would increase if the police were abolished. Even if petty of fenses immediately increased the abolition of the police would in the long run diminish crime more than any other measure because the peo ple would be ready and prepared to defend themselves and their property, would learn to depend upon them selves, and would not helplessly put their lives into the hands of profes sional protectors. Theodor Johnson. ON PREPAREDNESS. Comments on a previous article on preparedness induce me to offer my ideas again to this column. I do not think universal conscrip tion an unmixed blessing or trouble, but I believe it an unnecessary inno vation. Still in this great generation some preparation is needed and some system of compulsory selection of about 2 per cent of the people should be worked out for our military needs. Experts agree that our vulnerabil ity is largely made up of our more or less unprotected coasts and the fact that possession of a small, easily-won strip of country from New York north would almost wipe out munition and commercial manufacturing, not to mention the destruction of shipping. Their remedy a great -navy, coast defenses, a great army. But the real remedy would seem to be to remove the temptation. In other words, let the government establish great muni tion works at various interior points, I such as Chicago, also encouraging all -A. rimTr nr lUimtMtmmmmmtmmm