If Miss Jane Addams had her way she would disarm policemen. The noted founder of Hull House and member of peace movements somewhat too closely related to Russian communist organizations believes young transgressors of the law ought to be given a better chance which a diminution of force would, in her opinion, provide. Miss Addams is right in at least one respect. The young criminals would have a much better chance if policemen were disarmed -- to commit more crimes, thumbing their noses at the bluecoats as a final gesture.
But, says, Miss Addams, policemen were disarmed in Ireland and look what happened -- crime decreased. Besides, she insists that the mere fact of a policeman being armed "creates an atmosphere of adventure" that leads a youth into wrongdoing. In other words, what Miss Addams is trying to suggest is that bad boys conceive the idea that it would be fun to dare the risk involved in the perpetration of a crime with the additional hazard armed policemen would provide. The odd thing about this is that no one ever thought about it before, but then Miss Addams is an original soul and has been for a good many years.
Miss Addams has sought to make a comparison of Ireland and the United States. She has failed to take into account that there is a wide difference between the Irish and the American peoples. In Ireland most of them are Irish; over here the melting pot has been at work for generations. Another thing: In Ireland the lure of wealth is not very great; here it is powerful in every direction all the time. Young criminals in this country perpetrate crimes mostly for gain. In Ireland most crimes may be due to passion.
It is barely possible that Miss Addams, who believes in national disarmament in a degree which nearly everybody else considers disastrous, cannot get rid of the idea that weapons of all kinds ought to be dispensed with, so she turns to policemen and demands their guns. The idea is unworkable, fortunately for society, including Miss Addams, for if this kind of disarmament were ordered a most embarrassing situation would develop. Where would Miss Addams get policemen if she succeeded in disarming them? In California a university test has shown that policemen passed examinations with a higher average than army officers and college freshmen. No intelligent policeman anywhere would work for Miss Addams on a bet, but it is a foregone conclusion that she has the enthusiastic support of the underworld, especially the younger element.
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