The U. S. Department of Justice does not want new laws that would widen its authority to act against the bombers of synagogues in the South, W. Wilson White, Assistant Attorney General, indicated last night in an address to the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Bar Association at Spring Lake Beach, N. J.
“There are grave questions of policy involved in such a basic change in the responsibility for law enforcement, which would extend the Federal police power to a crime peculiarly local in nature the violent destruction of property in the community,” Mr. White said.
“Although such an extension of Federal authority could be supported under the commerce clause, it might have an effect foreign to its purpose,” he pointed out. “All of these bombings appear to have their origin in racial or religious prejudice. Such occurrences should unite the communities concerned in their response to violence and bigotry.” He said that a shift of enforcement responsibility to the FBI “could be used by local officers for relaxing their own efforts or for evading their responsibility.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
