NATIONAL GOVERNORS' CONFERENCE 927

As Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black wrote in 1966, "Once you
give a nervous, hostile and ill-informed people a theoretical justifica-
tion for using violence in certain cases, it's like a tiny hole in the dike;
the rationales rush through in a torrent, and violence becomes the
normal, acceptable solution for a problem.... A cardinal fact about
violence is that once initiated it tends to get out of hand. Its limits
are not predictable. "

A corollary conclusion is that violence rewarded spurs further
violence and perpetual violence ultimately produces a brutal counter-
reaction.

Capitulation to violence, either to keep the peace or from misguided
compassion, is suicidal for a society. While hardening of attitudes
and polarization are paralyzing, equally unconstructive is the new
national pastime of intellectual immolation of which the Kerner
Report could be considered a classic example.

This phenomenon could be described as collective breast-beating
masochism where a nation indulges itself in self-flagellation on every-
thing from Vietnam to violence. Guilt immobilizes and fear polar-
izes; let us search for a new unity based on strength which energizes.

For all of its dramatic departure in analyzing the cause of the prob-
lem, the Kerner Report's recommendations for its solution were sur-
prisingly unoriginal and undramatic. I for one cannot believe in-
fusing more money into the so-called ghetto is the answer. Our goal
should be to eliminate ghettos altogether, not to build better ones.

Insofar as the specific Kerner Report's recommendations to provide
immediate and short-term solutions to alleviate pressures in the
ghetto, each state must measure them against standards of benefit
and waste. A case in point would be the call to create two million new
jobs. Right now Maryland is experiencing an acute shortage in un-
skilled manpower. While the jobs in many cases could be considered
menial, the work is steady and the pay approaches minimum wage
levels. We are presently engaged in a comprehensive survey of un-
skilled employment practices to get to the root of this problem. Where
employers are exacting unrealistic requirements, we hope to revise
employment standards. At the same time, we want to be sure able-
bodied persons are not drawing welfare while jobs go begging.

Decentralization of city agencies and improved police-community
relations are critical. I do not think we will improve public attitude
toward law enforcement until we dispel public antipathy toward law
enforcement officers.