The Portland daily press., 1890-09-18

Commenting on the the release Of the noted
bank-robber Langdon w. Moore from prison,
and his reported resolution to forsake his
former criminal pursuits, and to return to
the path of rectitude, the New York Trib-
une says:
Inspector Byrnes has too thorough knowledge
of human nature, especially on its neither side, Il
trust implicitly on the professions Of longtime
intends TO lead different life. 1t is not surpris
ing, therefore, that he received with smile of in
credulity the other day the assertion of notori-
Gus bank-robber just out OF prison that he was
tired Of his old way of living and meant to live
honestly In the future. STILL the man should have
q fair opportunity OF proving that he means what
he says. Let him bring forth fruits meet for re-
pentance by all means, If he can. He asked to be
'let alonen by the Inspectors detectives. The
and, unless there is some good reason TO suspect
him of crookedness, he ought not 10 be arrested
same time the detectives will be Justified in keep
ing steady eye on this particular ex-convict fol
a Considerable time to come.
1t is of course not natural for Inspector
Byrnes, whose business in the detection Of
crime and the capture of criminals Il
'trust implicitly the professions" of any
body. His professional training makes him
reverse the usual order of things and to pre-
sumo suspected man guilty, until he proves
his innocence. Considering that Mr.. Byrnes
Is responsible for the safety OF life and prop
erty in New York. perhaps this unresting
suspicion is justiiable. Nevertheless Moore's
assertion that he intends to live an honest
life may be the expression of an honest pur-
pose and. therefore his request to Inspector
Byrnes to take his name off the list of pro.
fessional criminals, whose every movement
Is watched and recorded is entitled to con-
sideratlon. His continual pursuit and
shadowing by detectives will certainly tend
10 drive him back to crime. While 1t would
be too much to ask that man of Moore's
record be absolutely let alone simply be-
cause he has declared his intention of be-
ling himself, the watch kept upon him
can NC made SO priyaso nnt to continuailv
advertise him to the public as Nman o,lv
waiting for an opportunity to commit erime
A man named fill, James Hill of Dum.
fries, Scotland. has been In America and he
doesn't like it bit. He stayed with us
several weeks, 1t seems, although the first in.
timation we had of his visit, was in an in.
terview in London after his return to the
cid country. Mr.. Hill spent his time in this
country studying American institutions
Closely" and drawing differences from what
he saw. One American institution that Mr..
Hill studied closely was the tariff "The
traveller In America" said lie lis simply
heeced. skinned and scalped by protection
owing TO 1t, America is the most costly
country In the world for travelling. The
price OF every thing is just about double. I
mad 10 pay 20 Tor having my baggage carried
from the harbor of San Francisco to the
Palace hotel distance of about ono milo
have had to pay ST. for the service of a bar-
Der and have again and again beon IN tho
company of tourists whose Journey has hson
one long grumble against extortionato
prices" Perhaps 1t may be protection" that
set the fashion of scorning anything less than
silver quarters in San Francisco IL 1t is. Mr.,
Hill deserves to go on record as the dis
c0verer of the fact. Five dollars for baggage
transfer would be little steep In this part of
the country, but in Golden California all
things are possible In the way of prices
One dollar for the professional service Of a
barber is not a tremendous change, if the
barber went through the whole catalogue of
his Establishments. The third charge that
Mr.. Hill had heard tourists" grumble
again and again at the extortionate prices
ought tU make him see that it was something
other than protection that elevated them.
had the tariff been responsible, these other
tourists would have long before learned to
put prices up in their own callings, cores
ponoingly. As matter of fact, Mr.. Hill
osne 70 TINS country under false impress
sion; de thought that it was cheap affair
al through and because he happened to fall
among the people who can give cavalry mon
ideas about charging, he laid 1t to the "roh-
Der tariff, that he had 5een taught IN bote
as he would pestilence