The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-22

portions of Allegheny coun-
-N ty purpose pressing this viii
ter for the creation by the legislature
of :, permanent state constabulary. we
have, not seen an outline of the meas
ure they intend 10 offer. but its gener-
al purpose will be TO equip and Keep
continually at work force OF state
policemen in communities where tur-
bulence is rife.
The idea is an old one. not hitherto
commenting itself 10 the legislature
because that body saw no necessity for
maintaining simultaneously the Ma
tional guard and an additional police
force intended for similar duty. BUT
with a clamor going up from labor or
glnizations through the commonwealth
for the repeal of the enactment permit
ting the appointment in times OF APP
prehension Of coal and iron policemen
and bringing pressure to bear upon the
politicians to do away with all private
guards of property, there is some like
lihood that the coming session will take
action on the constabulary proposition.
1t is not a reflection upon either the
patriotism or the efficiency Of the Ma
tional guard to say that it is poorly
fitted for much of the police duty now
exacted of it. There are vast dfferen-
ces among the regiments in efficiency,
as Scrantonians have recently had oc-
casion TO know. Few military nrgani-
zations anywhere could have made
better record than our Thirteenth did
in the recent service under CoOne!
Watres, while iii the laXity OF discip-
liIie visible in certain other camps in
this vicinity. we had an object lesson
in how military service ought not to
be conducted. But cutie apart from
any questions of comparative disCip-
line. the fact remains that the National
guard is too large an institution and
TOO military in it's composition and
movements, 10 fiji the needs of agile
police work around the edges of IA dis
turbed industrial condition.
It's place is as a reserve against or
ganized or mass violence. But for
every instance of such violence there
are hundreds of petty acts of outrage
and intimidation involving only a few
persons ut II time but occurring so
rapidly and SO numerous as to amount
lin the aggregate to "A challenge to civ
.iliZation. and to cope with these re-
quires uniformed police officers mount
ed ana armed and reinforced by detec-
tive specialists working under an intel
lsent directing head. II should be
within the power of she,iffs to summon
these state reinforcements at the first
cruptive signs of anarchy in their bal
iwicks, and once Summoned, they
should go for evil doers as the famous
mounted police of Canada went for
them in the days when it tanned the
whole Canadian Northwest, under con-
ditons infinitely more difficult than
prevail during a strike in any portion
of Pennsylvania
In dealing with violence in the n
dustrial regions of Pennsylvania. it has
been demonstrated repeatedly that
promptness is all important. The eN-
ecutive who hesitates is LOST. A swift
and decisive move at the Very begin :
ming of the trouble usually ends it, with
lhhhite economy in money ana tran
auiil'y II not in human life The Ma
tional guard is not constituted so as to
lend itself readily To swift work in
ssJnall detachments in the beginning of
- period of turbulence. Our system of
ssovernment does not At present pro-
sYde adequately. for this admitted and,
a would appear, growing need. And
sShe oglission of suolr provision is a
heostly mistake, whether measured in
,aollar losses, or in the decentralization
following the overthrow of ordinary
.Testrants, r,
~ betore making penny domestic
sRostal rate the postotiice authorities
propose to make two-cent foreign
ssate, Better let charity begin at home,