The Carlisle independent., 1907-11-07
WAR AGAINST CRIME
GOOD WORK DONE BY POSTAL
 SERVICE.
Mighty Army Ever Engaged in Serv. ing and Protecting the Public
 SwndIing Advertisements Detected and Barred.

Just how much of its amazing de- yelopment this vast country owes to its postal service would take volumes to tell. A mighty machine is this, whose pulsing is felt in every home and place of business, however re- mote. from Alaska to Florida. It is served by a mighty army of 319,S98 employees, strategically disposed in some 10000 offices, which handled last year 1861 ,O9O,61O separate pieces Of mail.
 It is evident that to protect these postal myriads, and to see that thelr units are not used for fraudulent pur- poses, is the work of Titan, who, however, looms unobtrusively as Post master General George von l.. Meyer Crimes of all kinds connected with the post office are published in jour- nal never seen by the ordinary public the depreciation bulletin of the serv- ice, which must be read by every sol dier of the postal army under pain of fine.
 Monday morning frequently brings startling wire to state center Post office robbed last night; safe blown with guncotton or nitroglycer' in" An inspector is on the spot as fast as express trains will carry him. And a stringent inquiry is begun on the spot. Occasionally suspicion falls on an inside man, who, if convicted, IS taken before the federal courts and sentenced to at least three years. may mention here that every post of fee in the country is periodically over- hauled by an expert and everything from staff to stamps checked and rassed All we'll" And incidentally all complaints against postmasters, carriers and clerks are sifted. for charges more or less we'll founded are often laid against these for intoxica- tion, laziness, lettering, carelessness or downright dishonesty.
 But the fraudulent use of the mails through swindling advertisements is vastly more difficult on account of legal technicalities and flaws of which swindlers know so we'll how to avail themselves. John Hill, Jr., of the Chi cago board of trade, estimates that every year the people of the United States contribute the enormous sum of $100,000,000 to get-rich-quick and safe investment swindlers alone. All classes are affected, from the laundress to the lawyer, clergyman and merchant. There are victims in the cities, on farms, ranches and plan. tations, and in every hamlet and little village. For distance is swiftly bridged by the United States mail and the public's money flows freely and quickly through that gigantic artery.
 Only the other day an enterprising seed" merchant was sentenced to years imprisonment and fine of $500. Amateur fcrists all over the country had for years been receiving gorgeous colored catalogues from him and ill every case he announced the discovery of rare and marvellous flower and he agreed to send a small quantity of tho precious seed for one dollar a package
 In the first flush of enthusiasm few amateurs let such a chance go by. Even professional florists subscribed. On each package was the usual trade notice that no guarantee could be given as to germinating power.
 Much anxious watching, careful watering and wedding availed nothing, however, and for the most part the gardeners concluded their methods were too crude for so exotic flower. A New York woman thought other wise. On receiving her packet she took it to an expert and found that the priceless seed of that wondrous bloom consisted entirely of palm leaf fans crushed into seedlike fragments