Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-12-25
THE BURGLARS AND THE POLICE

| Ho chlNipllelhb DuIklbI Is 80 Duhy
lburgling these days that he has no
time Ito lie a-basking in the sun. I"
His is the one business whose pros
Iperity has been increased by the
hard times and he is pushing Il so
energetically that the companies
which insure you against loss from
his depredatlons are going to raise
their rates.
These bnrglar insurance compa-
nles report that the increase OF rob-
berries which has entailed loss upon
them has occurred within the last
sixty days. The reason OF that in
crease at this time is obvious. We
have had big bank panic and thou.
sands of people have removed their
deposits. They must keep them
somewhere, and II the burglar is In
dustrious his chance OF finding the
home substitute for the savings bank
Is exc llent. Obviously. that is the
burglars view OF II, because they
have been working like beavers since
the Knickerbocker Trust closed It's
doors. Obviously, too, they have
been rewarded, for the insurance
companies report that more robber-
les have ben committed during the
last fortnight than in any other
period. That is. the first burglars
who went after the domestic boards
have been so successful that they
have drawn other criminals into their
line OF work and are creating some
thing like an epidemic OF robbery.
The insurance companies blame
for this outbreak of crime the police
policy OF eoneealment They insist
that II the police should return to
the old Brooklyn practice of giving
to the reporters all complaints of
crimes made to them that the result
ing publicity would make people eau
tious and the burglars hauls would
be smaller.
Whether the police accept the
suggestion or not. however, there is
one obvious precaution: Let every
one who has taken money out OF the
savings banks, or who carries large
sums in his house or his pockets
promptly put that money into the
banks. The burglars can't get II
} There, and the indications are thai
those directors who were likely q
walk on with IL without the formality
of asking leave have been caught
and removed from the sphere of theii
dangerous activities.
This return to ordinary prudence
on the part of citizens, however
would be no reason why the police
should not resume the practice o.
reporting robberies, which worke,
well in Brooklyn from the time this
city had police down to the days o.
consolidation. The police theory II
that publicity would hinder the cap
ture of the robbers. The real reasoT
for their course may be that public
ity would give such proofs of polic'
Incompetence as 10 raise a storm o.
public indignation. But even theI
the publicity would aid the police de
partment because II would create
demand for the additional mel
which the police force so mrgentll
needs. The number of the robber
les and the losses by them are fal
greater than the public dreams. II
one year the fire losses in the city
were $s,00O.00O. while in the same
ltime the robberies amunted to SIS,
OO0,O 900. The fires that year mum
bered 5000 and the burglaries IS,
900. 1t is high time that the pOlic'
wake up, but it is alOo high time tina
hOuseholders stop trusting bureau
; drawers or mattresses with their re
sources. s.-Brooklyn Eagle.