The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-17
HOW MAY PUBLIC MEN
BEST Be PR0TECTED?.
Shooting of Mayor Gaynod
Brings Up the Question
VIGILANCE is NEEDED
Members Of secret Service Give Their
Views and Declare That All Pub
lie Men should be Wen
Guarded

New York. August 16-(Special.)- The
assault on Mayor Gaynor has renewed
with added force the interest in the ques-
ton of how public men may be best
protected from the murderous attacks OF
cranks like Guiteau, Prendergast and Gal
lagher.
No three men in the country are better
qualified TO discuss this vital question
| than Chief Wilkie of the United States
secret service, William J. Flynn. in
charge of the eastern division of the Sc
cret service, who looks after the Pres
ident when in this section. and former
Chief of Secret Service Aldermound. Here
is what they say:
| By Chief ]. E. Wilkie of the secret ser
vice at Washington: Past experiences
have shown me that to safeguard the
lives of our public officials, whether
national or state, we have to be eternal
" on the watch for the unexpected. AS
long as there are public officials, and'
might add, officials Of business concerns
as we'll 1t will be necessary to guard
them.
There are views as to how public
Official SnOulu- ne BudluSu, pue -
| all persons who have to do with the sa1e-
keeping of the lives and persons or OF
fcials agree that some guard constantly
on the alert and always with the person
or persons guarded is the best method.
This plan sometimes falls.
"Of course, circumstances have much
to do with the method adopted. The con-
ditions of the various classes in the DIFF
ferent parts of the country must vary
the odds to a large extent. II is abso-
lutely necessary to guard public men
from attack, and the only practical meth
or is to be constantly on the alert. Eter-
nal vigilance must be the watchword
of the guard, the one to be guarded and
the latters friends
Secret Service View
BY Chief William ]. Flynn of the
eastern division, United States secret SER
vice: IF Mayor Gaynor had been prop
erly guarded last Tuesday morning he
would not have been shot. II pubic
official is properly guarded no man can
come I'D behind him and shoot him in the
back 1t is a different matter to pro-
tect man from being shot at from
distance, but guards who understand their
work can easily prevent an evildoer from
getting close enough to his intended vic
tib to shoot him the way Gallagher shot
the mayor. If Mayor Gaynor had had
any guards around him the shooting
would have been impossible unless they
had been inexcusably negligent.
There is no denying the fact that II
a desperate man wants to kill a public Of
fetal by means of firearms, 1t is almost
impossible to prevent If the assassin be
a good shot. But If public official is
well guarded it lessons even that danger
to a considerable extent
Most public officials have such conf
dence In their fellow men that they do
not take any steps to protect themselves
by surrounding themselves with guards.
I understood Mayor Gaynor disliked to
have guard near him, and many public
men share his feelings. OF course, the
secret service has nothing to do with
guarding the mayor Of New York. The
only person we are authorized to protect
is the President of the United States but
II seems to me the mayor should be
guarded even IL he does not want II.
anyway, his back should never have been
left unprotected. When a stranger gets
anywhere near the President one of his
guards runs his hands up and down his
clothes and If he feels a big lump that
might be a revolver he is taken care of
then and there. man with a revolver
or any weapon has no business near the
President.
Taft Does Not Fear
president Taft is different He has
such faith in his fellow countrymen that
if he ever were attacked 1t would fall en-
4. .lr - xaat anf
How can public officials be protected
from assassination? Well. | said before
they can be guarded so that no one can
attack them at close quarters OF course,
a crack shot with rife. If he is deter
mined to kill a certain man, is beyond
the power of human agencies to prevent
him from carrying out his work, But the
greatest danger is from the crank and in
sane man. and they invariably try to get
to close quarters to carry out their work.
II think IL the several states passed
laws making 1t capital offense to make
any kind of assault upon governor
mayor or other high public official, 1t
would tend to make such crimes less nu-
merous. OF course, this law would not
deter the determined criminal, but 1t
would have a wholesome effect as a de-
terrent to cranks.
Registry Of Sales
Tn an. 100, every safe u HlcaiHio
should be registered. Every store that
sells a revolver or rife of any kind should
be compelled to file report with some
official stating to whom the firearm was
sold and for what purpose 1t was to be
used This regulation would have ben
eficial effect In this way: If public offi-
cial received threatening letter he could
have the police ascertain II the writer
had bought reyolver recently or even II
he owned one In addition. as all nre-
arms would be numbered, II a revolver
were found near the scene of crime, 1t
would be easy to trace its. owner or at
least its purchaser, and in that way aid In
the capture Of the guilty person
Another thing l would suggest is
strict enforcement of the law which pro-
|hibits the carrying of concealed weapons
More care should be exercised In the is
suing of permits to carrying fire arms
Now. not one of these things. or all Of
them. will prevent a murderous assault
from being made upon public OFFICIAL
II is impossible to prevent insane persons
from attempting to carry out their pur-
pose However, If my suggestions as out
lined are carried out. 1t would lessen the
danger Of assassination to public men,
If Gaynor had only taken the precaution
and had two guards near him last Tues
dav he would have been enjoying his va
cation instead of lying dangerously
wounded In a hospital.