The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-04-19
NO PAY INCREASE
Salaries Of State Police
Not to be Raised
REASONS FOR REJECTING BILL
BY HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
TIVES

without questioning the right of
the House of Representatives to re-
iect the bill providing for an in
crease in the pay of the officers and
men of the State Contabulary, an
examination of the reasons advanced
by the opponents of the bill dis
closes prejudice and a want of accur-
acy in statements of fact whereon op-
position was based. The principal
reasons advanced on the floor against
the bill, according to the House
Journal, Volume l, Session 1911,
Pages 927-935, were
/. That it seems designed to pro-
vide an easy berth for the officers.
2. The Constabulary was created
Of pay.
8. The Constabulary was created
and exists for the purpose OF pre-
venting the strikes of workingmen.
4. Economy.
5. Unpopularity of the force
among workingmen.
6. Unpopularity of the force
among farmers.
Z. The Constabulary is unneces-
sary, the character of its members
is open to attack, and it is cause
rather than a preventive, of riots.
The first, which seems to have
been a shaft aimed primarily against
superintendent Groome, becomes ri
diculous in view of the fact that the
superintendent is financially indie
pendent of his salary and could not,
it is probable, constitutionally take
advantage of an increase authorized
while he was in office.
Troopers Ill-Paid.
AS to the alleged sufficiency of
the present rate of pay, the argu-
ments for the increase, set forth
in the 1909 report of the Superin-
tendent to the Governor, are force
full and logical, and certainly are not
met by the vague statements and
incoherent abuse of the force which
remain of record on the pages of
the House Journal conglomera-
tion of wild charges without proof
or reason. The ancient and false ar
gument that the regular soldier is
paid Y13 a month, and does 100 per
cent. more duty than the State po-
lceman, was fully refuted on the
aoor by Messrs. Gilkeson and Nc
Aleer.
Arrests Are Varied.
The charge that the Constabulary
exists to prevent strikes of work
ingmen is untrue. The records of
the Constabulary, filed in Harris
burg and open to inspection, show
that of 3799 arrests in 1909, just
$50, or less than 4 per cent. were
made during strikes. The records
show that every riot call has been
answered only after at least one,
and, often, repeated demands from
Mayor, Sheriff or District Attorney;
those calls are on file. The other
arrests, or over 96 per cent, were
for every crime on the statute
books, from arson to wife-beating.
In 1908 the force made 502S ar
rests. In 1909 it made 3799, show
ing that as a result of the efficiency
of the force crime in the State de-
creased more than 20 per cent. in a
single year. OF the 3799 criminals
arrested 2613 were convicted, 440
still await trial, and TAG, or about
5 per cent. were discharged.
AS to economy, the increase de-
sired for the first year would cost
the State just $4,000. In 1909
there was turned into the State
Treasury by the Constabulary in
fines, etc., the sum of $53,62S. So
much for economy. 1t is an eccen-
trio thrift that hampers effective
protection, anyway.
Force Not Unpopular.
The workingman of the type
whose strikes the courts recognize
need not fear the Constabulary.
Even workingmen are glad to call
upon the force in time of need.
The force patrols the State, cover
ing about half a million miles in a
year; it's 200 men protecting an area
Of 45,215 miles and 100000 people
and they attend scenes of disorder
emily when properly summoned. In
1909 the required number of men
were sent promptly in response to
81 calls from Sheriffs, 48 from
District Attorneys, 50 from Chiefs
Of Police, 17S from constables, 612
from Justices of the Peace and
thousands from private individuals
otherwise unprotected.