The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-05
THE KEYSTONE POLICE
Both Laborers and Operators Have Come to Have Confidence in Them

active service in the Philippines, Cuba, | Porto Rico and in China at the time of the Boxer uprising There are doctors, | lawyers, college graduates, cowpunchers, l genuine blown in the bottle soldiers of l fortune on the force. Each Is a well set | up, well seasoned, thoroughly disciplined and gentlemanly veteran.
 | In April. 1905. the governor of Penn sylvania, Samuel ". Pennypacker, wrote | a letter requesting Capt. John c. Groome of the Philadelphia City Troop to come to Harrisburg. Captain Groome had seen active service in Porto Rico at the time of the Spanish war, he was well versed in the maneuvering of mounted men. -Captain Groome" said the governor,
 in effect I am responsible for the main- | tenance of peace and order throughout | these 45,00D miles of commonwealth. | Whom have I to help me? Wharton, my | secretary, and my stenographer. It's too | big job for three. 1 had the last ses- sion of the legislature pass bill creating a department of state polce.4 VIII you assume charge?"
 l Captain Groome went over the partic- ulars of the plan and accepted.
 l Before the advent of the state police l the governor of Pennsylvania was wont I to commission at the request Of property | owners, what were called the Coal and | Iron police. to preserve order as best they | steel mines or in the coal regions. These Coal and Iron policemen were for the most partsmen who sided with the oper- ators for the time being and for cer- tain monetary consideration. In many 1 indeed in most of cases. they were mex perienced and inefficient and their terms | of service were for some unaccountable reason unlimited. Not a few of the crimes committed in times of industrial Tai at a still wore badges of Coal and Iron poli,e- | men
 1 The sentiment toward the 'Pennypacker | Cossacks," as the miner and mill worker dubbed the Pennsylvania state police at | the time of their organization, was about | one-tenth for and nine-tenths against. The operators were no less dubious as to the effect that would be produced by the state police than were the miners and mill workers. Certain railroad officials | were bitterly opposed to them on the ground that they constituted simply po- litcal organization, valueless in time of real trouble. But 1t turned out other 1 wise
 | Major Groome Che is major now) de- clares than one trooper is equal to an even hundred of the average mob. One | or two striking comparisons Of their | effectiveness as against that of the old time Coal and Iron police or the state militia will suffice.
 l In July. 1892. s563 Pennsylvania Nation al Guardsmen were summoned to at tempt to maintain order during the great strike among the steel workers at Home stead. Pa. The maintenance of these men in the field and salaries paid for their services cost the commonwealth exactly $40, ,3S6.22, more than the total appropria- ton to maintain the entire state police
 force of Pennsylvania for one year.
 The steel strike at McKee's Rocks. in 1908, promised to tower head and should CTS above the one in Homestead. troop
 of state police were on the ground at the first hint of disorder. Their superb courage and diplomacy brought about a | satisfactory settlement at total cost to the commonwealth of nothing, because | "in a fight or frolic" they are at all times on the payroll.
 Again, during the strike in the anthra- cite coal fields of 1900. 25o0 mlitamen were sent to the rigion to preserve order. Their maintenance cost the common wealth. according to the figures of the adjutant general, s11s,s4252 In the same field in 1902 the entire military force of
 Pennsylvania, 5000 men, was called upon
 to uuell the great strike authorized by
 John Mitchell.
 Funds from the state treasury to the extent of s993. .s5646 were eaten up in sal aries and maintenance of the militiamen. while the money lost by them in being or dered to forsake their vacations for the time being their various business enter
 prises suffering proportionately, cannot be computed.
 Captain Adams, with eight troopers
 from Troop D preserved order and conse-
 quently brought about the settlement of the 1906 strike in the bituminous coal re-
 gicns, where, during a previous outburst
 of lawlessness, a while brigade of militia men had been used.
 The trooper has other duties besides
 queling riots. restoring order and pro- tecting property during strikes. He is a game and fish warden a county detective, a fighter of forest fires and a health off cer Blackhand outrages have been inves- tigated by them and the societies broken up. Counterfeiters have been run down and captured Quarantines have been maintained during epidemics. Thieves | have been traced and taken into custody
 In one year this body of state police
 enforced the laws. maintained order and
 protected millions of dollars worth of
 property during five great strikes and in
 addition the departments received during
 that year 355O calls for assistance from
 sheriffs. district attorneys, chief of police,
 justices of the peace mayors and fish and
 game wardens-nearly 10 a day.
 In single year the force. taken in the aggregate, rlueS osU,uU miles, Nlsitiue ups
 ward of 200o towns and boroughs in 6l
 different counties. while the money col
 lected and turned over to the counties
 and the fish and game commission from
 procured convictions runs well up into the
 thousands of dollars annually.
 The force in only 22s officers and men.
 Notwithstanding the fact that the en-
 trance examinations to the force are
 rigid the training and duties more often
 arduous and dangerous than pleasant,
 andthe pay insufficient. there are 50 or
 more applicants for every available va
 cancy On the other hand. many men.
 after their first term of enlistment of two years have left the force to accept better
 paying positions.
 The Pressed Steel Car company in But Ter, for example, will take on all the ex-
 state policemen they can get to act as private detectives about the plant at sal aires ranging from s75 to s10o a month. Eighty-two of the 13s men discharged from the force in one year bore excellent records. were we'll trained and efficient.
 but left to accept positions offering moro tempting salaries
 Through the activities of Major Groome a substantial increment was added last