The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-06-21
SATURDAY, JUNE al, 1918.
sHuNTINe UNDEsIRARLEs.

The Larimore Pioneer, calls atten-
ton to the problem Of the undesirable
citizen as follows:
The Fargo police have begun a
"Qlean up Of bad characters in that
city and are, notifying all suspicious
persons, especially women, to leave
there. The method of driving suspl-
cious characters out of cities is a bad
one. If. these people have committed
any crime or are undesirable citizens
they should be dealt with in Fargo ac-
coFding to law and not be turned out
on the unsuspecting and innocent pub
lie to. ply their unlawful yocationS.
Where are they to go? If they are
made to tramp from n city to the
other they will become Wandering
Jews" It is like passing counterfeit
money, going on the theory that II
You have a counterfeit pass, it up to
your neighbor. It's all right just so
long as you lose possession of 1t. The
officers in. Fargo are acquainted with
the people that they are giving their
walking. papers to but when they land
att some other point they can carry
on their notorious schemes for a GER
tain length of time, or until found out,
and those f1eeced have no protection
except that Of experience. These peo-
pie have as much right to remain in
Fargo as anywhere else and if they
are committing unlawful acts they
should be dealt with according to law
and not passed along down the line
free and untrammeled,
The Forum believes, with The
Pioneer that the custom of shunting
undesirable citizens onto the next
town is not the proper solution Of this
vexing problem. This is especially
true of the hobo element. The. city
with it's strong police force. can drive
these worthless characters out, and
they sometimes gather in gangs in the
smaller towns and fairly terrorize the
citizens.
But-here's the, point as long as
this is the custom all over the country,
the Fargo police, are absolutely forced
to keep these fellows on the move.
They are not citizens of Fargo any
more than they are citizens of Lari-
more or any other North Dakota
town, and it is no. more the duty Of
Fargo to keep them than it is the
duty of Larimore. And if Fargo did
not keep them moving it would be-
come the mecca for all the I'M
desirables in this part of the country.
The Forum believes that this is real
ly a matter in which the state should
take a hand. There should be a state
c~onstabulary.
There is absolutely no excuse for
the hobo in North Dakota and the man
who will not work and will insist on
p~anhandling his living should be dealt
with by a power sufficiently strong
to make him know that the officials
meant business, ...
As for that other class, the I'M
desirable women, the gamblers, in
short the city law-breakers, The
Pioneer gives the wrong impression.
The city police do not say to these
people "get OUT" They say, "obey
the law"
Naturally, if they will not obey the
law they go to some, place where the
law is not SO strictly enforced. Many
of them do not leave town. There
are IN Fargo many people who We're
formerly law-breakers but who have
reformed and are now living clean
lives and are earning an honest liv-
ing.
II the Fargo police. strictly enforce
the law, and by that method drive out
undesirables, they are entitled only.
to commentator. Against. that
class. there is a sure and easy way
to erect a barricade in any city
simply enforce the law.