The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-11
AIDING LAWLESSNESS.

For political, sentimental or other
reasons, Vicious and unwsrranted at
taohs are occasionally made upon tho
officers of the law who adopt approved
and accepted methods Of protecting So
ciety. Such attacks encourages Grimm
ais and weaken the safeguards pro-
vided for those who obey the laws.
They mako the protection Of life and
property more difficult and introduce
an element Of anarchy which society
cannot afford to overlook.
Government inspectors, detectives,
ard police are constantly called upon to
employ methods which sentimentalists
do not approve, or which politicians
find 1t expedient to condemn for selfish
reasons or from motives Of revenge. A
local instance Of secret service meth
ods has aroused this kind Of censure.
The methods employed by the inspectors
have been approved by the Unite States
supreme court in several cases and are
the accepted practice of the department
Of justice and Of the postal inspection
service. A personal attack upon pos
tai inspector is wholly unfair,
especially as the investigation which
be concluded was begun by other
inspectors, one Of whom has since died.
Whatever criticisms can be fairly used
must, therefore, be directed against the
United States supreme court, the de-
partment of Justice, the department Of
postal inspection and all first-class DO.
lice departments
In the local instance there was evil
dence that money was received in the
postal money order department Of the
Salt Lake postoffce that never was ac-
counted for. II was discovered that on
one occasion Nevada postmaster sent
in remittance letter accompanied by
$205. On the remittance slip, however,
he had listed only 5000. He received in
return a receipt for 5000. Other in
stances Of like kind led the postal in
spectors to make an investigation in
order 10 fnd out who got the SURPRISES,
and they adopted the only means pos.
sible. They repeated as a decoy what
the Nevada postmaster had done in
the ordinary course OF business AS q
result they discovered what became Of
the surpluses i'll the money order de-
partment that were not accounted for
on the receipts 70 postmasters.
The postal inspectors are employed
to enforce the law If they are to be
handicapped in their methods by the
political or sentimental reasons of those
who defend wTongdoing, then one in
centive to honesty in public affairs is
removed and society is thus far left un-
protected.
1t is ridiculous to argue that inspec-
tors and detectives ou secret service
work must not use decoy methods, for
so to argue is 70 contend that detec-
tiyes must shout their business from
The house tops, throwing secrecy to the
winds. It is, Of course, possible 70 EN-.
ploy disreputable means Of obtaining
infornati secretly, and no attempt is
here made 10 defend some forms of "the
ihird degree or degenerate devices Cor
deception. But those who take high
moral grounds in this regard are
scarcely warranted in coudemning meth.
DDS approved by the United States su.
preme court.
In three cases At least the United
States supreme court has held that
1T is immaterial on an indictment
under article 5467, revised statutes, for
stealing a letter and its contents from
the mail, that it was decoy letter ad
dressed TO fictitious person"
The decision is contained in
Goode vs. u. S~-i5s L. s. o. $50
MoniSomery ". U. s.-162 U. e..
.. al
Sect vs.. U. s.-l7a L. 6. pp.
A similar ruling Of local interest wa.
II ease which was tried before Judge
Marshall The defendant was arrested
eight years ago on charge of sendinQ
obscene literature through the mails
The evidence showed that two books OF
IN obscene character had been mailed
10 a government inspector, who secured
them by means Of deeoy letter. The
court held that the fact that a decoy