The Washington times., 1920-03-21
ALL
F|NGERSURGED
MARX" Every American, InoIud-
ing Babies, Says Police Ex-
pert, and Keep Out Reds"

Urging not only the finger-print-
ing OF all Federal employees in the
Capital but a national system under
Government control OF taking the
fnger-prints OF every man. woman.
and child, Patrick Ryan. former finger
print expert or the New York police
department and now associated with
the municipal civil service commits
sion of that city, created a mild sem
sation last night at a banquet OF the
War and Navy Department members
OF the International Society for Per
sonal Identification.
~keep the reds of American soil"
said Mr., Ryan. This will be a simple
matter IL the deported reds have had
their finger prints taken. The finger
print Is an infallible Identification.
there being no two finger-prints alike.
Immigrants leaving foreign shores
for the United States should by all
means have their fnger-prints taker
other before sailing or on the ship
carrying them to these shores. IL
record OF finger-prints Is kept through
an international system of police and
immigration authorities. a red immi-
grant can be refused passage TO this
country and entry into our ports"
Urges FfnEerprints of babies
Every health department should
have on file the footprints OF babies,
particularly those born in hospitals,
said Mr.. Ryan. Such a record. he
claimed. would dispel the fears OF a
mother that her baby had been care
Iessly switched" in a hospital ward.
The boards of education in every
large city should have the finger
prints of all school children. Mr..
Ryan argued. to help the police To-
cate the parents of lost daughters.
"And every municipality should
have the fingerprints OF every man
and woman" continued Mr.. Ryan.
Hundreds are killed by street cars.
trains and autos every year. Some
lie in morgues for days. weeks and
months before they arc Identified.
Others are never Identified. With a
national system of fingerprinting this
would never happen.
"Then. again. fngerprints deter
evil-inclined men and women from
crime. Police departments have got
the fingerprint system down to a
close margin.
Sure Means of Identincatlen.
NC ToiVSs' ho'h"S'
Washingtonian, for many years mu-
nicipal medical examiner OF New
York city and a student OF criminol-
ogy, spoke on the first use OF finger
prints in America. He told of banks
using finger prints OF depositors as
sure methods of identification when
doubt was aroused.
Among the guests at the banquet
were Congressman William c. Calder
and William f.. Cleary of New York,
Judge Kathryn Sellers, of the Dis
trict Juvenile Court: Acting Super
intendent of Washington Police In
spector Harry l.. Gessford, M. A. Nor
rison, president of the Federal Civil
Service Commission; DR.. r. II. True,
Department of Agriculture; Nj. c.
Figg, chief of Identification. Depart
ment of Justice; Miss G.. NJ. Sullen-
der, finger print expert, department
of corrections, New York; Walter 5.
Kaye, chief of Identification Bureau,
War Department; James III. Taylor,
chief Identification Bureau, Navy De-
partment, and William ]. Munich, for
merly Of the War Department. Chris
topher c. Bennett was chairman of
the banquet committee, which con
sisted of the following Washington
ians: Cornelius Madden, George Mel
son, Thomas Fitzpatrick, jr., James
F.. Marks, Richard F. Anderson, and
Harry +. Lawlor. all finger print ex-
perts of the War and Navy Depart
ments.