Evening star., 1921-11-24
Limitation of Mail Robberies.

zone Of the first things a boy learns
when he is permitted to go about the
streets with his fellows is that he
the Seattle Times independently re-
marks. A few boys have forgotten
that precept of their early youth re-
garding the inviolability Of the United
States mail, and they are now to be
reminded of it by means Of a sawed
Off shotgun in. the hands of an Amer
lean marine. While the necessity OF
ASST gnlng armed forces to the task OF
guarding the mails is deplored by
editorial writers as rather an un-
pleasant comment on our social dis
order, the Postmaster Generals step
is approved by most papers.
Robbing the mails, says the Butte
Miner (democratic), is not only AN
action against the government Of this
nation. but it is a direct violation of
an important sort of the security OF
every law-abiding citizen in the
United States" More than any other
institution. the post Office lis the prop
srty of all Of the people, ieasnandente and the
feels that it could not maintain It's
prestige If it for a moment displayed
an inability to cope with problems
presented by thieves and robbers.
Nearly every individual feels that he
can transmit money orders s..n IN ns .ns
that confidence Is to be maintained
at all costs"
But it is generally admitted that
this confidence has been considerably
shaken by the frequent and increas-
ingly bolder attacks upon mails in
%Io mt s.
ness Of the post office employees The
need for protecting the mails may
indeed be desperate" the SPRING
field Republican independently THINKS,
and the decision to man the cars with
marines is, in the opinion of this pa
checking postal robberies" Trough
the necessity for such action ie to
be regretted the Salt Lake Desert
News independently nevertheless rec
ognizes that strenuous measures are
necessary to put stop" to these re-
peated outrages' and It mas aniee
appropriate the detallln8 OF marines
to that task.
The Arkansas Democrat (Little
Rock, democratic) considers the idea
"a capital one," for the marines have
a reputation for getting what they go
after no matter where It may be 10. 10.
of laying the mail car bandit low as
they were of stopping. the Hun at
Chateau Thierry." Certainly with ma
rines ION the trains and at post offices
and railway stations, the Aberdeen
sured that mali robbery will be a
hazardous occupation" So far the
post office has not been altogether
blameless in 1.-The epidemic OF rob-
beries," the World thinks, because
"the free and easy methods that have
asv1 IyaH hod n
their influence. The temptation was
great and the risks did not appear to
be large. It has seemed as If the pos
tai service almost invited robbers to
come and help themselves. 1t is time
that that changed, and it Is gratifying
This is the sort of warfare that
every citizen will approve" the Akron
(Ohio) Beacon Journal (republican)
declares, for when bandits get away
with millions at a single haul 1t Is
high time to bring ON the marines"
Vindicator (democratie) feels ''ought
to make an end of the work Of rob-
beSs through which business has suf-
fered losses in money and delays"
Secretary Denby's order to those as
sig, signed !. Ia,Do to postal Ias duty to shoot to
mail must be delivered or there must
be a marine dead at the post Of duty"
may sound ''cold- -blooded and heart
less" but the New York Evening
World (democratic) assures us that
at isn't" rather at is life insurance
for the marines" because bandits
know the record Of that branch Of the
service, they know the corps tradi-
tion Of courage and obedience to or.
ders." and ut will be a hardy robber
who will try to shoot it out with
the Marines The Roanoke World
News (democratic) is confident that
mails will go through undisturbed
from this time on" for marines aren't
any fonder of dying than other peo-
ple," so "it can be seen at once that