Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-11-15
MARINES ON THE lob.

1t is not to the credit Of our society that it
should have been thought necessary to employ fed
eral troops Tor the guarding Of mail cars against
the attacks OF robbers. The country is at peace.
There is nowhere 4 condition Of popular disturb
arsc. which interferes with the operation of the laws.
We have our regular peace .officers, our courts and
all the ordinary civil processes for the maintenance
of order. Yet the transportation and even the
possession of valuable property has become attend
ed with such hazard that in order that the govern
ment may transport the valuable property of it's
citizens from place to place it is necessary to call
on the military forces for protection. Public au-
thority as expressed, in the civil regulations and
civil processes has proven inadequate.
There is something which will impress the
reader as cold-blooded in the admonitions of Secre-
tary DENLY to the marines selected for the guard
ing OF mail trains. When assigned to guard a ship
ment of mail the marines are expected to guard that
mail, and to do the job thoroughly. If attacked,
il menaced, they are to begin shooting. There is
to be no holding up of hands. They are to shoot,
end shoot to kill. In the process they themselves
may be killed. In accepting their employment
they have assumed that risk. If ordered to quell.
a riot or charge an army they are expected to pay
no attention to superior numbers or deadly arma-
laent. They are to 60 OH and keep shooting until
they drop in their tracks. The mail job is for them
Just like any other job. The instructions are cold
FLOODED, but they are likely to be mighty effective.
Unless we are greatly mistaken the new ar
Iangement is likely to cause a serious slump in the
mail robbery business. Mail clerks are not en-
pleyed to fight. They have other duties which
keep them fairly busy. When the need arises
many of them do fight, and fight vigorously. Some
OF them have lost their lives fighting in defense OF
the property entrusted to their care. But when at
lacked they are taken at a disadvantage. and the
robbers always figure on the element Of surprise.
When it is known that a mail car carried men who
are trained to tight, who are there for that purpose
and no other, and who Will fight until somebody is
killed, the ropber is likely to give that car a wide
berth and pick out something softer.
A few cases Of shooting to kill by private citi-
zens would also have.a very wholesome effect OIL
the general situation. When a man finds himself
looking into the business end OF a gun and is or
dered to hold up his hands, reason requires that he
should comply. One'sSlife is.worth more to him than
the contents OF his pockets, and, logically, he should
yield to the inevitable. But occasionally there is a
person 50 stubborn that he refuses to yield to the
inevitable, and instead yields to his first impulse,
which is to fight, no matter what the odds. That
liz 4 course which no one can conscientiously recon-
mend to another. But when that sort Of thing y is
adonesa few times, with the result that a robber is
killed here and there, robbery loses some of its at
fractions.