The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-12-02

~ SNeW VI nDRpp
printing is not new. France IN.
the United States. has been cons ga
ering the plan, and Argentfns 9 :,
really has a working svs,. ~
though not quite SO comnls,. ea
that proposed for thiscountry
/, Every citizen liable to mii;,.
service in Argentine is finger nri,,.
ed at the age of Is. Women a,s =.
compelled to have their prints ~
en-, but many of them do M =.
their own protection and ~
venience.' The head of the Arssr
tine system-suys that customs "a
institutions of his country nata !.
almost necessary for a resident -
carry some sort of credentials. ana
the finger print has become :
standard of identification there
If the system is ever introduce,
into the United States it win nroh
ably have to be on a more deani,.
basis. To start the system. fir,as
prints would have to be taken Inc.
as the census is. After that. eacs
year children attaining six wear,
could be finger-printed on 6rss
date.
Patterns Never Change
Mr.. Bennett says that this Ara
limit is not set because Of any
change in prints due to growth An
individuals finger print pattern,
DO not change from birth to death
except to become larger. A babv
four weeks old can be finger print.
ed, Mr.. Bennett explains, though Ii
is difficult to keep the fingers IN.
curled sufficiently TO make clear
print, and the ridges are so fine
that they are not easy to analyze.
For permanent record, therefore,
it is considered advisable to wait
until the sixth year.
Each print record placed On file
in national, state and local bureaus
would show the name and address
and next OF kin of the. individual
If he changed his address. or il the
next of kin died or left the country
the local bureau would expect to
be made on the three records. The
efficiency of the system would
thus depend to some extent on the
cooperation of the public in keep,
ing the record correct.
The argument has been present
ed that such a system would be ex.
pensive and that cities would not
regularly go to the trouble Of
identifying the human mysteries
and notifying the proper friends or
relatives.
Mr.. Bennett says that cities al
ready go to a great deal of trouble
and expense in such cases, and
that municipal authorities would
Welcome the establishment Of a
system to help them, especially
since it would mean saving in
other directions. To keep man
suffering from paralysis in the city
hospital until friends claim him Or
his people can be found is expen-
sive. To bury a mysterious body
in the potter.s field costs s25 OF
$50. To send a telegram to mans
next of kin in a nearby city wou!d
cost perhaps less than a dollar END
the city would be glad to be re-
lieved of its responsibility so read
lily. Cities do not often dispose o.
human mystery carelessly, be
cause it is always to their advan
tage % solve the puzzle. In bury
ling an unidentified body cit!
might be burying a troublesome
criminal or a missing heir. and TIL
search for that person might go OF
needlessly for years Yet in spit
of Investigations and widely ad
vertised inquiries 10000 sucl
bodies are buried each year.
Identifying persons who are fol
some reason unable to prove wht
they are is the most obvious USE
of the proposed finger print bu-
reau. Other uses would undoub''
eddy be found once the system was
established. An imposter would
find it difficult to keep up his hiuf
once he WAS suspected. To refus'
to show official finger print proc
of his identity would be TO nvit
suspicion. and sooner or later NJ
prints would be obtained by so@
iruse and checked up Officially.
! Claimants for the fortunes 9
long missing heirs coEld be mad
to proAe their claims by the hinge
print records. Insurance case
could be settled by reference to ID
official files. That is. for mstaahc'
} if an insured man were killed IN a
accident, and his widow were pu
TO Nthe necessity of proving INA
the dead man was indeed her ha'
= band in order to draw his lnsal
: ance. finger prints might De Ut
lized.