Evening star., 1925-07-15

Legislature, at its last session, failed
TO establish State police Nothing re-
malned for the bankers TO do but to
protect their property and trust funds.
as the pioneers protected their sheep
by placing bounty on wolves
The Philadelphia Public Ledger
speaks of the New Vigilarftes of the
West, hunting robbers in Illinois.
Indiana and Iowa, and recalling the
days of 49, and the necktie artists
inmortalized by Bret Harte." The
Ledger sees spreading over the Middle
West the movement to fight organized
crime and thinks there has been
nothing quite like this in America for
a generation
An industry that needs encourage
ment gets a boost in Chicago" says
the Worcester Gazette, which contin-
ues: Ordinarily a bandit isn't worth
a plugged nickel to anybody, but ban
dts have market value now in Chi
cago. The death penalty does not
prevent murder, says the sentimen-
talists, but the Chicago bankers are
working on the theory that a dead
bandit ceases to be a menace the in
stant his carcass is neatly drilled with
a steel-jacketed bullet. Some may dis
pute the ethics of this proposition. Its
logic is irrefutable."
Commenting upon the reward as
seemingly a cold -blooded proposition,
the New Haven Register reminds
us that: Bandits armed to the teeth
enter banks for the purpose of rob-
berry and they are prepared to kill
if thwarted in the effort. or if ham
pered in their escapes. Yes. the Chi
cago bankers seem hard men, but, on
second thought, they are not so. They
are merely cuStodianS of the prop
erty of others, over which they are
morally bound to exercise great care"
IF bandits would give advance no.
tice OF their operations, the Burling-
ton Gazette suggests, collecting these
rewards would be easy. Unfortunate
ly. they have a habit of performing
without previously notifying anybody.
They are liable to swoop down in
the dead hours of the night or at
midday and shoot their way through
to safety. However, the incentive Of
garnering $4,000 is apt to give folks
additional courage. It is not a bad
move, and if it increases bandit NOR
tality it will be money we'll ex-
pended"
! The offer of a reward. according TO
| the view of the Cincinnati Times
Star, is IAN effort to enlist citizens
| in an informal auxiliary army of law
and order" The Times-Star thinks
the action of the Cook County bankers
| probably will be followed in other
communities"
This much is certain" argues the
Grand Rapids Herald, "if extra-legal
| capital punishment is right, legal cap
! ital punishment can't be wrong. The
ultimate redemption value in a live
/ bandit is problematical; but the lack
| of social menace in a dead bandit
/ is an absolute and final certainty.
] We need a few 'certainties' in our
dealings with capital criminals. They
need EN-, too" The Canton News
also holds it is quite likely that the
mere fact that an outlaw knows he
will make himself the target for a
man who shoots to kill will cause
| him to mend his ways" while the
Toledo Blade credits the bankers with
belief in the revival of the ancient
fear of being killed. .
On the other hand, the Nashville
Banner believes that the Chicago
action encourages "lynch law of a
kind under legal auspices" while at
| the same time It agrees that lit is
the variety of argument the bandits
will best understand" Opposition
! also is voiced by the Roa noke World
News, which asserts that 'in all
probability the very desire on the
! part of these bankers for law and or
der swill lead to more lawlessness."
The Roanoke paper holds that pass
| ing sentence of death upon criminal,
no matter how guilty he may be, Is
the function of juries and courts"
Branding the bounty action as "a
$500 reward for murder" the New
| York World maintains the stand that
| there is no way short of a trial at
| law 10 determine whether a man is
! a bandit or not" while the Louisville
! Times, concedng that dead bandits
are superior TO live bandits, declares
that for permanency the bounty sysa
tenn Is not advisable or Rracttcablesa