The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-08-08
What to Do

On the heels of a recent announcement that North
western Bankers were taking steps to curb the menace
of bank banditry comes the hold-up of a Bismarck bank
with one Of the heaviest losses ever recorded from th'
.ource in North Dakota.
The crime, quickly and boldly done, was a tribute t.
the efficient manner in which the present age has de.
veloped transportation facilities. Without the automo.
bile and good roads holdups such as that which occurred
here yesterday would be impossible.
At the same time, it was a direct hit at the failure
of society to devise efficient means Of protecting itself
and its property from the attacks of marauders.
There were some fortunate angles to the bank rob-
berry. There was no shooting and no one was killed
Murder frequently is a close attendant of such holdups
The recent history of North Dakota shows that, and
persons who are acquainted with such bank robbers
as have been captured assure us they would kill anyone
who attempted to thwart their plans.
The money loss to the bank is covered by insurance
and neither the bank nor it's d%epositors will suffer in
convenience.
There is more to the loss, however, than that Of
money. The moral sense Of the community has been
outraged, the public's sense of security in the posses
sion of life and property has been threatened and adj
ditional evidence has been given of the inability OF
the forces of the law to cope with the forces Of crime
That is the most disturbing thought growing out Of the
holdup. No banker anywhere in North Dakota can
be assured of safety while armed gangs, such as that
which visited Bismarck Thursday, tour the country
GiuO III ASe" PS"SASN o ~
expected. q
If holdups such as that of the Dakota National Bank
ard Trust company and Of the bank at Willmar, MINI.
continue, the effect will be to lay a severe tax upon
the whole banking industry, because insurance rates
will rise with the increasing frequency Of such visits
and the increasing losses which they entail. That
tendency already has become noticeable. :
Protection premiums are collected from all banks
and every bank suffers when one is robbed.
The question brought home most ~forcefully to citizens
of this area is what can be done to prevent further
raids of this character. And the worst Of 1t Is, there
appears to be no quick and easy answer.
Larger banks Of the country have adopted a system
of armed guards, placed in steel-cased booths at
strategic points in the bank buildings and with instruc-
tions to shoot to kill. They probably are an effective
answer to the problem, but they are expensive and
they, too, lay an additional burden upon the banking
business.
There is always a chance that such robber bands
will be captured. The police system is not wholly in
adequate and sometimes bandit gangs are brought to
justice. Recently bandits attempted to hold up a bank
at Glencross, S. D., and the justice dealt out to them
was quick and summary. Two were killed and one
was wounded.
Eventually, the same fate may be dealt out to. the
group which operated here. But there is no assurance
that such will be the case and meanwhile every banker
works in fear of a holdup and even of death.
The question still remains of what to do ABOUT it.