The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-07-18
Bank Raid Suggests State Police

Bank RalQ suggests state FOllce
Minnesota has reacted to the Willmar bank hold-up,
the most brazen since the Youngers raided Mortified
half a century ago to their sorrow, with a movement for
a state constabulary.
The idea is that il the state had a police force of mo-
bile character such as Canada has in its Northwest
Mounted, bandits would give Minnesota a wide berth.
For a mounted police force Of that character would be
able to cut off the flight Of bank robbers, in all likeli-
hood. Anyhow, the Mounted Police Of Canada have the
reputation Of always getting their man.
Pennsylvania has a. fine state constabulary. Except
in the large cities one hears nothing OF bank and pay roll
hold ups there any longer. Before the state police force
was established, there were periodical pay roll hold-ups
in the anthracite country. Some Of these were accom-
panied by murder. The state constabulary also seems
to work well in New York state.
In both commemorative at the time of establishing the
institution there was much protest, in the belief that the
police were designed mainly to fight the battle of big
industries In their clashes with striking workers. Pre-
vously Pennsylvania was cursed with vast strikes, as the
railroad strike Of 1877 and the Homestead steel strike of
1892. In those labor wars national guards were used.
The establishment Of the state police ended the use Of
the guards in strikes and nobody now argues that phase
Of the matter any longer. It is feared that this old
Pennsylvania argument might be raised if Minnesota
went about establishing q .constabulary. In Pennsylvania
the march of events has disposed of the fear. The old
type Of strikes has died out. Arbitration is more and
more taking the place Of the old industrial warfare with
its violence against property and life and its bloods,ed
and death.
A coincidence of the proposal that Minnesota estab-
lsh a state police is the circumstance that at the moment
1t was being preached at a conference on governmental
relations at the University Of Minnesota by Raymond
Moley, OF Columbia university, New York, the raid with
machine guns was being made on the Wilmar bank.
Moley said the United States in It's failure to avail it.
self Of state police organizations has Jagged behind al
most every other civilized country on the face Of the
earth. Europe has them. They beget statewide activity
against crime, where, at present, there may be discon-
nected efforts decentrali2ed by professional jealousies of
officials Of the various counties and failing to produce CO.
operation:
Meanwhile Minnesota has had IA bank hold-ups so far
in 1890. The losses have been above 100000 and in two
Of the hold-ups bandits have been killed. The state has q
highway patrol which cannot pursue bandits and the
state crime prevention bureau is equally helpless after
the commission Of the crime, as It was in advance, to do
anything. It would seem that Minnesota would be in
terested right now in putting an end to these raids by
enacting better protection, which, 1t has been pointed
out. is a guarantee Of government to those entering into
its civic compact.