Evening star., 1931-06-20

Comment on the fatal shooting BY
deputy sheriffs OF two Mexican students
in Oklahoma, made more conspicuous
because one Of the young men was
relative of the President OF Mexico,
takes the form of q protest against the
too free use of firearms. the tendency
tn shoot first and think afterward. ana
the placing OF other objecttves above
the safeguarding of human life. IL IS
Insisted that there should be no lack
of vigilance in protecting aliens, thougn
1t is shown that in this instance tney
carried pistols. Special obligation upon
officers who are in plain clothes, as m
this killing, Is emphasized.
THE two youths who were slain" ac-
cordinR to the San Antonio Express,
were under protection of both Federal
and State governments, and sats
tourney to the border was due them
while observing that one deputy shertn
reported that he fired only after the
two students had displayed pistols, the
Express holds that the mental state
described is not q proper one for
peace oficeE," and concludes, Not dip
lomatic considerations alone, but also
discipline among the law enforcemen. y
organization at home demands action "
"A nation Is responsible for the pro-
lection Of aliens who are within It's
borders and behaving themselves" de-
cIares the Lynchburg News, adding that
"fnternational law and the law OF hos
pitality alike see to that" The News,
however. feels that 1T would be worse
than foolish to permit the incident to
strain relations between the two coun. .
tries" The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel
concludes: According to international
law, o nation is responsible for reason
able protection of aliens within It's
borders, as long as they respect the
laws of the land. Such protection Is
presumably as much against law en-
forcement officials as against banoftCl.
plain clothes undoubtedly have their
advantages" remarks the Ann Arbor
Daify News, "but are not these more
than counterbalanced by the hazard
Gus Misunderstanding that can be laid
to absence Of uniforms? This Okla
homa incident is likely to be strong
case in point. When all is said and
done, we should not be surprised to
learn that the fundamental cause OF
the fatalities was plain clothes" The
Kansas City Times offers the Judg-
ment: 1.-The deputy sheriffs who did
the shooting are to blame for not ex-
ercising greater care In overhauling and
Questioning the students. For unless
officers are in uniform, they easily may
be reearded as bandits in these times
of frequent H1old-ups. Fear Of banditry
is particularly apt to possess the inno-
cent, for they have no reason to fear
officers"
MANY men who have been guilty Of
no. offenSe," asserts the Texarkana
Gazette, have been shot down In the
| tJfitAd states by Ofiicers without the
slightest justification. Many others
whose offenses were of minor character
have been shot in tf1e back merely be-
cause they resorted to flight. When
| desperate crtminals--known TO be such
Are being dealt with there could be
| little complaint II one is killed, nut
there should be no more shooting OF
| suspects and minor offenders except
where armed resistance Is offered. A
minor offender might attempt to escape
| byD flight. but he Is not apt to imperil
This life by flghting off1aoTs. Surely no
cfacer has a right % Viii unless ms
own life is placed in imminent peril.
YAnother tragedy of guns" Is de-
comments: There viii always be peace
| officers too quick on the trigger and
private citizens too ready to wave their
pistols. They shoot first and ask ques-
tions afterward." The Oakland Trib-
une contends that there should be nc
/ place in police ranks for men who are
too free with their weapons" The
Savannah Morning News suggests that
I'VE seem to put more value on several
other things than on human life" The
Seattle Daily Times charges "ofiicial
Incompetence, and recalls that many
American citizens have lost their Lives