A STATE CONSTABULARY

It is a written rule that the wicked flee when no man pursueth, and however limited or absolute that truth may be, it suggests another, to the effect that trusting to human nature when there are no patrolmen does not pay in our stage of civilization. So in regard for such an axiom the New Jersey Legislature after 12 years of agitation has passed a bill establishing a state constabulary. Such a bill provides for a state police force of two troops of 65 men each, the officers to be men who have served in the United States army with at least the rank of Lieutenant; the entire organization to be under the control of a commander. Thus New Jersey has joined the list of eight other states who have made provision for the protection of all life and property from the raids of gunmen and thugs.

In Massachusetts also, the creation of a state police force is being encouraged. The object of the House Bill No. 280 is to perform one of the most basic aims and distinctive functions of the government, namely, the protection of citizens living in the rural districts, where there are at present over 300,000 with totally inadequate police protection. This bill asks that an initial expenditure of $100,000 and an annual sum of $300,000 he provided for the establishment of a police force similar to those in New York and Pennsylvania. When hardly a week passes without the perpetration of crimes, a yearly tax of 72 cents per capita is not too much to pay if adequate protection can be obtained for the rural districts.

The idyllic day when property could be left without fear of destruction has passed. Lawlessness has become too common to excite surprise and has reached a stage where it is seriously threatening the life and property of citizens. Practically all New England states are considering the possible advantages of state constabularies and the time is not far off when every commonwealth will have its state police.