Wall Street Financiers and Mobs.
By Editor
On this page in our issue last week we spoke of the request made by Wall Street financiers for increased numbers of regular troops on Governor’s Island in New York Harbor. By a mistake, our note said 2,500. It should have read 250. Some of the newspaper correspondents from New York are devoting space to a discussion of this suggestion from the Wall Street financiers. The claims of these financial men are that in case of “an earthquake” or of “mob violence,” it would be essential to have troops where they could be brought quickly to protect the immense treasures of the nation that are stored in Wall Street, as well as the treasures of private individuals. The men who are making these requests for troops certainly must hold the popular belief that New York is outside the “earthquake zone,” and therefore their fears are for mob violence rather than for any trouble about earthquakes. And they prefer regular United States troops to the expedient of calling out the state militia, because they know that the militia is more likely to fall in with the mob. These men have their “ear to the ground,” and can hear the rumblings. If there were no dangers from the mob, they would not be taking these precautions. We need to think soberly and seriously in regard to such conditions that prevail. What is their significance?