Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-30
vALLINS' RECORD AS CHIEF.
Weighed by the Records, He Falls Be-
hind Julian and Very Far
Behind Irwin.

The duty of the Democratic machine Or
gans is plain, now that Thomas n. Val
Inns has been removed from the place he
Illegally held as chief of police of Kansas
City.
They should come out and show by his
record during his ~incumbency of the office
what a vastly superior chief Vallins was.
A little more than a month ago-Mr. Val
Inns case being about to come up in the
supreme court and a howl of some kind
being thought necessary to strengthen
webbing vertebra-the morning machine
organ came out with a summary of Mr..
Vallins' work as chief and a rip-snorting
editorial weighing him by it. That was
the way to weigh a man, it was reiterated.
There was no possible way around it. The
number of arrests made in state cases, it
was declared, was the true test of Mr..
Vallins' efficiency as chief. 1t is also re-
marked by the Democratic organ that the
story of the era of inefficiency intervening
between the removal by a political cabal
of Captain Thomas NJ. Speers and the ap-
pointment of the present incumbent is not
only familiar to the people of this city,
but has become a matter of common
knowledge to the citizens of this and adj
joining states"
So VaIlins was weighed by his work.
and this was set up as the Democratic
standard by which the chief must stand or
fall. Unfortunately. but quite intention
ally, however, the Times did not present
any summary of arrests during the regime
of the political cabal." when Irwin and
Julian were chief. Hence it became the
duty of The Journal to point out that for
like equal periods the arrests in state
cases under Julian as chief aggregated
eighteen more than under Nallins and I'M
1A- F--f- 49,. --A-A H. ID NFaV
Inns. The Journal, wishing to apply the
test. went a step further and took up city
cases as well. In these. for like equal
periods. the arrests under Vallins num-
bered 1.2s7: under Julian. 1910. and under
Irwin, 1,3l2.
Now that Mr.. vallins has stepped down
and out. IL is clearly the duty of the ma
chine to laud his work as chief. and, of
course. he must be weighed by his work"
That is the proper caper.
But. somehow, the figures do not show
that Mr.. Vallins has made such "A brilliant
success. His administration isn't up even
to that of either of the two chiefs who
era of ineficiency.' If Mr.. VaIIins' record
as chief is to stand on the arrests made
during his administration, then he is a dead
failure. Despite his Pinkerton training, he
is less a success than either Julian or Ir-
win. The former was slightly his superior,
the latter far and beyond him.
That the work of these three much dis
Cussed chiefs may be understood and COM
pared. The Journal has compiled the rec
ords of arrests in state cases for like per-
iods under each administration, the per-
iodS being 10 days each.
The records show the arrests under Val
Inns to have been eight less than under Ju-
Ian and los less than under Irwin.
The following are the figures in detail:
ARRESTS ID EALLINS.
April 5 to April so, 1897. 20: May, 102; June.
100: July. to 2Sth. 100: total. 80.
ARRESTS UNDER JULIAN.
December IS to December 81. 1896, 10:
January. 104; February. 104: March, 100;
April, to sth. Is: total. POS.
ARRESTS UNDER IRWIN.
August % to August q. 1896. 49; Septem-
Der. 1S3; October. 125: November, 12i: De
cember to 18th, IS; total. 49G.
Therefore, as remarked by The Journal a
month ago. Mr.. Nallins. by the record. is
not the efficient chief it has been claimed.