New-York tribune., 1899-12-18
POLICEMEN AND POLICEMEN.
SOUTH AFRICA MIGHT IMPORT A FEW FROM
NEW-YORK OR FROM PENZANCE.

SOUTH AFRICA MIGHT IMPORT FEW FROM
NEW-YORK OR FROM PENZANCE.
When anything goes wrong In Europe the first
thing 10 be done is to call in the police. Not only
are the police the only persons who have the ability
and the authority to settle anything, but when
things go wrong they are sure to find 1t out any
way and 1t is better to tell them at once and avoid
the appearance OF secrecy, Which Is always
ground for suspicion.
This is especially the case on the Continent, and
IT is I'm a large measure the case in England. All
through the Anglo-Saxon world has been sung, III
YOU want to know the time. ask p'liceman" and
again, IF you want to get drink, ask p'ice-
man." If you want to know where you are In
London you ask a policeman. and If you want to
know how TO get where you want 10 go to. you
ask a policeman. And when an Englishman travels
he expects TO find everything everywhere as 1t Is
I'm England II he does not he denounces It, what
ever II is as highly improper and ridiculous
What was more natural therefore. when the
British wanted TO find the Beers. than that they
should ask a policeman? And the policeman di-
rected them Well, they found the Beers. But
somehow there was something not quite right about
IT, The rule about policemen does not seem 10
work In South Africa. Instead of leading them
fairly up 10 a reasonable number OF Boers, ne ied
them out upon a sort of peninsular, consisting OF
tract Of land almost entirely surrounded by Beers.
And that proved unfortunate. They had been led
into bag blind sack trap.
How much better 1t would have been II they had
had a New York policeman! These traps seem 10
be abundant in South Africa They are always
open on the side toward the British and closed on
all other sides. But a New-York policeman could
get between them. There was never anything so
wide open that New York policeman could find It.
He is used TO steering between openings, WITH his
blind eye toward one and his deaf ear toward the
other II he were In South Africa II would Keep
the Beers busy to find him that the BRUSH
could do anything they liked with the Beers.
Or plan which might have turned out to be
equally good strategy would have been to bring the
policemen from Penzance. When the force OF that
town was in pursuit OF pirates some eighteen or
nineteen years ago, and when II knew that the
enemy was near It sang, "Our obvious course is
now to hide" That is the Beers obvious course,
and II proves good one. as long as II Is pursued
by only one side. Why do not the British get
their policemen from Penzance, or take leaf out
of their book and do the Beers do? Then II
would be a question OF which could hide longer.
As soon as either side got tired of hiding and stood
up, the other would have only to shoot 1t down
This would simplify warfare. so that almost any
body could carry 1t Finally. let the British De
assured that II they to try the New-fork
plan most good New Workers. would gladly spare
them a few policemen or even good many, II II
would promote Anglo-Saxon unity. The policemen
themselves would not be Anglo-Saxons. but that
would be minor detail