The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-24
VIGOROUS ACTION NEEDED.

Under the administration of Chlef
Sheets, this city has had an uncom-
monty fortunate exemption from crime.
On coming into Office, he suppressed the
robbing gambling dives that were so
favored feature of the Morris church
administration which Immediately pre-
cedcd the present one. With this sup"
preston, naturally considerable num-
! bcr OF vagrants and toughs who had
/ picked up prccarious livelihood In
| bumm,pg or boosting about such dives.
| had TO move on. The city was much
the better for their room. For months,
the city was almost absolutely free from
crime.
Then came the so,called McWhirtcr
robbery, and the subsequent raid upon
the Police Chief, a depravcd political
partisan conspiracy in which the county
money was scandalously and indecently
used to fight the city force. The church,
the county officials and the expelled
gambling buns and boosters united IN
this conspiracy against Sheets. The result
of this fight, while not in the least In.
NOlNlUR tUltl iouttls III any OhtbsN VI
blame, has put the force in state
not favorable to good work. The county
officials have invaded the police ranks,
seeking to detach the subordinates from
their allegiance to the Chief; to induce
them, on promise of reward or protec-
ton, 10 swear to falsehoods, and in
various ways so to cripple the force as
TO render it less efficient,
To what extent this criminal inva~
sion of the police force has demoralized
its efficiency, we cannot say. But that
it must have had an appreciablo effect
no one can doubt. When the Chief Is
so bounded as Sheets has been for some
months past, by officials whose bounden
duty 1t was to support and not assall
him. it is inevitable that the force will
to some extent become listless and dis
affected. The plain duty of the munici-
pal administration, under these circunl-
stances, is to weed out tho lame ducks
and give the Chief united force of
hearty, whole-hearted supporters, who
will work effectively and unitcdly to
protect the public and do their whole
duty, undeterred by any threats and
uninfluenccd by any criminal promises
of the county official conspirators
against the Chief,
We note that the Smoot "mouth -
calls for the reorganization of the police
force also, but its idea is to reorganize
it on the lines desired by the political
conspirators and their allies, the gam
bling boosters; that is, TO ruin 1T and
deprive the public of the protection it
has the right TO expect. We call for its
reorganization in the interest of the
public, so that the force shall be firmly
united, loyal TO its head, and shall
work for the full protection of person
and property.
1t is not reasonable to expect that
the city shall be at all times wholly
free from crime; that even the most
prevent all lawlessness, or TO immedi
ately spot and convict the criminal.
Much less can this latter be done if
there is among the force a certain
proportion of men who arc afraid of
the county conspirators, or who do not
care to do their best because they
don't want Chief Sheets to get the
credit for what they may do in the way
of searching out and arresting supposed
criminals. The way to get rid Of this
sort of ineffcctivcness is to fire every
one of the force who is inert or who is
disloyal to the Chief. 1t is always adj
visable to do that; just now it is i'm
peratiye.