Arizona republican., 1909-02-04
THE RANGER FORGE
 ANSWER TO INQUIRY
A Short Description of the Ranger Or
 ganization and Its Functions.

A reader of The Republican yester- day requested this paper to explain to it's readers just what the ranger force is as many new corners are not fla miliar with the organization or it's functions The Republican hastens to reply before the body disbands in ac- cordance with yesterdays legislative enactment, for the organization is now practically history" instead of news"
 The ranger force was created by law that took effect March 21, 1901, authorizing the governor to appoint captain, a sergeant and twelve enlist ed men. The company is under the law governed as nearly as practicable by United States army methods, the governor being the appointive and re- moving power and the commander in chief of the force, with authority to disband the organization, in full or in part, wherever he thinks it has served it's purpose Its base of operations is wherever the governor or commander designates, supposedly along the from tier or in the most exposed portion of the territory. The functions of the rangers are lO dBBlCItliu VI wherever they are found. the same as a sheriff would except that their au thority has no limitations by county boundaries. Any criminal arrested must be turned over to the nearest peace officer in any county where the arrest is made. The territory furnishes the members of the force with board and forage for his horse and with arms and equipment, under certain limitations, the forage not to exceed $1 per day and the arms and aquip ment to be taken out of the first sal ary payment after enlistment. The rangers may go in complete com pany organization. or in squads or singly on any specified duty as the officers shall direct
 later law authorized the expansion of the force to twenty three members including the officers and created the office of lieutenant. The headquarters of the force for sometime past has been in Naco and the commander of the force is Captain Harry Wheeler, though recently the headquarters was temporarily moved north where the lieutenant was stationed, during a SllpIl dDStlCc OI CdpldlH W uttltI lIOul the territory.
 The work of the rangers has been general in it's character being in large part devoted to cleaning the country of horse and cattle thieves, though many fugitives from justice in other states have been apprehended and many home grown criminals guilty of felonies of all kinds from robbery to murder have been taken into custody by rangers who were opportunely present. They have been a combina- tion of a detective, a police, and mil itary organization, and of the effect iveness of their work in cleaning the territory of its tough element, and in preventing bloodshed at scenes of threatened riot, by their quiet and timely appearance, there can be but one opinion for the official record of their operations is a comprehensive one.
 The politics of the members of the force are never questioned and in view of yesterdays action it is quite inter esting to know that though the force was organized and has ever since been maintained by and under a republican administration, of the twenty-three members, twenty are said to be demo- crats and most of them southern dem ocrats at that. The other three are presumably republicans