The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-05-19
a TALE OF TWO COPS.

mayor of a town who appointed
sroief of police whom he called Jim"
The chief appointed a chap called
+"Dick" to be roundsman.
One day the mayor called the chief
into the Office and said: Jim, there
mas been a lot of stealing of valuable
packages from the public warehouse.
You better put man on there every
aight, and pinch anybody you see
Banging around"
So Chief dim called in Roundsman
Dick, who had the warehouse beat,
and told him to watch the ware
house.
Roundsman Dick replied How do
I've know the packages are valuable?
E9ow do we know who owns EN-?
WHATS the use of watching all night?
II anything is stolen and it's of value,
we can get il back, can't we?"
But those fellows are wise enough
20 steal only valuable packages" said
Chief Jim. 1--WE can't be sure of re-
covering the stuff if it's stolen. The
old man says the way to be sure is to
watch the stuff first and find out aft
serward who owns it and how valua
BILE it is
The roundsman, who knew the
warehouse gang and had some
friends among it's members, grumbled.
Indeed he grumbled so much that
Chief jim and the mayor We're quite
stirred up-but the mayors order was
enforced in spite of Roundsman
Dicks disapproval and the ware
house gang was chased away.
An election was held. The mayor
wanted to go to Asia to make a col
lection of butterflies. and one of his
friends was elected mayor in his
place. Among the things agreed upon
by the old mayor, the new mayor and
the people of town was that the
warehouse gang" should continue to
get the boot"
AS soon as Mayor Bill was sworn in
he accepted Chief Jim's resignation
and made Roundsman Dick chief of
police.
The new chief at once withdrew
the watch from the warehouse. He
said: IF the city council passes some
new laws, and if that stuff belongs to
somebody. and if it's stolen, and if it's
worth anything, this police depart
ment will get busy"
The warehouse gang heard of the
new order, and soon began to loaf
around the warehouse corner as of
yore.
Mayor Bill heard of it and asked
about it, but the new chief said there
wasn't enough law and we don't
know about the value of the stuff"
etc. etc.
And Mayor Bill said that, of course,
Il chief of police had to be mighty
careful not to get mixed up in legal
"technicalities.
And the people who had stored in
that warehouse valuables belonging
10 themselves and their children and
grandchildren began to wear wor-
ried look.
President Roosevelt appointed JAS
r. Garfield. secretary of the interior.
TO watch the public domain.
Richard A. Ballinger was commits
sioner of the land office. having GUS
tody of the public lands.
Roosevelt told Garfield that land
thieves were getting away with water
powers, coal land. Ignite, phosphate.
timber and what-not, and told him to
stop ii.
Ballinger objected that the law did
not warrant such action. eff the land
Is fraudulently taken and is valuable,
we can sue to get it back" said he.
But n. X. and Garfield thought that
10 hang on to the land for the people
first and have the lawsuits afterwards
was better business.
Roosevelt wanted to hunt African
lions. Taft was elected president.
Garfield got out; Balinger got his
job. Baliingcr now orders that land
need not be protected from land
thieves. If ii is stolen and is valuable
we can sue to get it back. And any
how congress ought to pass some
more laws.
And the heritage of the future gen
tie reader. your heritage and the heri-
rage of your children, is in those pub
lie lands-iands that the great thieves
covet and expect to get.
In the packing house rebate cases,
Wickersham. Taft's new attorney
general, says: mo public service is
rendered by Furnishing past transac-
lions"
In the land cases Ballinger. Taft's
secretary of the interior says: "Wait
till the crime has been committed be-
fore you do anything"
Fine for the warehouse gang!
The racing season has opened IN
Now YarIs hut tbaro