Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-20
IGNORE PRESENT
YUMA LAND LINE,
SAYS BALLINGER
Secretary Orders Officials
Here to Disregard Po-
lice Numbers
PROTESTS ARE FILED
Homeseekers Form Organ
ization; Send kilograms
to Taft and Flint
PROTESTS ARE FILED
y EcRETARY OF THE INTERIOR

~ BALLINGER flashed curt mes
~ sage from washington yesterday
afternoon to the United States land
office in Los Angeles which brought
| CONSERVATION into the ranks or the
| famous Yuma land line. The secretary
| ordered the Los Angeles officials TO d1s-
regard the line and numbers assigned
| by the police, for which patient men
| and women had stood in the street for
seventy-six hours and for which others
have paid hundreds of dollars.
An alleged dark horse" syndicate. or
secret CLIQUE of men, who are said to
have made desperate efforts to buy
places at the head of the line, in some
| instances succeeding, is blamed by
| MANY of the Yuma walters for the
| secretary's action.
| Immediately after the receipt OF the
news an appeal to the police was made,
assurances of protection were given.
| and an organization of homeseekers,
which has rented the vacant store at
! 218 West Second street, was formed.
| Telegrams were sent last night to
President Taft and Senator Flint, ask
| ing that Secretary Ballinger be seen In
behalf of the ''old police line"
| Ballinger's order a short time after
! its arrival in the land office struck the
waiting land seekers like a thunder
bolt out of a clear sky. A light rain
had been falling for an hour, which,
despite improvised protection on the
street curbing, had drenched the men,
women and children, although there
had been no complaint made outside OF
| the crying of the children as they clung
| to the skirts of their mothers.
News Reaches the Line
The news first reached the number
less" stragglers at the south end of
the line. A cry of despair greeted 1t.
which, taken up from mouth to mouth,
spread with lightning rapidity down
the line.
and chilled to the bone, the last man
to draw a number. and that, too. 200,
who had clung to his place for fourteen
hours with a perseverance and tenacity
surprising for his age, dropped to his
knees in the mud and water of the
gutter as he heard the news and cried
like a child.
| the line, bronzed from service in the
| Philippines, where he had fought for
Uncle Sam, who but twelve hours pre-
vious had turned down an offer of $1,000
| for his place at the head of the line.
| bit his lips, and with an oath struck
the iron lamp post at his side with
bare knuckles, drawing the blood.
/ everywhere dlOuS the HIS Tic ii1sFo
was received with great disappointment
and despair Long hours, day and
night, passed in the street apparently
had gone for nothing, and the dreams
of cozy farm houses snuggled on the
fertile rolling plains of Yuma were
quickly supplanted by visions of strug-
Cling masses of disappointed humanity
! outside the grim doors of the govern
ment land offices.
Americanism Asserts Itself
But the Americanism of the crowd
soon asserted itself. Stronger minds
! took the initiative Leaders mounted
chairs and pleaded for organization, for
recognition, and advised that kilograms
| be sent to Taft and Flint in the hope
| Secretary Ballinger would be brought
to see their side of the question and rec
ognize the police line.
| Captain of Police Dixon answered a
hurry call from police headquarters and
expressed his sympathy for the wait
ers." He assured them protection in
the nlblic streets. Line UP, and you
won't be disturbed" he said. "The po-
| lice department is with you. You were
| here first am satisfied trouble would
result if this line We're ousted, and we
don't want any trouble or bloodshed in
Los Angeles. That isn't the Los Ange-
les way of doing things"
After renting a vacant store in which
to pass the night and store their be-
longings, committees were chosen to
bring in persons still holding their
places in the old street line, and who
not until nightfall and after repeated
assurances from the police would con-
sent to join the new organization and
accept it's hospitality.
Captain Dixon later paid visit to
the cline headquarters and suggested
a committee of three be selected to call
| IT. H.. lr~rafxa Of
office C. c. Clark, w. v. Faulkner
and j. d. Gilmore were appointed as
a committee to call on the newspapers
to lay the situation before them. A. II.
Bacon, A. H. Thomas and A. U. Stmp-
son were chosen a committee to send
telegrams to President Taft and SEN
ator Flint. A committee was appointed
to wait on the police department and
to keep the organization Informed daily
OF police instructions.
Organization Perfected
John Orrill, real estate broker liv-
ing at 1920 Myrian avenue, who held
second place in the line, was elected
permanent chairman, and G. r. Bunker
sergeant-at-arms. A. M. Phillips Is
chairman.
The police line was moved early yes
terday morning from its position in
front of the Chamber of Commerce
building TO the west side of Hill street,
between First and Second streets.
The telegram from Secretary Bal
| linger reads:
washington, D. c., FEB. IL, 1910,
Register and Receiver, Los Angeles.
Cal.
"Disregard line and numbers as
ST irned by police Secure Shrine audi
forum or some other suitable building
for March i and open its doors at a.
M. for admission of Yuma applicants
close and lock doors promptly at a.
M. and take name, address, age, height,
weight and signature of all applicants
then in auditorium, and later and be-
fore close of business on March 10.
1910, receive and suspend their appli-
cations. Where two or more apply
for same tract such applications are
to be considered and disposed of as
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