6 ANNUAL REPORT OF 



their neighbors or fellow citizens for carelessness in caus- 

 ing fires, but how shall we abate the habit of negligence 

 in the use of fire in dry weather unless it is made known 

 that an offender will be held to account? If we leave the 

 law a dead letter, what is going to prevent some terrible 

 catastrophe in an extremely dry period ? Are not 

 humanity and kindness really on the side of a rigorous 

 rather than a lax enforcement of the law? No man has a 

 right to be setting fire either to brush or meadows in very 

 dry weather. Any person of good conscience and com- 

 mon sense who sets fire to clear land or for other purpose 

 will take such precautions by piling his brush, digging 

 and carefully burning fire breaks as will prevent fire get- 

 ting beyond his control. 



The law as it now stands reads as follows: "Any fire 

 warden who knows- or has information of facts and cir- 

 cumstances which he believes can be established, and 

 which if so proven would show beyond a reasonable doubt 

 that any person has caused a fire in violation of this 

 act, shall immediately go before a justice of the peace and 

 make complaint thereof." The law requires that fire 

 wardens shall, " without delay, inquire into the cause of 

 each forest and prairie fire within their districts, and 

 shall immediately report the same to the Chief Fire 

 Warden." These officers have no discretion in the mat- 

 ter. The law is imperative, and they must, if they do 

 their duty as respectable citizens and officers, prosecute 

 people who carelessly cause forest or prairie fires, if 

 evidence can be obtained. 



It sometimes happens that witnesses will not swear in 

 a trial of the case to just what they have previously 

 stated. Convictions may not always be certain, but it 

 does good in a community in such cases to have it 

 understood that an honest and impartial effort will be 

 made to have the law rigidly enforced. In this way we 

 may prevent another Hinckley fire. 



