The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-07-27
The Necessity for a Police system.

listed in the structure of Southern society,
namely The magisterial functions of the
master within certain limited domestic
jurisdiction. Within its scope the crank
pledge" of Henry the First found its equiva-
lent and what in tho one case was exacted
by royal authority, was supplied in the other
by obvious considerations of self-interest -
This noseess but vigorous and wholesome
system has been destroyed. AS consequence,
society has to discharge all the varied and
often petty judicial functions which were de-
cided in the semi Baronial court of the slave
owner. The effect of this is already apparent
in all the tribunals of the country, where the
dockets are crowded, to the hindrance of civil
cases, by prodigous accumulation of mis-
demeanors which, five years ago, never came
under the observation of the courts. This
movement is progressive and we gravey fear
that the future will bring to us a still larger
number Of offenses, both great and small, to
engross the time and attention of Civil Mags-
trates. This apprehension rests upon solid
grounds of belief; for tho act which termina-
ted the peculiar relations of master and slave,
by virtue of which the former exercised the
jurisdiction of which we have spoken, at the
same time deprived the latter of certain
mode of subsistence, and threw him upon his
own resources Now, the two prolific sources
from which spring criminal violations of the
law are poverty and ignorance. These two
active agents are, so to speak, the recruiting
sergeants of the Devil, by whose inspirations
he enlists recruits of all ages and of every
nationality Referring the effect to it's
causes--tracing back crime to its sources
our generalization does not go beyond the
agents we have named
If then-except in cases of natural and in
born depravity-poverty and ignorance be,
as they undoubtedly are, the prolific parents
of unlawful and criminal actions, it is very
apparent that we must expect in the future
large addition to the inmates of our jails, aims
houses and penitentiares Nothing can be
palmer than the fact that the negroes of the
Soath possess both the above mentioned con-
ditions, which, with the probable aggravations
results we have predicted Nor is the negro
alone. The population of our cities has been
augmented by dangerous class of white men,
who have acquired in the campaigns of either
army, reckless disregard at once of the rights
of property and the sanctity of life We have
all these elements of disorder, lawlessness and
crime in our midst and in direct ratio to
the pressure of want upon these classes will
be their violations of law. Theft, burglary,
drunkenness and murder, are of more COM
mon occurrence to-day, than the least of these
otfenses was five years ago; and this because
poverty and ignorance have been deprived of
the wholesome regulations which once protec-
ted one class from the first evil and restrained
it in the second. These are grave consdcra-
tons Any man who will attend the Mayors
Court of this city will much that is gro
tesque, much that is laughable; but he will
also see much to make him ponder over the
grave question, ''What is to be the end of this
state of society ?"
Ignorance that is audacious, and poverty
which is abject must, in the nature Of man,
bear abundantly of bitter fruits--those fruits
are crimes and misdemeanors If illustra-
tons OF the truth of these propositions be re-
quired by any citizen, an examination of the
police reports OF any town, the news columns
OF any paper, or the docket Of any court will
give him the most melancholy confirmation
There is a license abroad in the land which is
daily growing in its proportions, and no oh
servant man can fail to mark its existence as
no benevolent one can fail to lament its
growth. Ignorance and poverty made FRANK
ENsTErN the monster he was, and we have
social fRANKENsTEIs among us What then
are we to do? The answer is Obvious From
remote antiquity all men aspiring to II higher
civilization have had a police The Anglo
SaXons had system which was a model in
itself and the only remedy which we have
against the evils growing out of the present
texture of our society is to be found in n
vigorous police. One of the functions of this
force, and its most important is to pre0eat
the commission of offence and sooner or later
we must have, not only here, but in evory
town and county, vigorous and discreetly
managed police. Holding these views, which
we shall reinforce from time to time with
others equally well considered, we call upon
our people, especially the property holders, to
assist the Mayor in measure, which he Just
ly regards as calculated to improve the e1ici-
ency of the force now on duty
southern Manufacture of Ice.
1t would seem that if the South can manu-
faeture her own ice, and thus render herself