Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-08-24
Laws Should be Enforced.

One of the surest ways to secure the
repeal of an unjust law is to enforce it
rigidly, so long as it remains on the
statute books. One OF the surest wavs
to secure a disregard for all laws, in
crease crime and laWiessness generally,
is to allow executive officers any dis
cretiOn whatever in their execution
Among the municipal laws Of Chicago
once, was one prescribing tue width of
certain signs allowed on the sidewalk
and that no hanging signs should be
allowed. The law was imperative un-
Ill Long John Wentworth was made
Mayor, when he gave notice that the
signs specified as Objectionable by the
law, must be removed. No attention
was paid to this announcement; but
one morning the signs were missing
They had been removed to and piled
up in the Court House yard by the po-
lice, during the night, and could only
be recovered by paying the fine the
law imposed. Great clamor was rails
ed against the Mayor, who retorted !:
81 did not make the law. You elected
me Mayor, and took an oath to exc
cute the laws you, the people, had en-
acted. l found this law among others
which I, by my oath, was bound to
execute. 1 have done so. If you
do not like the law repeal it; for as
long as it is law and | am Mayor, it
will be enforced" 1t was repealed.
To-day, in this city, we have anoth-
er grievous crime to lay at the doors
of officers who have not executed the
laws. The great calamity, resulting
in the death of hundred men, wo-
men and children, and the suffering Of
one hundred and fifty more, is due, ap-
parently, to the neglect, wilful or 9TH
erTise, of boiler inspectors to do their
duty. The evidence seems to show
that they have been too willing to al
low boilers to burst and lives to be
sacrificed in consideration of "courte-
sies' derived from proprietors of
steamers, &c. Now that the public
mindis aroused by the dangers which
it is apparent encompasses the travelling
public, facts are revealed which show
the most criminal disregard of law on
the part of those appointed to execute
it; and there is a Jealous effort to shut
the after the horse is stolen =
After this sacrifice of hum an life it Is
officially announced that the laws of
the United States with reference to
boiler inspection are to be rigidly en-
forced! Why have they not been
heretofore? Why are they not al
rays enforced? What are laws made
for if not to be enforced ? Are they
made by politicians that politicians,
elected to office, may grow rich by
blackmail from those whose interest it
is that the laws shall not be execut-
ed?
This is the fair conclusion, warrant
ed by and based upon the practice
common among all classes of officials
| For if it is found that one man evades
the action of law and profits by it
another in the same business seeks tbt
cause; finding it, he applies the same
soothing salve which prevents suffer
ing and places him on par with his
competitor. This is the practice
there is no gainsaying it nor use ot
shutting our eyes to it. Men seeF
election to our legislatures for the
purpose of plumber Of this sor1-or o
paving the way for it for their friends
Men who abjure political duties en-
courage these thieves and swinGlars
and buyers and sellers of blood, il
their damnable work. And setting
aside our sympathy for the slaughter
cd victims of these blood barterins
villains, and for those who survive, il
is to be blessing to the masses if thi
sacrifice purchase future exemption
from lawlessness-if the people can b
aroused to rescue themselves from th
venallty and corruption of politician
who are ready to enact any law and al
low it to become a dead letter, pro
vided they can profit thereby.--Nc,
York RurdE.