The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1871-01-28
THE HICKMAN COURIER,
Lawle,.n ess In kentucky.


Lawlessness In kentucky.
The leading Democratic papers OF this
State are discussing with seriousness the
lawlessness which has manifested itself
in some localities, This organized vio-
lence and individual reeklessness aud
crime is denounced by good citizens OF
every party and class, and should be SO
dealt with. Western Kentucky is com
paratively free of these charges, but from
Democratic sources we see that in Upper
K Kentucky these evils have assumed al
saggrayated form The following able edi
Siafi - the Frankfort YeoHan, strikes
frss = st.,ssxrIe evil, and We commend
S nmr dir, careful reading Of all gooe
mind, the FIRST and most Sc ri
ous3 reason why such condition exis,s
as is presented in few of the counties
as regards organized violence, and in
more as relates to individual reck lessnes.
and crime, is the apathy of local officer
of the law TO their duty-in fact, til
apathy of the people themselves as tie
prime agents in conserving the endsof
peace and justice. 1t does not arise fem
the want of more laws The stsute
books are full Of laws. and our sytem
Of civil government is as thorough for
the protection of society as could put
on paper But the evil is that from.
disease, the people themselves hive al
most lost sight of the power thy hold
for legal redress against malefaetGs. In
the first place every citizen is virtually
peace officer, with the right o arrest
every one engaged in a fagrantofense.
Then, we have magisterial dis:riits. with
justice having judicial coeninnce of
crimes, and q constable to execute his
writs of arrest. Coming furher on,
there is county organization, with q
judge having full preliminary criminal
Jurisdiction county attorneT TO pros
ecute aud sheriff with plenry power
TO summon, not only the btdy of the
people, but the organized militia in the
arrest of offenders and the suppression |
Of riots. Within their limiis they are
independent Of the Governor. and have
powers equal or greater than his Our
whole theory rests on the idea that the
law begins TO operate at its humblest
sources of power and works upward TO
wards the Governor--the system repre-
senting pyramid, with the people as its
solid base, and the Governor st Apex,
with the actual power diminishing as ii |
spproaches the summit. This is ts-
OF republican government 2s
,ontradistinguished from despotic, which
has its emblem in the reversed pyramid
Khich rests on the autocratic will Of the
ruler, and the popular mass occupies an
and unsafe relstion as the su-
perstructure instead Of the Foundation.
Within the past decade the relations
Of officers Of the Law to the people rs the
SoocSiNAbOt5 Va IN" anu OfuSE nave DccD
lost sight Of Formerly the sheriff Of
was regarded. as he should be,
its peace officer aud he had an eye to the
arrest Of offenders ss one of his prime
duties. The people have become, from
the suspension of civil Law through the
war, to look to the more arbitrary Fed
eral or Central State power aud grsdu
ally the local officers of the Law have
come to regard themselves as only char
eed with administering aud executing the
civil duties, leaving the criniusl com
paratively neglected. Who hears of
magistrate issuing a writ or consts BILE
making an arrest? The county judge is
Judge Of probate, and charged with the
financial aud local concerns of the coun
ty. The sheriff collects taxes. aud has
hard work to make his annual settle
ments, besides serving writs in civil
cases. Ifhe arrests for crime il is
rarity which has of late scarcely come
under our observation. Now, here Is
the 6rst great point from which to be |
gin reform: to have every citises impress
sed with his duty and responsibility to
conserve the peace of society, aud next
to awaken the local authorities to sense |
OF their power and duty Itnay be that
we labor under the defect of the elective
system, but il cannot be from The abun-
dance of lsw. Juries are lax; sberiffs |
"a subordinates judicial officers are
not active and effective The laws for
arrest and punishment are dead letters in
TOO many cases This is the prime evil,
but there are others of which we shall
.reat hereafter"