The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-09-18
UPHOLD THE LAWS,

UPHOLD THE LAWS,
Judge Mamm's Charge 60 the
Kempcr County Grand larry
The following extracts from the
charge Of Judge Hamm to the Kemper
county Grand Jury will be read with
interest by every law abiding person:
I feel an earnest eolicitude to impress
upon YOU minds the importance OF the
duty enforcing the law to prevent the
carrying of concealed weapons. and tue
law for the suppression OF gaming, o
the law regulating the sale OF intox'-
eating liquors convinced as | am that
the rioid execution of these laws would
greatly lessen the temptations and per-
lis which beset the path Of young men.
I am sure the fact cannot have es-
capped your observation. that many OF
the persons who are arranged in the
courts for crime, are ~young-some y
them not having passed the period OF
boyhood. Indeed, the criminal statis>
tics of the country disclose the painful
truth, that many of the blacklist deeds
that darKen the calender Of crime, are
perpe.rated by persons who have just
crossed the threshold OF manhood, or
who have not reached it; and hence it
may he inferred, that a large proportion
of the crime that stains our annals, re-
snlts from the neglect by parents OF
the moral training OF their children.
Indeed. many parents seem to forget
altogether that it is one of their most
sacred duties to inculcate on their chill
dren the principles of virtue, integrity
AMI truth. Many fatheIs wholly re-
nounce their authority over their sons.
They put no restraints upon them.
They permit them to choose their "
associates, and TO spend their time i'll
idleness, dissipation and d~ebauchery.
And the natural consequence ia. that as
these sons grow mp to m.turity. they
become adj iictcl to every form of vice
and fit for any deed of violence. They
become liars and drunkarls, and gam
blers, and rufius-pests to the families
of which they. are members and M
~isances to the communities in which
they live. OF course, they supply a
principal portion of the employment
for the criminal courts of Justice.
The State yves protection to all her
citizens-protection of all then rights
and interests. But, as ours is a govern
ment OF law, the State a secure this
protection to her citizeus only through
iaws-laws enacted by persons elected
by the people, and enforced by officers
elected by the people. and by jurors Ne
lected from the body of the citizens OF
each county. If wise men are elected
as legislators, and make just laws; ii
competent and honest mon are elected ms
public officers. and faithfully enforce
the laws; if intelligent and contentious
men are selected from the body of the
people, as %jarOrs, and properly perform
their part in the administration of jns
tice-the peace and order OF society viii
be secured, the lives. liberty and prop.
erty of the people will be protected. and
contentment, industry and prosperity
NAV be expected to follow. But if the
men elected rs legislators are unwise
and make bad laws; if the men elected
as public officers are i~ncompeteSt or un
faithful. and neglect to enforceth laws
if the men selected from the body of the
people, rs ~jnrors, are ignorant or cor
rupt. and connive at crime and permit
c~uiprit to go unpunished- then vic
leuce and anarchy will usurp the place
Of peace and order the lives liberty an'
property of the people will be withon
securitv or protection, and calamity vii
cast it's banefnl shadow across the who'll
face of society. And when these evil!
befall society. the peopla.too impatIen
to await a resort to the constitutions
and legal a,i regular mode of proce'
dure for their removal. unwisely TAXI
the law into their own hand. and wreal
their Vengeance on those notorious often
ders who have habituslly transgresset
the laws and eluded the punishment
dine To their crimes. through the I'M
E~faithfnlness or connivauce OF the pnb'
lie off .ers ara inried. And when they
have made n few obnoxious persons the
victims of their fury. the people imag
inc that7they have crred all the evil
which ah1;ct society,-when in trntl
thev have inflicted n deadly stab upoT
the very existence OF society. A resor
to such a violent anil lawless cause o
procedure implies that society ia a fail
ure-that there ar. not good aud vir
tuous men enough in the communit,
to control it's affairs by lawful an'
peaceful methods.
Every considerable man knows tina
lynch law is no remedy for any of tn
! evil which prevail in society. In thu
very nature of things. violence.-thos
who ipfict violence Ia day will become
the victims of violence tomorrow
The remedy for bad laws ia TO repea
them and enact good ones. The rene
DIV for the nnfaithfulness and corrup'
ton of public officers. is to dismiss suci
officers from the public service. an'
elect honest upright men to fill tn
public offices. The remedy for the ig
~norancc or corruption of jurors; is t.
exclude such persons from the jury box
and to allow none but intelligent ant
conscientious men to compose tn
%iuries.
~excuse q resort to %lynch-law, many
! good men by their inaction make them
selves in a large measure responsible
Every man owes duties to the State o
Of which he is a citizen, and to the com
mun,ty of which he is a member. Ant
If he is good man. if he has a family.
he is a man of intelligence. if he pos
seses property. his stake in the com
munity is in a corresponding degree
enhanced, aud his obligations are in tn
same measure augmented.-It absorb'
in the pursuit of their individual bust
ness and affairs. many good men seen
to forget that they owe any duties t.
the State or the community. The,
consider it a hardship if they require t.
serve on juries. In the election o
those who are to make and enforce thu
laws-a matter of vital importance t.
the public welfare-they take no part
leaving it to be CONTROLLED wholly b.
others. and not unfrequently by impor'
t,nate Office seekers and their inconsid'
crate followers. But when incompetent
men are elected to make the laws. ane
bad laws are made, when untiustwortn.,
or incapable men are chosen to hole
the public offices, and negligence. ven
atty and corruption prevail IN them
when Ignorant or corrupt men compose
the iuries, aud crime goes unpublished
and when, as q natural consequence
III A. c.oot r;ohfc and intprpstS for tNs