The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-11-28
HOODLUMS AND FIREARMS.
How the One is Developed, and the
Other Employed.

OIAoT EmplOyeu,
Salt Lake lie q very fortunate city.
1t Is inhabited by persons OF quiet
and eedate manners, who keep out Of
trouble by being sober and minding
their own business; but We have here,
as elsewhere, the elements of the
acknowledgement they grow very
rapidly when given halt a chance. A
hoodlum is q species of humanity
who proWls around at night when all
good and decent people are In bed;
who loafs about the street in the day
time when honest persons are at
work; who drinks, swears, and associ-
Ates with vile women; who yells on
the sGreets, and thus diaturbs the
peace; who throws snoWbails and
stones at passers by, and while poeses-
ng the yearS OF young man, exhibits
lack of sense which would shame
an average boy of II; who oongre-
gates on the streets with others; who
spits tobacco juice on persons as they
pass, uses vulgar language, speaks dis
courteously and vulRArly OF ladies;
crowds good citizens of the walk; who
lacks all the instincts Of a gentleman,
and yet is highly indignant If you
intimate that ne is not gentleman.
Hoodlums often steal, always lie. and
sometimes commit graver o6enses. 1t
Is not necessary for person to be all
these things in order to become a
heodlum; nearly any two or three CT
the qualities will make a fair specl-
men; and it is with hoodlums as with
others, they have the good, bad and
Indifferent degrees. Now, while Salt
Lake has few OF these specimens. it
has the elements necessary to make
great many, which Is the
more to be wondered at,
as they are generally young
men OF more than average intelli-
Rence end have enjoyed better OPP
poItunities than those who make
hoodlums in other localities. The
idea that a young man should be
allowed to have his fun, when 1t Is OF
character which implies looseness,
is ridiculous. Such fun means hood |
lums in time, and if there we're only |
bare possibility Of the hoodlum ele- |
ment developing here, the city officers
should take every means to prevent |
it, however severe they may be, or
however hard it may 60 with some |
persons. These young men who
want to be allowed to have their fun,
should bear in mind the fact that
Salt Lake City was not built, nor is it |
maintained for their special bene6 |
they should remember that the cili
zen who has g proper regard for the
rights OF other citizens never COM
plains OF his lack of fun; that the
laws are not made for those who are
good, but for those who are bad; that
the decent citizen can have all the |
fun be wants without violating law,
and when he has q regard for the
sentiments Of others has q right to |
demand that they shall respect his |
privileges; that when q young man
gets drunk and disturbs the peace, lie
not only di-graoes himself and brings
shame upon his family. but he VIC
lates law and can be arrested; that
when he uses foul and protsne Ian
guage, be violates a law and can be
arrested and punished, as he can also
when be helps to block up the side
walk, throws snewballs at ino6ensive |
citizens, boots and yells, insults
ladies, associates with vile women,
assaults persobs or attempts 70 iDiure
policemen, who are the guardians of /
the public peace. Perhaps in
no other civilized city in the
world of the size and population
OF Salt Lake is more lenience ex-
tended to violAtors of city laws than
right here; nowhere de the police |
officers endure moro insults. or put |
up with more abuse from offenders
than right here. In the larger cities
persons are arrested il they persist in |
blocking up the public thoro1ghiares
as is done here nearly every day in
the year, and which is generally one
Of the lighIest offenses; and il, when
policeman orders them of, they
happen to look very CROSS, or to
speak disresPectful Werd. they are
arrested and punished. and are fortu-
nate if they escape testing the weight |
of billet en- their crAniums Almost |
any day IN the week you can notice
persons here defy the police, and |
when arrested abuse them right and
left, applying the foulest epithets |
imaginable, and it is the exception |
where the officers resent such insults, |
in doing which any judge world up
hold them. The police must inspire |
respect, and when they cease to 60
90, the people have right to demand
their removal. It js singular exhi-
bition given here frequently. also, OF
public and press denounciDg an Off
Ger every time he finds it necessary to
employ force, and in ninety-Dine
cases out of hundred these very in-
dividuals, were one-half said to them
that is said to the officers when per-
forming their duties, would 60 to far
greater extremes than do the officers.
Nowhere in the United States would
such foolish CRY be raised against
the men whose sworn duty it is to
protect the public. and who, in so
doing, risk their own lives. Ii
persons don't want to get
dubbed, they should keep sober
apd attend to their own business;
and observe the laws. When undue
violence is exercised by an officer,
the law provides ample redress.
These hoWlers about the cruelty OF
police would be the first to abuse the
police did the officers not club a
person who might happen to assault
I, and insult them or q lady in their
! company. Nothing would be too
, lsevere then. All good citizens
: will uphold an officer every time,
: until it is shown beyond doubt that
4 1.-THE officer did go too far.
= The trouble with young men IN
!, this city is that many Of them, guilty
# OF the oHenses stated, are members Of
Il highly respected families, and out Of
/ regard for their families, while it IL
n not right, a great deal more is en'
4 ldured from them than from others
N These young men have not been
slow to take advantage OF this coz
alteration, and have imposed upon
it beyond all reason. Just as soon 81
they happen to get caught, they ca
Is up the fact Of the respeciAbillty o
ly their families, and use it as aDdlt