Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1882-07-11

a well -ordered community, is demon
alizing in the extreme, inasmuch as it
leads to low estimate Of human life.
1t teaches disregard for the law
while aiming to enforce respect for it.
1t implies the right Of individuals to
determine for themselves the extent
to which they may have been injured
by others, and to decide upon and in
ilict the proper penalty for such in
jury, while the whole lesson of all
legal punishment should be that the
public, through the machinery Of the
law, and not the private citizen, must
settle these matters. The law Of the
mob is simply the law Of might adj
ninistered by a gang Of Infatuated,
reckless men, who, for the time being,
give full swing to the tiercest pas
sions, and whose executions partake
more of the nature Of personal re-
venge than of effort to protect so
ciety.
1t is of the utmost Importance
that you take the law as your guide,
and that no personal considerations
should influence you in the deter
mlnation of questions that shall
come before you. ! regret to be
obliged to say that it has sometimes
occurred to me that grand juries are
not always governed by this rule,
but in some portions of the Territory
there seems to have grown up Gus
tom in relation to lawlessness which
justifes many acts Of violence and
wrong, under the influence Of which
grand juries have acted, and trial
jurics, in criminal cases, have rem
dered their yerdicts; and men whose
acts t he law condemns have gone
scot frec-unpunlshed.
Such 4 custom must not be suf
Tered to influence courts or juries in
the enforcement Of the laws. The
citizen must be protected by the law !;
but this will not be done if courts
and juries fail in their duties and
suffer public opinion or the customs
OF the country to control their ac-
ton. Juries and courts are no more
than the voice Of the law, and as the
law speaks SO they speak-and they
should give no uttcrances save those
which the law commands.
You are particularly directed to
make careful and diligent inquiry
into the cases Of persons charged
with felonious homicides, and as
saults with deadly weapons, bearing
in mind that human life and securi
ty of person are the most important
trusts contided BY the law to the
courts, and that no person, except in
extreme cases Of danger to his life or
person, is authorized to take the law
into his own hands to redress real or
imaginary grievances. The law is
ample to afford redress in all orli-
nary cases, and to it must he be re-
mitted. You will also inquire into
the case of every person charged
with larceny, burglary, or any other
public otfense.
You should see to it that all per-
sons transacting business, for which
| a license is required, have paid such
license before commencing or con
tinuing such business. In this con
nection ! direct your attention to
the fact that merchants have some
times, under mistaken idea that Il
license to sell merchandise includes
the right to sell spirituons liquors in
quantities less than one quart, been
guilty of misdemeanors in so doing
All such cases are clearly violations
Of the statutes, and to that extent
the revenues upon which the people
depend for the means to carry on the
operations of the local government,
have been defrauaed. II is some
times the case, too, that ease Ii.
qnors' are sold by merchants in bot
ties holding less than a quart,
which they have no right to do with
out retail liquor dealers license
Complaint has been made to me that
some of the county officers are in the
habit of charging for their services
greater fees than those allowed by
law. Should such complaints be
laid before You, and upon inyestiga-
/
ton you find them true, YOU should
indict such officers for the misde,
meanor.
There is another evil which the
peaceful, quiet citizens, especially OF
the mining towns, frequently en-.
durc, and from which they should
be relieved. refer to the making
of loud and unusual noises by per
sons or collections of persons. usual
y in the night time, so as to disturb
persons in the neighborhood It is
not an unusual thing for the peacea-
BILE citizen to be disturbed at the
dead hour Of the night by the firing
of pistols, by quarrels and tumultn-
Gus and offensive demonstration b,
intoxicated men, and sometimes the
lives of good and innocent person.