The Press., 1883-11-08

another method, much less expensive, that has been tried with good results in the smaller communities This method con- templates the employment of no detectives and the prosecution by the league of no offenders 1; 1t proposes to secure its results through the constituted authorities, police and the prosecuting attorneys, ,-and not independent of them. It assumes that the officers of the law are ready to enforce the law, and it stands by them to give them moral support, and to aid them, so far as possible, in furnishing them infor- nation. The Law and Order League, formed for this purpose, ought to include in its membership large number of the best citizens of the community-mer- chants, manufacturers, teachers, lawyers, clergymen-the men who are recognized as leaders of business and of opinion, but who are not closely allied with any political machine. The preamble of its simple con- stitution should sharply restrict its opera tions to the enforcement of existing laws, The league should have frequent public meetings, in which the general facts with respect to the violation of law should be carefully and calmly laid before the public. The newspapers of the neighborhood should also be employed for the same pur- pose. The league should have secretary, whose office should be its headquarters, where information concerning illegal prac- tices could be left by any citizen. It should also have an executive committee of dozen or more energetic and public spirited men, who could be depended on to meet statedly at the office of the secre- tary, and whose duty it should be to col lect, through their observation and their conversation, facts relating to the infrac- tion of the statutes, to collate them with those. gathered and verified by the secre- tary, and then to present them, in an off cial communication, to the police authori- ties. It is not likely that the information thus presented would greatly enlighten the police they would already be in possess sion of most of these facts but the knowl- edge that large body of intelligent and determined men were watching their op- erations, ready toapplaud them when they performed their duty and to call them sharply to account when they neglected it, would have 8 wholesome influence upon them. Such society, known 10 represent the sober and virtuous elements of the community, and to be composed of men who had no political ambitions, and who were far more interested in the mainten- ance of the law than in the success of eith- CT political party, would not be long in ex- istence before its power would be felt in many quarters.
 The sheriff has the power to call to his aid the posse conaitatus in enforcing the law. The Law-and-O Order League is vol unteer posse comaitat4s, that does not pro- pose to supersede or embarrass the proper authorities, but to aid them in every possi- ble way in bringing offenders to justice. The shameless violation of law that we witness in many places, and the feebleness violaters to justice, indicate large oppor- tunity for public service in this direction. The duty of good citizens can not all be performed on one or two days in the year they must learn how to bring the forces of intelligence and virtue to bear directly and steadily upon the machinery of the local government all the year round.