Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-06
STEADINESS AND GOODNESS IN RE-
FORM

1t is said tn be 4 recurrcnt fact that after
given period of supineness regarding adj
mnistraton of the criminal law, there fol-
lows an era of abnormal vigor against
crime and insistence for punishment Of
offenders. The Chicago Inter Occ0n believes
this is a logical result of laxity of admins
tration of the law. 1t is Just as reasonable
TO say that the laxity is the logical result Of
the abnormal vigor, since the two periods Of
indifference and zeal, intermit with each
other. Laxity of the law is always due to
vitiated public sentiment, dullod moral
sense and a low stage of health in the body
polite. Officials cannot be more vigorous
than the communities; they do not rise
above the community level. Imperative
laws are chargeable directly and uniformly
TO the people. The community that Is
quick to condemn evil, certain in admins
tration of punishment rather than severe,
and that rises above petty issues to high
appreciation of duty is sure to be marked
by vigor in execution of the laws. The dis
regard of the obligations of citizenship, the
evasion of jury duty, the fear to injure
trade. the disposition to profit from illicit
sources brings about in time the climax,
when the remnant, the law fearing, obtains
recognition, and the whole community
rushes over to its aid, carrying it on to the
extreme of severity and even to the rule of
the mob. That community best serves It's
own interests that is awake TO the necessity
of enforcing the laws at all times, of main
tanning the respect due 10 the law, of test
ing the worth and wisdom of statutes by
their execution, Of insisting that every man
owes something to the town in which
he lives and that he shall discharge
the obligation Where that is done
the moral sense will be quick and
the public sentiment pronounced
and vigorous. We want no extremes,
since all extremes are dangerous. Amor
NAL and spasmodic vigor is apt to become
indecent in its haste and to do injury
where none would result from firm and
uniform insistence upon right doing.
The subject finds vivid illustration by
parallel in another phase of community
relation at this time Sanitary laws have
been for years brazenly violated and the
violation winkcd at; the sanitary senti-
ment of the people has been languid; the
sense that dictates ordinary caution has
been at rest, and for years we have been
laying up a store Of trouble against the
day when it should call us to judgment.
Now, in the vigor of our awakening. we
are seeking to remedy in an hour the neg
lect Of years; we propose TO cast down and
break all our idols and abandon all our nm
cleanly ways for paths of purity. To this
end nothing shall stand before us We will
sweep clean the floor of the treasure-house
even though it visits i'll upon some. AS
already said, while this is the result of past
laxity, so, too by the excess of present
vigor we are certain to go back again to the
former state of indifference, unless we sub
stitute for mere nervous excitement the
cool and practical results of experience and
experiment 1t is possible for us to pro-
coed rapidly without haste; to be
vigorous without heat; to remedy present
evils without inviting new ones. The
present sanitary agitation is at fever
heat; let it not be the precursor Of neglect
when the fever shall have subsidized. For
tunately we have for guidance the results
of sanitary experience. We may avail of
the discoveries of sanitary science. and APP
ply its laws firmly, without doing injury to
any. In short, we need to continue this
agitation, but not TO let it outrun good
Judgment. As it now is, the community is
awakening to its duty, and proposes drastic
measures TO avert threatened evils and TO
compel men to ordinary duties. They are
needed; they must be applied; but they
need not visit injury upon any, since the
end aimed at is the good of all Fear has