The Red Cloud chief., 1884-02-15
LAW AND ORDER LEAGUE.

LAW AND ORDER LEAGUE.
Address of the President of the National
League. Giving a Sketch of the Move
ment, and the Plan for Its Extension i'm
1884.
To the Friends of Law and Order:
In response to numerous inquiries the fol-
lowing Information l. given:
I.ie Citizens Law and Order League OF the
United States WAS organized i'll fremont
Delegates representing twenty-five Law and
Order l. agnes. located in eight of the United
States. The attendance was large, the inter
est deep, and the meeting in all respects q
success.
The origin of the law and order movement
was an effort on the part of u few citizens of
Chicago, in the fail of l>11. to enforce the
laws fOrbidding the sale of liquors t. minors.
The cause of the movement WAS the discOv-
cry OF the appalling fact that, in vioiat. on of
those laws. the saloon keepers of Chicago
were selling Intoxicating liquors to many
thousands OF Chicago boys.
The process OF the movement was extreme
ly simple. One or two reliable witnesses made
notes of persons and places violating the law,
and then commenced prosecutions az ,inst
the offenders for such VIOLATIONS. before pO-
lice magistrates or justices of the peace. and
upon the trial OF the complaints proved the
facts. and demanded judgments injecting the
penalties oi hne aud imprisonment prescribed
by the law.
The practical success of a persistent de-
mand that the laws be enforced and obeycd
was SIMPLY wonderful. Tine working force of
the Chicago League cid not exceed Il half
dozen men. with the encouragement and sup
port of not more than a hun tired citizens.
Treating the movement at first with derSion.
the SaloOn-keepcrS sODn found IL too serious
and potent to resist, and yielded, with more or
less OF protest and opposition. AN obedience
which they found themselves unable TO with
hO.d. IL is estimated that iivc-siXthS OF the
evils of selling liquor 10 minors have been per-
manently suppressed in the city OF Chicago
through the efforts of the Citizens League,
with corresponding benefits to families. tax
payers and the generally. These
statements are maize on the basis of the
official reports of the Chicago League. Those
reports have been freely published in the
newspapers of the city, ard have been the
subject of frequent comment in the public
press ana in pubic addresses. and their cor
rcctneSs has never been seriously questioned,
SO far Us i aa informed.
Actual experiment proved that equally great
and decisive results cohtalne-i by IL similar
course i'll smaller cities. and in country towns.
In some cases the results were even more
complete AMI satisfactory.
The accounts published in the newspapers
stimulated Similar organizations i'll other
States. Like results followed wherever the
effort was faithfully made, and the movement
advanced from city 10 CITY. and from state to |
State, until il finally eliminated in the organ
iZa'iOn of a National Law and Order League, |
Us above stated !
Calls for information and personal assist
ance have been received from many parts of
the Union. and inquiries for documents aud
have also come, TO hand from for
eign countries. |
The inherent merit of the movement alone
has spread its influence and multiplied its
organizations. Ii has no propagaidi>t in the
field. The officers and advocates of the exist
ing Law and Order societies have only gone
where they have been called, and in most
cases only where the calls have been urgent
and repeated. This has not been from any
TO do the noble work of the
but because they are all busy men
with many responsibility les and cares, who find
difficult TO spare the time 70 make Journeys
and assist i'll organizing CitiZeIs' Leagues in
other localities.
To promote the organization OF Law and
Order Learues in places where they do not
now exist. and TO point out the easy way in
which such ORGANIZATIONS may be effected. is
the specific object of this address. The con-
and bylaws of the Citiza rs Leagues
the CITY of Chicago, the States of Illinois
and NJ ssachusetts and the United
States are appended to the printed
proceedings Of the convention by
may be chained by wr.t:nrto the Secretary,
Mr.. j. c. Shafer. 81 Washington street. chi
csgo, Illinois. Those proceedings and the APP
pendiX thereto contain all necessary informal
for the organization OF law and order
with other interesting matter, in
luding brief reports of the speeches of
Bishop B. II. Paddock, Re-. james Freeman
Ilarke, ex-governor Thomas Talbot, Hon. I
Rufus 5. Frost. DIR. Daniel dorchester. Andrew
President F. F. Fimendorf, and
others, at the National Convention. The en-
League was the result of spontaneous move ,
nent in favor of Il better enforcement of the
aws. and that the organization entered upon
Is work with al earnestness prophetic OF
success. .
Mr.. Elmen6orfd departed this life October II. |
$50, and at n meeting Of thp EN-, c tive Conn |
nittee, held in Boston December ,, the under 4
signed was elected II succeed him as PreSi-
lent of the League. ] have on another occl- I
paid my tribute of esteem tor his Char
icter and services, ana sorrow for tie loss
in lbs ieUcaSe. and therefore for
)ear to dwell III on them here. hoped and
expected that his successor would be AN emf
rent citizen of Boston,. but / have not felt nj I
liberty 10 decline the reSpOnS:b ilities imposed :
~ the choice OF my associates in the impor- !
ant work of law enforcement.
The proceeding TO organize a Law and Or .
Ter League il not difficult. Any good citizen q
an effect such IN organization in his locality. 5
he need at first only obtain forms of organi- {
from the Secretary, and invite II few of Z
lis fellow citizens to meet him and consider !
he matter. Ii they agree. they can at once ]
elect officers and form a League. The work s
ng force required is a Prosecuting Agent. =
The money needed is the amount required to '
,ay the agent and defray the incidental ex-
'enSes. Public meetings OF Citizens Leagues .
re generally held in churches. ana on SUN I
ay evening. the enforcement OF the laws be- .
recognized as prOnotiye of all the best in I
ereStS of society. L
1t is particularly requested that a full and j
'rompt report OF all organizations that have n
been. or shah hereafter be, organ y.
Ied be transmitted to the Secretary OF the I
nc .tdtCS L'dxut. II Is llDOIlAnL I0AI .
his be done, that the central office may have
he nece ssary information of the extent and :
uccess Of the movement, and that documents
nay be sent to the proper officers of the diff 4
erent State and local ORGANIZATIONS
The annual meeting of the United States q
eague for 1854 will probably be held in O
Due notice will tie given of the time e
place of the meeting. that the State =
may send delegates. The member v
hip of the National Convention will consis, of .
elegates chosen by state Associations that -
gree with the object of the United States K
which is to secure by all proper means L
he enforcement of such laws and ordinances h
$ may from time to time exist in the United Il
tates, and the several States of the Union. Y
elating to the liquor traffic. 1t is therefore v
that all local Leagues shall become r
MEMBERS of a State organization, in order that =
ne delegates to be appointed may properly
epresent the different Leagues within the -.
eyeral States. a
While the present work of the law and order O
is concentrated on the single point ,
T enforcing the laws tor the regulation and E
estraint of the LIQUOR traffic, and especially II
preservation of the youth of the country Z
the evils it engenders, the vital principle =
and is essential to the endurance {
Z constitutional liberty. The vital principle q
the supremacy of the laws. Liberty must '
C Obedient to the laws that sclf-government {
nacts, or liberty itself will degenerate INTO q
narchy and perish. IL is generally admitted .
tat the laws for the restriction of the LIQUOR u
-affic are the most difficult of enforcement. n
I they can be enforced. any others which N
ublic opinion approves can be carried into r
The law and order movement is man. Il
estly entitled to the support of all good cit p