The Portland daily press., 1884-08-04
Mr.. Kimball,s Gard.

Mr.. Carlton Kinball attempts to justify,
in a Communication elsewhere printed, his
suggestion to the Mayor that police officers
should be directed to use their revolvers in
attempting to enforce the liquor law. We
see nothing in his statement of the case
which justifes his position. 1t is new and
revolutionary doctrine that an officer in at
tempting TO arrest person for a suspected
misdemeanor may use his firearms because
he deems it dangerous to stop team in rap
i'd mOtionl We venture the assertion that
no good lawyer would lay down such prop
osition before any court whose favorable
opinion he sought. The use of firearms is
only Justified in self-defence, or in protec-
ton of ones ''castle," or to prevent felony.
The commission, or threatened commission,
Of misdemeanor does not justify their use.
The difficulty with Mr.. KimbaI's argu-
ment is that the danger to life, In the case he
puts, is not occasioned by the person driving
the team, but by the act of the officer in at
tempting to stop it. That member of the
LGeo and Order League, should counsel an
act which the law would construe as moth
ing less than murder, if it resulted in the
taking of anothers life-even if that life was
rumsellers-does appear to us 'astonish-
ing,' az it shows to what extremes the ad-
vocacy of social reform will carry parti-
Fans, and how readily jealous pLilanthro-
ply will disregard all legal and moral re-
straints in accomplishing its objects. We
believe General Dow has advocated the
hanging Of liquor sellers. The difficulty
about that plan is that we are not yet pre-
pared to adopt code of blood to enforce the
police regulations of our cities. Such q
thing might have formed place in the code
of Draco but is hardly in keeping with
the spirit of nineteenth century christianity.
There is another feature of Mr.. Cartoons
letter which illustrates the error of too excl1-
sive reliance upon prohibitory legislation. He
speaks of the liquor-seller as one, "whe robs
innocent women and children of food and
clothing" Now it seems to us that the ac
tive agent in the robbery is the person who
devotes his earnings to gratifying his appe
tite for drink, and that any treatment of a
drinkers case which relieves him of respon-
sibility is breaking down the basis of all
healthy treatment. The difficulty with the
prohibitionists now is that they lay the
whole responsibility on the seller, and treat
the drinker as vict,m. A little more re-
pressive legislation directed to the drinker,
and more aggressive public sentiment in
that direction, would be a good reform.
1t troubles Mr.. Carlton Kimball that the
Mayor in his reply to the Law and Order
committee expressed desire to "enforce
the liquor laws as fully aud i'm
partially as practicable" (Mr. Kimball
ingeniously misquotes the Mayor Appar-
entity it is Mr.. Kimbalps opinion that he
should have professed willingness to do
impracticable things. Is that Mr.. KimbalPs
idea of official fidelity about which he has
SO much to say? He objects also to the
what is practical. Does he think the
Mayor was sworn to do his duty as Mr..
Kimball or General Dow may determine it
for hims In view of Mr.. KimbalIs declar-
ed views concerning the use of firearms In
executing the laws, we think the people will
greatly prefer that the Mayor shall abide by
his own judgment of what is practicable in
the performance of his duty.