Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-09-04
DAILY pOST.INTELuGENCER
TIE svnEAp OF LAW.

II the train robbery zhieh rseentl5
took place on the Cbicaeo6 Alton Rail
road bad occurred vest Of the Rockies.
the Eastern pres. vosid have found III
1t an excellent text for numerous srti-
Giles on the Iaxns4sussr OF tue Nsst-
As 1t hsppen.d within Comparatively
short distance Of -. Lggi., hozsTer'
and not 8 great way Arorn Chicago u
the very heart % the pDpalons Aiddie
States, it will BE- regarded ~ an anfof-
inmate EPISODE which, being entirely
oat OF the usnal order Of things, eonls
not by any possibility have been fore
seen or guarded against. IL IL 80
natural to attribate crimes Committed
far away TO general lasisssnsss that i
il universally done, and E.stsrn people
are taught 70 believe TIA, the West Is
very bottled Of laxlessn' - and efiG's-
Grea, In Justice IL ibns done large p"r
ton Of the counsry. lie truth -, A.
every we'll informed man should knoS,
that the places In the United States
where lavisssness Is the role are nov
very few indeed. And, vhai IL more.
the number IL constantly RroSing less
Places which ten, i've or thfes years ago
could Justly have been considered the
abode of tnfbaIsnce aud onilaSry are
nov within the dominion OF Lag, and
are a. quiet and peaceful A. the most
solemn and musty village IN New Eng
land. II Is safe 10 cay that ten years
from nov there ~ill be hardly place
in the United States where the law will
no. be present to oyeraxe the criminal
and TO protect life and property.
Even a. 1t IL today there are
really very few places where
peaseably dispoaed and well Be
hAved persons need fear TO 90. In
sysn the most lawless OF the frontier
cities there are to be- found pleasant and
refined homes, and one who chooses to
conduct himself IN proper manner IS
bat ii,tle less safe than be would be 10
his native town. In many Western
cities there are concert balls. gambling
dens aud dance houses, in which
mans life u not safe. II Ia true that
the number Of such places in the aver
age Western city is much greater In pro
portion TO the population than II Is 10
cities in the East. But there IL no ne
oesslty for well disposed travellers to
visit dives and deadfalls, and the typi-
cal outlaw seldom exhibits himself out
side OF them. The Eastern man whose
business calls him into any city OF Mon
tana, Idaho. New Mexico or Arizona, no
matter how turbulent and dissrderly u
may be considered, can usually visit the
place, transact his business and leave,
without running any more risk OF being
murdered, robbed, or in any other way
pnolested, than be would have TO ian in
paving a visit TO New York, Chicago or
81. Louis. OF course. II he yearns for a
sight OF sha. Western life of which he
has read, aud chooses to visit the dens
where the lswless oongregate. he de
liLerately takes great risk, and he has
only himself TO blame II be has reason
10 regret his curiosity. There are two
sides 10 the picture Of life in the places
which are called frontier towns. A man
can choose the side on which be Is
10 look, but he cannot VIII SEE
both. II be choose the right
side, b. will see pleasant and refined
homes, cultivated people and society
which in every respect will compare
favorably with that Of his own home.
IL he choose the other, be viii see tur-
burlence asd iavlessness and danger
enough be will see sin and misery to
his hearts content; be will hear bias
phemy; he will see drunkenness. rob.
berry and perhaps murder. The choice
lies with the man. The West. OF more
properly that small portion of 1t which
can be considered IN any sense lavless,
Ia iawless only as the stranger chooses
10 make it so II be is in search Of
lawlessness, he can doubtless find 1t.
IL be seeks 10 avoid it, 10 will not thrust
itself in his way.
There IL an old story that in tie days
Of Charlemaane the laws were 30 ably
aud efficiently enforced that bag of
gold could be left FOR days on the high
way without fear OF its being stolen,
and that maiden ooald Journey alone
In any part of the empire without fear
OF molestation. The story IL probably
not true. II has been told net
emily OF the empire Of Chsrlsmaene,
bat long before OF Greece under the
rule Of Alexander. and later OF Ireland
In the reign OF Brian Boru. Of Eng land
10 the reign Of Edward ". Of France
In the reign Of Francis /. and of
Prussia in the reign Of Frederick the
Great. IL Is simply an exaegerstion by
which The people Of u country have been
accustomed 10 say, IN such and such
time our laws wsre well administered
much better than they are nos. The
latter part Of the story is almost true in
the United States today. fbe former
part probably never will be true. eu, the
day is fast approaching when on every
foot of American soil, in every remote
corner of the United States. Law will be
the rule. and iawiessness and crime the
exception. And the exception will
gradually become rarer and rarer. until
the reign OF lAw IL almes, absolnte. and
epen and dsaAnt lawlessness is aimssi
uahesra Of.
The death of William NJ Gain will