The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-08-13
GOVERNOR H0ADLY'S
Address at West Point, New York, lunt
18Th, 1885,
TO tho Graduating Glass OF the United
States Military Aoademy'-A Scholarly
Mort Replste with sound Advice.
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ln performing lHe uuly, hsblBubu uit
by the Board OF Visitors, TO address yOU
on the occasion of the graduation Of q
class OF young men, educated by 0uI
country TO assist In the enforcement OF
its will, think II not inappropriate IA
submit some thoughts touching the ma
ture OF their high office, aud the dignity
and source Of the service In which they
are TO engage, not az 0lllcera OF the army
merely, but aa officers OF the law. For
the will OF the government Ia expressed
only In laws, this being "a government
OF laws, not men," and he who Ia called
TO execute its will ls, whether civilian
or soldier, an officer OF the law. Az
such II behOOyea him 10 be able 10 dia
tinguish between acts OF crime and acts
OF Justice. .
Suppose tho case OF citizen, stopped
upOn the highway, made TO throw up"
his hands, gagged and tied, hls pockets
searched, his purse stolen. The author
OF this mischief abacOnd5, This Ia called
crime. A constable sees or hears OF the
Offense, pursues and arrests the crimin'
nj, makes him In turn hold up his hands,
retakea the stolen property, deiains and
commits him to prison. This Ia Jnstice,
the execution OF the law. Yet here Ia q
BerIea OF acts, consisting OF TWO parts,
which differ very slightly In the mere
circumstances for objective facts OF ex
ecutlOn :-One wicked, destructive and
unlawiul;-the other the discharge OF
duty, not only permitted by Divine, but
commanded by both Divine and human
law. SCcety Furnishes the former, and
rewards the latter following one with
Incarceration, the other with praise and
sometimes preferment Observe their
similarity also In this, that, although
one OF these Ia the breach, the other the
execution OF law; both are violent,
fOrceful, and eyaslve OF liberty. Zach II
resisted might lead to bloOdshed, con-
demned In one case az muTdeTj In the
other excused AZ jnatllable homicide.
One o. the actors In the servant OF greed,
the other OF law The egOlam OF one
has Invaded the liberty, and taken the
property OF another;-the altrnlsm OF
the other has restored them, II may have
been nj the cost Of peril TO himself Az
the latter Ia the servant OF society, the
object OF whose organization IL the pro.
tectlon OF oil, he not only may, but
must, do the very thing forbidden TO the
other.
Twelve years ago, In Shelby county,
Ohio, Thomas Harg0 threw u brick NJ
nn armed enemy, and hitting his mark,
caused death For this the grand Jury
indicted, the petit jury convicted him,
and the trial Judge sentenced him to
imprisonment for the term OF his natCr-
nj life, which sentence no Is now under
going. Many centuries since young
shepherd, armed with o sling and a
smooth atone from the brook, slew au
armed giant In the presence OF many
witnesses. He was not arrested, tried
or punished, but praised, h0nored, re'
warded. This act was done In the OK
ecutlon OF the law, and with the sane
sion OF competent authority, beginning
q career which ended upon u throne,
Between the doings Of Hargo, whom the
court aud Jury In Ohio have labelled
murderer, and David, the "man after
Gods own heart" there IN hardly
m appreclable difference, II they
Rre considered ~ mere facts irrespoc.
tive OF their motives and subjective
conditions, and the relation OF the ac.
tors TO society and lis laws. But these |
considered, they differ ~ diiIereth the |
zenith from the nadir, toto coelo. Both |
these men were servanta, one, Of pas
aiOD, the other, Of patriOtism-one, Of
hla own evil heart the other, OF the |
law. The same distinction, therefore,
prevails In the military az In the civil
sphere, For Dnyld's waa glorious |
achievement OF lawful war. Yesterday |
no was shepherd 10 whom violence
was f0rblddeni 10 day In aingle combat,
no slays the champion Of the Phillstnes,
md gains Victory and nnally peace for
his people. No act Of hia ~ king and
commander.in.chlef OF the chosen people |
OF God has more redOunded 10 his glory |
through all the ages than this single
fen, OF arms. In the combat with Go.
Hath David was an officer OF tho law.
True, no was acting aa Il soldier, n young
recruit, and hia service was In war,
military; but he was ~ truly the rep.
r6sentatiye OF law, OF organic ID and cor
porato society, ~ II he had been the
beadsman OF King Saul, and done jus
tlce upon the Phillatine with axe or
cord. The soldiers rank, duty, authori.
ty hls titles OF honor, his rewards and
aye, more, his character,
The gifts OF genius or requirement his
station demands, the perils 10 which "
exposes him, widely differ from those OF
The humble constable who may arrest q
thief, or the sheriff charged with the 70.
y0ltlng, but ae the world seems 10 think,
highly necessary Office OF strangling a
murderer They are all, however, scr.
wants OF the law, ite mlnlstering spirits,
serving with honor, though with varied
and In different chambers OF
The same great hall OF justice,
The detective, who sets u trap To catch
Tho criminal, and the soldier, whose
deceive his enemy, lending
him into ambush, may widely d ffer In
qualities, In accomplishments,
IN rank, but each serves the Same mas
Tor with much The same implements.
Thoy are officers OF the law and the
character OF their service, M well ae the |
ilgnlty Of their master, relieves their
lctl0ne from cenaure ~ base and ign0-
bio. Az In the cases Of lawful force
which have cited, 10 here and In dlplo.
macy also, In tho dealings OF nations
Ind potentates, that IL permitted TO the
''presentat v, Of society which IL for.
hidden 10 the individual, and what II IA
not easy 10 distinguish from fraud Ia
permitted, II not encouraged, M u neces.
'pry agency for the preservation OF 40.
,lety and the attainment OF lts ends. Az
" ~ lawful 10 take life In aelf.defence,
10 Tho sacrifice OF truth Ia also some
tlmea permitted by law.
The uae OF force, Of direct and violent
agencies OF destruction, IN not that
which distinguishes the military from
Tho civil state, These are allowed to the
latter as well 90 the former. In the
tragedy OF Wallens,elu, tho experienced
and asiule general speaking TO hia dar.
Ing and leea thoughtful son, 0ctayio, TO
NIX PIccolomlni, says;
aiy sop, Of tlose old narrow ordinances,
Lct IA MT hold too lightly They are weights
Df prlcpless value which oppressed m lntlnd,
ried to the volatile viii Of their oppttasori
.n,. al .a.a o.. Itatin ,Vna ibn lanuun |