Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-07
PUBLIC OPINION.


Public opinion in a representative gov
eminent is the power back Of all law to
insure its enforcement. When the rep
resentatives of the people enact laws
which have no place in the conscience of
a great majority of the people, such laws
usually turn out to be farce. The in
dictment by the grand jury, of two jus
tees OF the peace, the county attorney,
one constable and a metropolitan police
man, for official misconduct in relation
to the prohibitory law, shows bad state
of affairs. We have been told that the
grand jury tried hard to include the Met
ropolitan Police Commissioners in their
list, but failed to find sufficient evidence.
That alone is lacking to rem
der this the most stupendous
farce every perpetrated anywhere.
If twenty or thirty men were indicted
for stealing horses, and included in the
number were majority of the officers
OF the court whose duty it is to execute
the law. the whole community would be-
come alarmed. This can not be said to
be the case in this instance. 1t is a fact
that can not be denied that a great ma
Jority of people do not look upon the
violation of the prohibitory law as a
crime III and of itself. This state of
affairs is very largely due to the fact
that majority of the people regard the
supplementary legislation enacted to en-
force this law as being more than its
violation. People may make powerful
appeals for the enforcement of the pro-
hibitory law, in order to protect the
home, but as long as our courts i'm
prison man seventeen years for selling
beer and fine a man one dollar for
beating his wife the masses of people
will not he inspired with any great
respect for law. What is needed more
than any thing else in this state in the
treatment of the liquor question is more
conscience and less fanaticism. AS long
as men who are sent to the legislature,
guZzle beer and enact extreme measures
to enforce prohibition there will be
trouble, just. SO long as lawyers and
constables, and justices of the peace and
policemen respect and patronize the
liquor seller, his occupation will not be
made odious, and the people will continue
to respect an officer of the law who fails
to execute the law, fully as much as the
one who turns his whole attention to its
execution. What we want is more con-
servatism and laws that are sanctioned
by great majority of the people. There
will then be public sentiment back of
them that will insure their
enforcement The trouble in
Kansas has never been strong
opposition to prohibition, but the legisla-
ton enacted to enforce it. These laws
seem to carry on their face the evidence
that the lawmakers are afraid to trust
the people. Just so long as laws are en-
acted and their enforcement does not de-
pend upon the people, they will stand
back and look on, disinterested parties,
while the contest goes on between the
officers of law and its violators. We
have been trying for years to enforce
this one law and have not made it COM
plete success Would it not be good
idea to trust the people with it. Let us
have laws that will depend for their en-
forcement upon the people Of cities and
counties. Who is afraid to trust the
people?