Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-29
UNCERTAIN ADMINISTRATION OF THE
LAWS.
The Philadelphia Times says


It is of little moment whether one more or less
of the growing host of deliberate murderers of
the land shall pay the penalty of his crime on
the gallows; but it is OF supreme moment
to the safety of society that the laws for
the punishment OF crime, whatever they may
be, should be as promptly executed as will be
consistent with the humanity that ever tempers
the penal laws of our civilization. The only
practical restraint that the law can put upon
crime is in the certainty of punishment, and
when that fails the laws are Knocked by crimi-
nails.
The truth of these lines is apparent to
every observing man of the day, The peo-
pie, in far larger sense than they i'm
agine, are enslaved, since it is so difficult
to find courageous men to come to the
front and point out the offenders against the
laws. 1t is more difficult still when once
trespassers upon the rights of men are
brought to the bar of justice, to bring citi-
zens up to the level of moral heroism in
duty doing to complain and testify against
the lawless, and ask judgment TO be passed
upon them. Some officers Of the law whose
bounden duty it is to stand forward for the
people when crime develops and search
out the wrong-doers, are-and notably in
the large cities Of the land-strangely
quiescent and often apparently wholly in
sensible to the emphatic demands of duty.
Behind large number of these officials,
as every intelligent man knows, stand in
fuences that evidently they dare not Of
fend, without-as they think sacrificing
their political hopes.
1t is not matter Of surprise, therefore,
that the laws against crime, and notably
those against the supremest right of citi-
zenship, and the chief safeguard of our
Liberties, are ill-enforced, and that some
of the most fragrant ofenses upon the bal
lot are passed over as trivial affairs.
Within week it has developed in this
city upon sworn testimony undisputed and
indisputable, that crime against the
right of franchise and a theft of the most
fragrant kind had been committed. But
the meshes of the law were large enough
to let the offender through by the aid of a
magistrate, who, whatever his con-
ceptions of duty, has laid his judg-
ment open to the criticism of lament
able and deplorable misconception
and weakness. 1t is the duty of a mag
istrate, when in the course of an examina-
ton for one crime still another develops,
to hold the offender for examination as to
that. If not, then criminals can go I'M
whipt, and officers of the law coolly sit by
while they escape, because no citizen is
instantly at hand who has the requisite
knowledge of the facts, and prefer a COM
plant. 1t has been supposed that magis-
trates, District Attorneys and such Off
Gals were appointed to Office for the ex-
press purpose of being watchful for and
guarding the peoples rights, and while
doing even-handed justice, to see that no
guilty man escapes. The law is well
enough, but as the Times has it, it is
often so uncertain in its operation as to
become weapon of offense against itself
in the hands of its administrators.