Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-09
Certain Reserved Rights OF Man


The arguments brought out by the
counsel for the Arbeiter Bund of Chi
csgo in pending sensational case are
proving of great value in re-asserting the
essential rights of the citizen and in de-
filming the proper limits Of the police.
The last dispatches were sensational in
their interest; and Judge Tuley, if he
shall maintain to the end the firm, dig
nifed and intrepid stand which he nas
thus far carried against robustious at
torney and a domineering police force,
will not only make much reputation for
himself, but he will do far more-he will
prove to be the pioneer in the re.estab-
lishment of the at one time we'll under
stood and we'll respected rights of the
American citizen. We have drifted
so far in this country into the
ruts of absolutism that every
picayunish little municipal body, and
every over-bearing head of Police de-
partment, has adopted the notion that
that they each and severally can invade
the most sacred reserved prescriptions
of the citizen and trample on the living
letter Of the bill of rights Of every State
of this Union. Thus far Judge Tuley
holds the fort against an insolent Police
autocracy, and long may he do SO.
A great many ordinarily well.informed
people have adopted the idea, in their
mad and overweening desire TO make
people virtuous as by law established,
that they can invade any right of the cit
izen. There are great many people in
this work-a-day world, who think that
they have inherited the right from some
quarter not indicated, to tell a man
how he must eat, drink, live and
pray. AS matter of fact he may
eat or drink what he pleases, live as he
likes so that he does not infringe upon
the well-being of others, and pray or not,
as may seem to him best.
A short time ago q distinguished st.
Louis Judge rendered a decision in a
case brought up in his court in which
the defendants had been engaged, in the
privacy of quarters selected by them, in
gambling. Their quarters had been
rudely broken into vi ct armis and they
had been arraigned as criminals. Doubt
less this learned Judge did not sympa-
thize with gambling, but he did certainly
sympathize with the rights of the citizen.
He decided that an unwarrantable breach
of the law had been committed, not by
the citizens who had been having quiet
game amongst themselves, but by the
officers of the law, who had enormously
supposed themselves to be invested with
the autocratic right of breaking in pri.
vate doors.
In the United States we have become
SO used to the excesses of officials clothed
in little brief auth ority that We seem,
one and all, to have forgotten that
splendid and impassioned apostrophe OF
Lord Chatham to the Englishman's house
which the great orator called his castle.
The roof might have fallen in the winds
might buffet it and the rains might en-
ter t; but the King-he dare not enter
it. What the King did not dare to do in
Lord Chatham's g time in England every
little picayunish policeman has an idea
that he can do in these free United
States. The ordinary policeman seems
to think that he can take an axe and
batter down the doors of any house which
he may choose to enter, and where he
may think social party may
be engaged in playing a game OF draw
poker or progressive euchre, according to
the fancy of the occupants. As matter
of fact, the owner of any house has
right to shoot down any man who seeks
to enter it by force without due warrant
Of law. which means a warrant sworn
out after full and thorough knowledge of
crime.
The Chicago Anarchists most sense
less class of men in the main-will not
have lived in vain if they shall have re-
called American citizens to knowledge
OF their rights, quite too long and too
thoroughly forgotten.