, 1890-10-09
WHEN WILL IT END:
A Timely Communication on the
Reckless Taking of Human
Life.
It viii Never Cease Until Juries
Meet Their Solemn Obli-
cations.
To TIE EDITOR orrug REVIEW,

/ To TIE EDITOR or THE REVIEW
That Spokane Is undeninhly the
leading city of the Northwest, not
only commercially, but in the Vlgor
and energy with which its mann
moth enterprises are prosecuted,
and in every attitude that goes to-
ward making n great city, no one
disputes But Is that any reason
why It's streets should be rcddcned
with the blood of men wantonly
slain by those with real or fancied
wrongs, assuming to themselves
the rights of law, judges, juries and
eXecutioners?
Several months ago human be-
ing was shot down in cold blood
on our streets, on the mere pretcNt
that she was II dangerous man"
His cXecutioner was acquitted, and
this immunity from punishment
has so encouraged pistol practice
on human targets that the
columns of your paper TEEN
too frequently with accounts of the
"lust shooting ending with the
approval of n guardian of the peace
renarking, "I think Blank was
justified in shooting. rs Dash Is one
of those mean, dcspicabie men,
so any one il to sit i'm Judgment,
and If n mans characteristics are
not up TO "a neighbours idea, he then
becomes IA target for gun. Take
the views that appear to prevail
among officials concerning dan
gerous and sure-thing men ;" and
would II not bc better to adopt the
Parisian method, inaugurate u reign
terror, set up "La Guillotine,h and
give each the privilege of de
nouncing his noighbor, aud having
him conducted with some show Of
law to the head-slicing machine.
and end this indiscriminate butch
cry by individuals Possibly it's
true that the last victim of the
ready gun" was no orna-
mcnt to society; that In his
,aking OIL the community sustained
no loss, but was the gamer,
but 10y what right was he so dis
posed Of aud sent To his last ac-
count? And applying the same
rule, what assurance has any man
of his safety, when such killing l.
indorsed in the remarkable words
quoted.
There must be some attribute
lacking In II mans sanity, when he
Is over the age of ~ the
head of family, and voter, who
in the moment that the guardian
/ shi p of home Is lost To view, dcliber-
ately allows himself TO be enticed to
II game, and not playing himself,
even more deliberately loans the
money to carry on n sure thing
loosing business to him and then
Kills; probably to satisfy his dissap-
pointment at the result, and give
our fair city an unenviable name as
IA slaughter pen, with increased cost
TO the county for murder trials that
have become an expensive farce.
We may scof at timid Eastern
people, hesituting To invest or settle
in the ''rowdy West" but can YOU
blame them If this practice is not
checked 10y salutary legal means.
makingmurdera punishable oflense?
An assault with intent to kill, ora
theft, Is punishable, why not muir
der Is question that strikes law
abiding people with force. Murder
has become such IA light, trivial mat
ter, that Il death notice il given
publicity as follows: "Dcd from
heart failure, superinduccd by II
bullet through the brain" We are
of he opinion that no human being
with even the least of hearts read
those lines without feeling of utter
contempt for the lack of common
decency contained in them.
The uphoIdcrs of the pistol, as Il
rule, are not good upholdcrs Of the
law, but are ready to shield
crime when it assumes the
form of red-handed murder.
Every law-abiding citizen indorsed
the REVIEW for its manly course II
few months since in denouncing
murder and in demanding the nun
lshment of murderers. Every
habituc of questionable resorts de-
nounced the REVIEW. Had mur-
der been duly punished our sheets
would less often he the thcater of
such Il scene as the smoking pistol
ana dying man presents. The RE
VIEW, IN Its couise as regards muir.
der, has been right. We regret To
say our jurors have too often been
remiss, the one advocating the law.
the other falling in duty to carry il
out, hence the pistol and the death
scenes on the streets of Spokane.
When will 1t end?
Law AND ORDt,p