The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-24

he outrageous assault committed by
eeftain riotous students of the apr;cu,.ura,
upon President-elect Heston and
-seht a. IL. Smith can only be effectively
answered by the trial and punishment of
s'ese rioters There is no question that
assault was committed for which the
s : students can be punished by the
Inc arrest, trial, conviction and
punishment of every student known to
fave participated in this gross outrage is
vo'.n more to the cause of peace and
sloer IN the college hereafter than an in
s4Enatlon meeting in every leading town
= the state.
ooaege students are encouraged to be
po.oas ana law breaking because. as a
suie, they are seldom punished in the
ponce court for their offenses like other
son-coliegiate vioIaters of public peace and
y1der. No more wholesome lesson in the
fundamental training necessary to good
sl'lzenship can be taught college boys than
YHe which teaches them that they cannot
pIeak the laws of the land with impunity.
Inc reason why college boys often rob
ercnards and hen roosts, break windows,
purn, blow up or grossly deface college
nulidings, mutilate public and private
property, and commit gross acts of
Tiolence upon the persons of their
fellow men, is because they are sell
aom subjected to legal arrest, trial
ana punishment. They are left to
The discipline of the faculty. This is all
wrong. Riotous students care little for
suspension or even expulsion from college,
but few of them like to be placed on trial
IN police court as are all other young
hoodiums and ruffians who break the law.
college authorities, who fail to turn over
iaW-breaking students to the authorities
Tor punishment can hardly expect much
sympathy when they are hunted down by
the yelling pack they have educated to the
belief that a college boy can play the part
Of ruffian and law-breaker with impunity,
20 far as the police courts are concerned.
Does anybody suppose that President
Heston and Regent Smith would ever
have been mobbed if the rioters supposed
they were in any danger of the police
courtf indignation meetings" are no
punishment; are no deterrent against SIM
liar outbreaks: but a dozen students ar
rested, tried, convicted and punished as
severely in the police court as any young
hoodlums would be who made a similar
assault upon clergyman on his way to
church. or upon any other peaceable citi-
zen, would be a most effective object les
son for the future.
A boy old enough to attend college is old
enough and intelligent enough to know
that he has no business to Illegally violate
the sanctIty of any mans person who is
in the legitimate execution of his business
ut proper time and place; he is old enough
TO know that he is legally responsible for
his acts and if he does not know it, or
pretends that he does not know it, the
very best way to enlarge his knowledge
and illuminate his ignorance is to let the
law punish him when he breaks the law.
Once in the police court. where the Justice
treats him, not as college hero but as
young ruffian, arrested for law breaking,
and he will not need to be told again that
college boys cannot afford to mock the
law and defy it any more than other hood
Iums who are not college boys.
We remember a case where a gang of
young hoodlums persisted every day in
severely snowhalling a quiet citizen until
,hey were all arrested one day and pun
ished for assault" They were astonished
10 find that peting a man outrageously
with hard snowbaiis was an assault, ~
but they paid enough for this addition to
their knowledge so that the quiet citizen
vas not moIested the next winter. The
college boys ought to be taught that they
cannot mob the officers of their college
with impunity any more than they can
mob any other citizens. Run these young
| ruffians into the police court, fine them
and give the full punishment of the law a
lew times. publish their names in con-
gnicuous place in the newspapers as part
af the police court record, and we will en-
cage that the college hoodium will not be
10 numerous or quite so ruthless as he is
| ut present
The law ought 10 be enforced with Just
a. much sternness against college mob
| that commits wanton assault upon the
| neace and dignity of college authorities as
/ II is in case of any iawless assault upon
| ahe peace and dignity Of a court, 9 church
| ar a public meeting. The quickest way to
| make a college boy into decent man and
,st,xen il to treat him like man and to
hold him as strictly responsible for his
| conduct as any other member of the com
| munity who is not a college boy.