Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-12-22
LEWELLING'S LETTER.


The executive letter Of Governor Lew.
elIing Of Kansas to the police commits
siouers Of the state has ELECTED much
comment from the press Of the country,
His statements have been so distorted
that the governor has been requested
by number Of editors aud others to
furnish copies Of the original document.
This he has done and II Is as follows;
To all Boards Of Police Commissioners
In the reign Of Elizabeth the highways
werg filled with the throngs OF the unem-
pHyed poor who were made 10 move
on. and were sometimes brhlnlly WHIP
ped sometimes kuntugrlly hanged ns
sturdy Migrants, iucorr-gble vagabonds.'
In France, Just previous 10 the rcYOlu-
ton, the punishment Of being poor aud
out of work was, for the first Oilense,
u term OF ycnr5 in the gnlleys; for the
second olfcusc, the galeys for lifr In
TINS country, the monopoly OF labOrsnN-
ing machinery and It's devotion 10 selfish
instead Of social use has rendered moro
and moro human beings superIluUus, un-
IN We buyo a standing army OF the I'M
employed, numbering, even IN tho most
prosperous ulncs, not less than lOoo,OuO
uble'bOlipd mon; yet, uuiU recently II
was the prevailing notion us il Is yet
the notion Of all but the work people
| themselves and those Of other classes
| given TO thinking, that whpsoypr, beiug
| able bodied and willing to work. can III
| ways ind work to do; aud section ~
! OF me general statutes OF 1881 X Il DIS
] graceful reminder how savage even IN
| Kansas, has been our treatment of the
| most unhappy of our human brothers.
| Tho man out Of work and pcnnilcss
| liduncc men, Under this statute aud city
! IN, 10y the legislation, clHsscd with "cun-
! ordinances Of slnilnr Import, thousands
! d ~
| intent upon no crime hut that Of seek
/ ing employment, have Mngnishel ia the
| city prisons ul Kansas, or performed
unrequlted toll on "ncl, pllcs,' ns muui~
| ipnl slaves, because Ignorance of eco
| nomlc conditions had nude Ms cruel, The
Victims have been the poor aud humble,
for whom The police courts are courts
| Of last resort They cannot give bond
and appeal They have been UNDECIDED
| aud mclred for by the busy world, which
wastes no time visiting prisoners in jail,
| They have been too poor Ia litiEntr with
their Opprcssurs; aud thus no voice from
this underworld ot human wOc has ever
| reached the cHr of an appellate court,
hecuusc it was unhody's business tu be
his brothers keeper.
But those who sit In the seats OF pow
| err are bound by the highest obligation
Ia especially regard the cause Of the
| oppressed aud helpless poor The first
duty of the government is to the weak.
Power becomes tenlisll If 1t ha not tile
protector und sure reliance Of the friend
less, 10 whose complaints all other ears
| are dull II Is my duty Ia "scr that
the laws AFRO faithfully executed aud
among those laws Ia the constitutional
provision Tint nu instumpuulity
of the state shall deny o any person with.
| In It's jurisdiction the equal protection
ot the laws And who needs to hc told
! that equal protection Of the laws docs
| "A VUrTH,Ua
~ law TX rutnr'rd3 VI separates men
into two distinct classes, differentiated
~ those who nr' pcuniloss and those who
are not aud declares the former crim-
mals Only tie latter arc entitled to the
liberty guaranteed by the constitution,
10 hc found In city without Visible
means Of support or some legitimate
business W. tho involuntary condition
Of somo millions al this moment, aud,
under the law we proceed To punish thrm
for being victims To conditions which we,
us q people, have forced upon thrW
! have noticed IN police court reports
that sleeping ia @ box car Is among
The varieties of this hcinous Crimr of
hclug poor, Some police Judges have
usurpcd g sovereign power not permits
ted The highest funcionNrirs of the state
or VI tile nation. and victims ui iudustr-
al conditions have been pcrrmtomly "0r-
drrCd TO leave town"
'rha right to- go freely from pace 10
place In esnrch uf employment, mr. even
In obedience to mcrc within, Is part Of
that personal liberty guaranteed by the
constitution of the United States ia
every human being ON American soil.
llvcn voluntary idlCucss Is not forbidden.
VI Diogcncs prefer poverty; II q Comm,
bus choose hunger aud the discovery of
q new race, rather than seek personal
comfort by engaging In some Legitimate
husiueSs, ! AN awarr Of no power IN
, ! thp lpuituNtrN or I'm city council, ia do