The Progress., 1893-04-15
And as is Becoming Only Too
Frequent.
The Bright Sunlight is Al
lowed to Shine on the
Scene and Act.
where Lies the Responsibility for These
Repeated Occurrences.

1t Is melancholy fact to be re-
lated, sad admission to make, that
once more has a deliberate murder
been committed on a public and fire.
quented thoroughfare of Shreveport
and in broad daylight.
1t seems to us that it is time for the
thinking people, those on whose
shoulders rest the responsibility OF
good moral government and the en-
forcement of the laws of our State,
to begin to use measures to discover
the cause for this sudden period of
crime in our city.
In our opinion it is a display of
mental weakness, or an acknowledg-
ment of a dethroned judgment for
our people to attribute these crimes,
which have recently so convulsed our
community, entirely to the disposition
and passion infamed condition of
the parties engaged in the difficulty
wherein, one in an uncomfortable fit
of anger Stays his opponent, or
smartIng under supposed wrong,
one of the parties hastens to wipe
out the grievance in the blood of the
other. ''Nay, verify" There is
power greater than all this which
has prompted these horrible acts and
rendered plausible excuse to the
heart of the one desiring to commit
crime, and this is the unholy, incon-
sistent and corrupt condition of our
public policy which is completely un-
der the domination of immortality.
Public opinion in Shreveport has
been unstable and unsound for sew
eral years. Instead of being under
the dominion of a healthful senti-
ment wherein Justice was honored
and respected, Politics, with her de-
bilitating influence, has been permit
ted to usurp the sovereignty and al
lowed to govern, and as usual she
has done SO il prodigal, profigate
way which even denies Morality her
rights and privileges.
The responsibility for this licen-
tious state of our public morals rests
upon three distinct representatives of
our moral government, the church.
the moral element and the newspa-
pers. The first allow sinners and
immoralists to shape her policy and
line of duty, and is therefore pro-
hibited from taking part in public
measures of moral character. The
second are too busy following the
pursuits of their own vocations, too
Interested in making a dollar to take
any interest in anything else and thus
the management of public affairs is
left to the dissolute class. The third;
the newspapers are so Inconsistent,
dealing severely with this one and
passing that one by unnoticed, or
maybe offering an excuse for the lat
ter, whose crime was even greater thtn
the first, that they have almost losS
their influence in molding public
opinion. 1t is fact that every one
except the press OF Shreveport real
ICES, that her newspapers are so in
consistent in dealing with public
questions, SO partial to one certain
individual enterprise to the dispar-
agement of that oDes, so ready to
pitch into some one with blood and |
thunder in their tones and mien, and |
passing another by without a COM
ment, only reportorial notice, that
heir position on question does not
have much weight. To the failings
and shortcomings of these three in
Huences we attribute in a great meas
nre the reason why Mr.. William Hun
yerford now lies in Il martyrs grave
and Mr.. Bolan Sanford occupies
prison cell, while two families are
with grief over the affair,
10 deep that humanity at large must
weep for them.
The crime for which Bolan Sam
ord must answer to the State is so
evolting, SO cowardly and diabolical
hat it mystifes us completely. We
now the boy, for he is but q boy, and
lis name is now enrolled on the ros-
er of the Methodist Mission Sunday
'chool. While in attendance he won
be respect of his teacher for both
eportment and good lessons, and it
ever occurred to anyone connected