San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-06-07
LAW; NOT LAWS.

laratory and carries in itself the
power of punishment for all law dis
obediences. Laws are declared dy
the church or by the state as ex-
listing and their punishments are al
so thus known If there was no dec
laration of church or state concern
ing this or that, there would be in
few instances any knowledge of any
lack of conformity, any conscious
ness of punishment to follow. 1t is
upon the fact of declaration that
laws rest, and upon the power to in
fiict the punishment attached that
the force of the prohibition is estab-
lished. Laws without power to back
them are dead letters, and even thus
backed are often without force, be-
cause the will, or the conscience, or
the temper of the law subject pays
no regard to the law prohibition, pre-
ferring to run the risk of being found
out and taking the punishment to
accepting the Inconvenience attach
ing to obedience.
Law is another thing. 1t is that
which exists in the constitution of
the things that are to be governed
and thus existing in inherant condi-
ton depends only on those conditions
for its authority, carrying with it by
inherant condition also the punish
ment for it's disregard. You may dis
obey with impunity all the laws that
are not founded in natural crndira us
and there will no penalty fol'ov I'M
less you are found out. Thus Al will
be seen that the punishment
is not for breaking laws, but for be-
ing found out. Too soon the lesson is
learned to this effect, and the whole
energy of the willful and stubborn
is to evade the finding out. This fact
makes criminals.
Laws are arbitrary rulings and
conclusions and declarations of hui
man conventions and assemblies and
tribunals, too often not founded in
the conditions that are inherent
among men, and therefore striking
the average man and woman as es-
sentially unjust. 1t is this sense of
atoms of men regardless of natural
the injustice of the laws, the declar-
relations, conditions and rights, that
so causes revolt in the lives and
thoughts of men and women, and
this revolt of the mind finding eX-
preston in words and acts is taken
notice of and punished. This breeds
hostility in the mind to the laws
laws come TO be regarded as express
sons of the animOsity of society to
certain classes and conditions. This
leads to an essential antagOnism be-
tween a portion of the people and the
laws, and anarchy is the result
All legislators who have ever been
gifted with the sense TO make proper
laws for the government of society,
recognize the fact that these laws
are arbitrary for the most part, and
are only placed upon the statute
book because the prejudices of the
people who make up the great bulk
of society demand some such laws.
These lawmakers are not the serv-
ants of their own instructed judg-
ments, but of the prejudices of those
who are loudest in their demands for
some certain declaration of the leg
islatiye power upon those matters
that are regarded as of importance.
The louder the demand for
any particular declaration upon any
mater the more certain it is to be so
declared. The loudness and persis-
tency counts, not the reasonableness.
1t is the case of the unjust judge
over again. He avenged the woman
of her adversar., OF because of the
equity Of her case, but because he
was afraid she would bore him with
her continual comiI It is til,
mouthed demand for this or = ..
which is regarded IL the halls @
state and national legislation as tia,
which must be granted ,er
sistent few always succeed III gain,
ing their point against the wishes OF
the Indifferent many. Thi Is the
reason why sumptuary laws. and
laws for the regulation of Sunday
and all other purely personal enact
ments, are upon the statute books
The few demand ITEM and the many
do not resist that demand. Once il
a while the many rouse themselves
to resistance and then the tables ar,
turned, but the many are rather in