The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-09-22

are beginning to think there are too
many laws. Every year the national
and local statesmen meet and go to
work making laws as if the situation OF
the world depended upon them. Code
follows code, only to be tinkered,
amended or destroyed by new corps of
legislators. Overworked supreme
courts flash their guesses into print
from day to day, but the tangle grows
worse all the time. 1t would be a
blessing..to the.country to rock along
at least ten years without single new
statue.-Birmingham (Ala.) Age
Herald
More time and energy-and public
money-is expended in the enactment
of new and useless laws than is given
to the proper enforcement of those al
ready, in existence. We do not need
more laws, but we do need more
strict and impartial administration of
what we now have, and such course
on the part of those officials whose
sworn duty it is to uphold and carry
out the intent of the law, would ele-
vate them very much in the estimation
and regard of the public. When a
man commits crime against society
and is proven guilty Of the offense, he
should be punished, but it is to often
the case that such person Is permit
ted to 60 free, and through some mere
technecality of the law which does not
amount to anything of itself and is re-
ally an Indication of lack of good
common sense and breach of trust on
the part Of men who are employed
by the public to protect its interests.
A case such as that Of Agatha Willin,
which recently occurred in Cleveland,
is enough to shake the confidence Of
every thinking man in the justice of
our laws as made and administered by
persons who are employed as servants
Of the public to protect society from
the assaults of persons of evil disposi-
tion. In this ease, the poor friendless
German girl, who could not speak a
word of English, was detained as a
witness against wretch who had
assaulted her, and confined in loaths
some cell, while the law took its own
time. The man who committed the
crime against the innocent girl was ad-
mitted to bail and allowed to walk the
streets free man. AS a result of
her confinement in prison, the girl lost
her reason; her health is broken, and
she will probably go to an early grave.
Is this justice? Not by any means
Why was not the accused man brought
to an immediate trial and the innocent
girl saved from all the misery and
degregation put upon her in the name
Of the law? Simply because the men
who are hired to dispense the laws.
and who are expected to make no de-
lay in the discharge of their duty,
arrogate to themselves undue author
ity in the matter and run things to
suit their own personal convenience,
and the people submit. There are
plenty Of people who would like to see
things different, and SO express them
selves in private conversation, but
when it comes to publicly protesting
against some things Of which society
does not approve, they take bacl
seat and keep mum, for fear OF in
curing the displeasure Of some "bil
gun" who, if stripped Of his feathers
would prove very poor "speciment,
indeed
Then again, take that case Of whole
sale lypching which recently occureC
in Indiana The victims we're mel
who, for long time, had committed
depredations against their neighbors
and on several occasions resortad t,
measures Of extreme cruelty to induc,
their helpless victims to disclose th,
hiding place Of their treasure. Thi
band Of Williams had become terror Il
the entire country in which they lived
and honest citizens stood in continue