The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-08-07

tney were neeQeQ. ana IL WOulu
have been better if they had left the
praying to the women, and had gone
to the primaries, as one church did,
pastor and all. (Applause)
How often it happens that the
good man that ought to have been
nominated was not, because the good
men who ought to have attended the
primaries did not.
1t needs be emphasized that, no
matter what better political machin-
cry we get, even though immigration
be restricted and educational tests
for suffrage established, we shall
never get better officers unless we
nominate better candidates, and that
such will not be nominated unless
good citizens attend the primaries
which even now they could usually
control, if they would. Let us get
better primaries, and in the meantime
use those we have.
Another of our country's needs is
law enforcement. We need better
laws, but most all, we need to en-
force the laws we have. (Applause.)
We need, to that end, first of all, bet
ter mayors-mayors like Nehemiah,
that will stand stiff as steel, even
when there is no "public sentiment"
for the law, because public conscience
and the law are on their side. When
Nehemiah came to Jerusalem, there
was no "public sentiment" in favor
of the Sabbath. Even the church
officers needed to be "cleansed"
before they could keep the. gates.
1t was a case of one man and
God, but that was a majority; and
he had the law also, and the con-
science of the people on his side,
and that made him unanimous, and
so he went ahead and enforced the
law. have talked with many may
ors in my ninety-thousand miles of
travel, in Sabbath reform, and l have
found that most of them are not ag-
gressively good, but either bad, or
goodish or goody, or good for moth
ing, like the men who elected them,
by sins of omission and commission.
We need officers like Daniels three
friends, who dared to stand upright,
when all the nation had curvature of
the spine, before that fiery furnace.
Daniel was the same kind of man.
A little child attempting to repeat
text about Daniel got the spirit" of
the passage instead of the exact
wording: "As for this Daniel, an ex-
cellent spine was in him." The
trouble with most of our mayors is
that they talk about the wisdom of
the law, as il it were bill of fare
they were to look over and choose
what they like, instead of exacting its
enforcement in every particular.
That is, they give us jawbone instead
of backbone,
Let me tell the Young Peoples
Christian Union who were so unfort-
innate, so far as they have already left
school, as to miss education in civics
which our public schools have ne
elected, that there are six ways to
enforce the law in any city today.
First, by electing good mayor. But
If you miss that, you can, second,
enforce the law by electing a good
sheriff. The sheriff is really to the
mayor of the county, and should en-
force the laws if the mayors neglect to
do SO. Third, by the police depart
ment-by the police commissioners
or by the chief of police, or by indi-
vidual policemen. Fourth, by elect
ing a good Judge. Fifth, by electing
a good prosecutor. Sixth, by appeal
ing to the Governor to enforce the
law by commanding his sheriffs to
do it. 1t is one of the strangest alb
surdities that only one ortwo govern
ors of the United States have discov-
cred what "chief executive" means
1t means that whenever, anywhere in
the state, the laws are neglected, the
Governor should call upon his Off
GERS, sheriffs, and police commission
ers, so far as they are state officers,
to enforce the laws. Every governor
should say today to such officers all
over the land, wherever the laws are
not obeyed, SIN the name of the
state enforce those neglected laws"
(Applause).
The seventh way is for the people
themselves to go into the courts and
enforce the law as every citizen has
the right to do, singly or in law and
order leagues. The prelude to such
action should be the awakening of
public sentiment which will often
make the public officers do their
duty, and so lessen the work of the
league. For instance, in st. Paul,
formarIv ono of the most hOrrihl U