The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-11-25
He held that executive officers are

He held that executive officers are
not endowed with power by virtue of
their Office to discriminate against
any particular law. Their oath of
office did not direct that they should
use their judgment as to what laws
should be enforced and what should
noty Their oath compelled them, if
lived up to, to enforce ali law without
fear or favor. They cannot excuse
themselves on the ground that the
strict enforcement of the law would
work an injustice upon certain classes
of people. He held that it's non-en.
forcement worked an injustice upon
much larger class. He thought
that the strict enforcement of the
law would have salutary effect upon
all bodies of law makers, and cause
them to more fully consider the effect
of the measure for good and bad
that they place upon the statu e
book, and as result thought we
would have less laws but better ones,
and that such laws woulo be more
generally respected. He held that
the experience of Theodore Roosevelt
in New York City, as mem Der of tb e
police board, had thoroughly demon
strated that the law can be enforced,
if the officers elected for that purpose
but live up to their oath of office. 1t
can no longer be said it is an impossi.
bility to SO enforce law, for Mr.. Roose-
velt fully demonstrated that in the
metropolis Of the nation all law Of
whatsoever nature can be enforced,
and most successfully.
He said that the greatest trouble
in the enforcement of the law was in
our municipalities, and it was along
that line that he devoted the priLci-
pal portion Of his paper. He reviewed
the obstacles in the way of the en-
f0rcement Of the law and said that
much of the trouble came from the
political methods in vogue. He re.
ferred to matters locally and said that
the same condition of affairs existed
in Mankato as in all other cities, only
of course to a less extent than in the
larger cities. He cited many in
stances in which the law Is not en-
forced in our midst, nor even an at
tempt made to do so. He called at
tentiOn to the fact that while there is
state law against the houses Of ill
fame. which is very strict, and that
1T is the duty Of the sworn officials of
the city to enforce it, it was found
some time ago, when complaint
against their existence within the
city limits was made, that an ar
rangement had been entered into
whereby they were virtually licensed
by system of fines and the party
making the complaint was informed
that nothing could be done. This
trouble is general all over our land,
and he thought that to large ex-
tent the people were as much to
blame for it as the officials are, in that
they allowed it to exist. He believed
there should be an awakening and a
new order OF affairs instituted and
that the laws should be enforced or
else wiped off the statute book.
Quite general discussion followed
in which the sentiments of the paper
were endorsed and methods referred
to by which better state of affairs
might be secured.
A special meeting of the club will
be held on Tuesday evening next at
which ]. A. Flittie will read a paper
on Territorial Expansion" and DR..
]. 5. Holbrook will lead the discus
n