Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1899-08-31
PIRATES AND SOCIETY
RELATING TO GREAT GREAT
GRANDSON OF CAPT. KIDD.
should Mon Who Have Boen Legally Per-
mittsd 20 Rob tho Community Of Values
Created by II, BIO Compensated II Their
Power TO Rob IL Taken Away:

capturing merchantmen, making their
crews walk the plank, and appropri'
atlng their cargoes In this way he
accumulated much wealth, which he Is
thought to have buried. But let us
suppose, for the sake OF illustrA-
tlon, that no did not bury his wealth,
but left IL to his legal heirs, and they
TO their heirs and so on, until at the
present day this wealth or part OF II
has come TO great great.grandson OF
Captain Kidd, Now, lot us suppose
that some one-say n great great
grandson OF one OF tho ship'masterS
whom Captain Kidd plundered, makes
complaint and says; THAT mans
greatgreat-grandfathe plundered my
neutrality-suspicious. of certain
things or certain sums, which have
been transmitted TO him, whereas, but
for this wrongful act, they would have
beon transmitted TO me; therefore l
demand that no DO made u restore
them" What would society answer?
Society, speaking by Its proper tri-
bunalS, and In accordance with prin-
cipleS recognized among NIL civilized
nations, would say; ave cannot on
terrain such n demand. IL may be
true that Mr. Kids great-great-
grandfather robbed your great-great-
grandfather, and as the result OF this
wrong he has got things that other
wise might have come TO you. hut we
cannot inquire into occurrences that
happened 30 long ago, Each genera
ton has enough to do to attend TO Its
own affairs II we go to righting the
wrongs and reopening the controvei-
sizes OF our great'grcat'grandfathers,
there will be endless disputes and pre-
texts for dispute. What you say may
be true, but somewhere we must draw
the line, and have an end to strife,
Though this mans great'gi eat grand
father may have robbed your great
greatgrandfather, he has not robbed
you. He came into possession Of these
things peacefully, and has held them
peacefully, ind we must take this
peaceful possession, when II has been
continued for q certain time, as abso-
lutte evidence Of just title; for, were we
not To do that, there would be no end
TO dispute and no secure possession of
anything
Now, 1t is this common sense prin-
ciple that 10 expressed In the statute
Of limitations--in the doctrine Of vest
cd rights. This is tho reason why 1t is
held-and as to most things held just
Iy-that peaceable possession for a GER
tain time cures all defects Of title,
but let us pursue the illustration a
little further
Let us suppose that Captain Kidd,
having established large and profit
able piratical business, left 1t to his
son, and he to his son, ana SO on, until
the great-great'grandson, who now
pursues 1t, has come to consider II the
most natural thing in the world that
biz ships should roam the sea, captur-
Ing peaceful merchantmen, making
their crews walk the plank, and BRING
Ing homo to him much plumber, where
by he 10 enabled, though he does not
work at all, to live In very great lux
ury, and look down with contempt
upon the people who have to work.
But at last, let us suppose, the mer-
chants get tired Of having their goods !
taken, and sailors get tired Of tremb-
ling for their lives every time sail
lifts above the horizon, and they dc.
mAnd Of society that piracy be STOP
ped.
Now what should society say II Mr..
Kidd got indignant, appealed to the
doctrine OF vested rights, and asserted
that society was bound TO prevent any
with the business that he
had inheritad, and that II It wanted
him TO stop it must buy him out, pay
Ing him all that his business was
Is to say, Mt least as much |
rs he could make In twenty years sue
cessful pirating, so that II 10 stop
ped pirating he could still continue to
live in luxury of the profits of the
merchants and the earnings Of the
sailorsP ... .
What ought society say to such
claim as this? There will be but one
answer We will all say that society
should tell Mr. Kidd that his was n
business to which the statute Of limi-
tations and the doctrine of vested
rights did not apply; that because his
Iather, and his grandfather, and his
great and neutrality-suspicious. pur-
sued the business of capturing ships
md making their crews walk the
plank, was no reason why he should
be permitted to pursue it. Society, we
will agree, ought TO say he would have
10 stop piracy, and stop 1t at once, and
hat without getting a cent for stop-