The Magnolia gazette., 1899-09-09
WAS GLAD HE SAID IT.

Z y
be the duty Of every citizen to see
that the laws were executed,
Judge Truly said, substantially
that "Lawless practices could
not continue in any community
without the consent Of the people,
or dereliction on the part Of Off
cials, and if municipal functiona-
ries were as diligent and watch.
full in their official duties as re-.
quired OF them by law, blind IT,
gers could not exist in any town. I"
lie further said that 1T is not the
severity Of punishment so much
as the certainty Of its infliction
that suppresses crime or Restraints
criminals; that they care but lit
tie for the nature or severity Of
the penalties Of the law 50 long as
they can escape them. =
Criminals most invariably base
their conclusions to act, on the
environments, nature and dispo-
sitiou of the people to be effected
by the deed. Experienced Grim
mails usually know who to depend
on, but ii the novice ia criminal
ventures could be apprehended,
convicted and punished in the be.
ginning, il would, nine times out
Of ten, EJECT permanent cure.
But. sad TO say, comparatively
few people. parents especially,
can or will accept this as a truth,
but hope for voluntary reforms
that never come. Conniving at
what people are pleased to term
"minor offenses is a sin for
which multitudes have and will
have to account.
"Spare the rod and spoil the
child" is heavens warming. An
instance comes to my mind where
some unusually daring blind ii.
gers invaded the sacred precincts
of Christian worshippers with
their nefarious traffic, ana lured
young men and boys from the
very door OF the sanctuary into
shame and disgrace. And not
withstanding this was done in
broad daylight where children
could see and be influenced by the
results, yet these same offenders
found their warmest friends and
helpers among the would be
leaders OF society, and such as
claimed to be law ab ding citizens
and Christians.
1t is too often the case that per-
sons are deceived in themselves.
Claiming to be loyal, they resort
to unfair means 10 defeat the pur-
poses of the law, and then COM
plain that the morals of our peo-
pie are running very low.
Let it be remembered that the
blinl tiger man is the most dam
gerous character that exists on
earth, and should be the most de-
testable. He is not only Grim
inal at law for his illegal traffic
but he is culpable, more or less,
for every class of crime in the
whole catalogue OF offences.
Ho robs the infant Of its pro-
lection, the child of its Inherit
ance, the youth of his reward,
manhood Of his reason and old
age of its support. He takes COM
fort from the family, piety from
the church, influence from the
court, power from the law, and
peace from the community. He
steals the young man's pride and
honor, the maiden's confider ce
and virtue, the wife s repose and
| trust the husbands sense of re-
sponsibility and care, the moth
ee's hopes and heartease, and the
fathers energy and ability.
This course leads downward
and into darkness, and his every
foorstep is marked with crime and
debauchely, and his laif is del
uged with the blood and guilt Of
his unwary victims.
The fruit of his labors ate evil
habits: Tipping, drunkenness,
gambling, and murder, with all
their accompanying vices. The
tippler today is the drunkard to-
morrow. and from drunkenness
to gambling, from gambling to
murder. from murder to the scaf-
fold, and from the scaffold to eter-
nifty, the companion of demons
and devils. in lake where the
worm dieth not and the fire is not
quenched-the work OF the blind
tiger.
o, God save us from such brute
| hoa.l. .l e.. N u