The weekly Thibodaux sentinel. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 1898-1905, 1901-10-26
Law.

When God said, "Let there bt
light" there was light; and that Was
law. The sun, moon and stars operate
according to law fixed by the Crea
tor of all things. The human body
operates on the lines of perfect law
and when this law i, violated a pen
atty must he paid Many ren have
doubted and disputed the existence
of God, but they have been made
to realize that in spite Of their dlspu
tatiOns and their doubts there are
natural laws which can not be violat
ed with impunity. So society must
have laws and these laws will exist
and be enforced in spite of the pro-
tests Of those who oppose all law and
all government. Those who do not
understand the law, ana even those
who dispute the authority Of the law,
are willing TO take advantage Of the
law whenever they need protection.
When Emma Goldman and her fellow
anarchists were placed under arrest
they were quick to call for lawyer
and ready to avail themselves of the
guarantees Of the government, al.
though in doing so they invoked tue
aid of the govern ment which they
had denounced.
While it Was law that forbade the
anarchists TO do evil, it was likewise
law that threw about them the safe
guards essential to individual; liberty.
1t was law that enabled these people,
even in the moment when pubic pas.
sion was stirred to its depths, to
escape swift and summary punish
ment-a punishment which in the
absence OF proof would have been
injustice.
DR.. Johnson said: claw is the
last result of human wisdom acting
upon human experience for the bene.
fit of the public" No one has con.
tended that law is perfect; the steady
trend Of the good men of the world
has been, and is, to make upon the
law such improvements as are sug
gested by experience. History is
flied with the achievements of men
who have organized opposition to
governments then existing; but honor
is accorded only to those who, while
protesting against one form of gov.
ernment or one administration of
government, proposed to substitute
IN its place, not anarchy, but another
form of government or another ad-
minlstration complete in its order and
in their opinion more likely to be
advantageous to the people.
Even our own Declaration of IN
dependence, after stating the ends of
government, said whenever any form
Of government becomes destructive
OF these ends, it is the right Of the
people 10 alter or to abolish it, and 10
substitute new government, laying
its foundations on such principles,
and organizing its powers in such
form, as to them shall seem most
likely to effect their safety and hap
piness." This clear right was recog
nized, not that it would give to any.
one within the confines Of civilization
the privilege Of rejecting all law and
combating all order, but rather that
when one form of law or government
became destructive Of the ends of
government, the people, acting through
the majority, might change the form
Of IL e law, not by the destruction of
government but by the substitution
Df more wholesome laws, better order
and a more perfect government.
Society will be benefited If the
attention of all is fixed upon the
manner in which every safeguard was
thrown about the presidents assassin.
When he fired upon tie president,
hat was anarchy; when the crowd,
excited by the assault upon tie chief
MAGISTRATE and justly indignant,
ought to destroy tie assassin's life,
hat was anarchy; but when the
Wounded president said, "Let no one
lurt him." that was law. 1t is not
'ifhcult to understand why the i'm
,uise of the crowd at Buffalo was to
lestroy the assassin, yet had his life
'een taken an injury would have been
!One to the cause of good poyern-