Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1901-190?, 1902-11-21
JUDGE F. E. GILLETT
Says that Officers, as Well as Other
Citizens, Must Obey the Law,

D
Jury at Lawton:
AT this time, the court desires
to say to you that crime is the in
evitable result of a violation of
justice. In every community
throughout the length and
breadth Of our land there are
those who lack only the power of
initiative and example to become
either incendiaries, thieves, ra-
pists, suicides or murderers, and
wherever a william of deeper dye
sets an example of seemingly
successful crime, his record,
blazoned abroad acts as. a match
applied to tinder among the callow
Drained imitators of the act. We
generally are in the habit of pay
ing too little attention to the
power of suggestion in the every
day affairs of life. Naturally all
of us suppose that we act upon
our own volition and of our own
wits. Strong men physically,
men Of strong nerves, temper
ment and ability, men of strong
minds and wills, are at times, as
we all know, given to act upon
the example that is set before
them; thoughtlessly at times,
at other times carelessly.
The city, the county, the mu-
nicipality which winks at the vio-
lation of the law, whether in
brothels, or in whatever form the
municipality may overlook such
violation of the law, is laying the
foundation for still greater crime
in future years. Contempt for
the law and the glorification of
evil is the inevitable result. Plans
are made for the protection of So
ciety and the only safety lies in
the enforcement of the law as it
is made.
AS judge of this court, | am a
stranger-perhaps more of a
stranger than many of you-to
the affairs of this county. | have
not had called to my special at
tention any particular crimes that
ought to be pointed out to you,
but there are some matters one
or two, that | want to speak to
you about. 1t was called to my
attention a few days ago, and it
has gone the rounds of this en-
tire territory that an effort was
made during the absence of the
sheriff of this county to burn the
court house. This is a magnifi-
cent county and any person who
would start to perform such an
act as that ought to fall into the
hands of this grand jury and in
to the hands of the officers of the
law.
| have noticed in another in
stance where it was stated that a
public officer had been guilty of
embezzlement of municipal funds
of this city, and the suggestion
was made almost publicly that
compromise would be made with.
him for his crime if he would pay
back a part of the money. Let
me say to you that when you be-
gin to compromise with crime,
when officers and others in the
discharge of their pnblic duties
undertake to compromise with
criminal acts, you have then set
the very example that | sought
to explain to you when l first
commenced these instructions.
Crime cannot be tampered with.
Dereliction in public office can
not be tolerated. AS | have said
to you, you are the eyes of this
court and this court is blind to
these things unless you examine
them in good faith as you have
sworn to do. A municipality be-
comes a rotten commonwealth
when officers under their oaths
of office undertake to compro-
mise with evil. 1t is a position of
such great Importance, that when
YOU have ignored the duties that