The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-14
The Lapse Of Law.

the matter Of lawlessness, which FREE
quently:- develops into great and outrage
GUS violence; sometimes develops into
shameful bribery and corruption In state
legislatures. municipal legislatures, as In
Missouri, to cite recent sample case,
or in government department at Wash
ington, say, the postoffice department,
where investigation is revealing that very
reprehensible form of lawlessness-the
conversion Of government and public
business office into machine for paying
off political debts, and an area for the vio-
lation of the first principles of civil SER
vice reform. It is all lawlessness, by
whatever other name it may be called
There are wrongs and lawlessness, in
deed, all over the country, just as damna-
BILE as peonage in Alabama. Labor defies
the law and steps boldly over the line into
the forbidden area, pretending to believe
itself justified on the ground that capital
does it." The whole drift of all this law
lessness is toward an abominable lapse of
all law and order, unless the law abiding
grid themselves and become by purposive-
ness and strong, uncompromising combi-
nations, Titans in the struggle for law and
order.
Our government boldly proclaims the
entire sympathy of government and nation
with the harried Jews Of Russia It has
refrained from official recognition of Peter
Karageorgevitch as King Of Servia be-
cause he assembled the throne thru the
bloody massacre of the remaining repre-
sentatives of the Obrenovitch dynasty,
and accorded immunity from punishment
to the assassins. This is we'll; but the
government has sent no protest to Turkey
against the daily massacres in Macedonia
OF men, women and children during the
past six or eight months, noting also the
flames Of village after village fired by
ferocious -Bashi-Bazouk irregulars and by
Turkish troops Of the line. No protest
was ever sent to Russia against that hor-
rible violation Of the laws Of war, the
wanton drivingsof 5000 poor, helpless Chi
nese men,. women and children, in 1900
into the swift current Of the Amur river
to perish those who struggled out beins
pushed back by the Russian soldiery. we
are too discriminating In our protests
against inhumanity. We are too discrin.
| mating in the execution of the laws thru.
out this country. There is too much fea,
of hurting the feelings Of political bosses
| and their respective encourages. Mere
partizan service counts too much, while
real public service counts too little. The
public has given too deferentia1 recogni.
ton Of the politicians. as a special class BY
themselves, potential in making candi
| dates and conventions and nomination.
and controlling elections This shiftins
Of responsibility, upon the active politi
clans has wrought tremendous evil to tn,
country. The citizens who have commit
ted public affairs to these Janissaries ant
| Pretorians have their share of responsible
ity for the lawlessness pervading the coun
try. Public affairs are the affairs of tn,
nation, the city, the town, the village, tin
| county. The nation comprises every indi
| vidual in it. It is the duty of the Who'll
community to insist upon the enforcement
| of law. The Janissaries and Pretoria n
| are usurpers.