The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-04-30
uoEvAtL1s. OREGON. APRIL. 80. 1904.
THE LESSON.

The bloodshed of last Sunday
morning is not without its moral.
Here are the facts. A number of
smart" boys who have beenpleased
to style ethemse1ves "The gang" have
engaged in various acts of hood
1umism during the past two years.
Some of these boys committed un-
lawful acts and were put in Jail.
Others on the outside helped them
out. This was one law1ess act that
came before the public. On an
other occasion, members of 1.-The
gang" broke the leg of a student,
and he was compelled on account.
of his injury to leave college. Af-
ter that the 'gang" held up Guier
and his companion north of the
sawmill, and besides beating him,
destroyed his property, and took
his horse and team from him. It
was a high handed offense that
called for severest penalties. These
and many other offenses, some of
which came to public notice but
more that did not, are all matters
that cannot have been forgotten.
Connected with these facts, there
are matters that the people have
forgotten. For when the ''gang"
broke Jail, the officers captured
them and nearly all were senten ced
to 40 days in Jail. 1t is perhaps
forgotten, but it is nevertheless
true, that the storm of public SEN
timent that was aroused by the
severity of those sentences was re-
markable. People of all classes
criticized the officers for their
''heartless" treatment of the boys.
They said the penalties we're too
severe. Women were up in arms
and with tears and threats harassed
the officers. who had made an
honest attempt to put an end to
the hoodlumism. In short, a
strenuous public sentiment of such
proportions arose that the officers
were actually compelled to open the
Jail doors and set the boys at lib
erty before their sentences had been
served. These are facts that in the
present instance, should be care
fully borne in mind, for it is the
purpose of this article to assert
that part of the responsibility for
the events of last Sunday morning
and the very bad reputation that
those events have given Corvallis
abroad, rests upon the citizens of
Corvallis themselves.
The one influence. and the only
influence that enforces laws and
preserves society, is public senti-
ment. The Sunday closing law
was never enforced in Corvallis, un-
til public sentiment demanded it.
1t is not enforced in many other
towns because public sentiment
does not insist on it. Municipal
tiles may pass all manner of laws
but if it is not the full desire of the
people that those laws be enforced.
they will be void. 1t is in the
power of public opinion any time
to nullify any law. No officer will
enforce law unless he is convinced
that he has the people at his back.
Young Ready was able to buy liq-
uor Saturday night because the
people of Corvallis have failed to
make it fully known to the saloon
men that intoxicants must not be
sold to minors. If. in a voice that
could not have been misunderstood
the people had hitherto made it
known to all saloon men that the
sale of liquor to all minors was at
the immediate peril of the seller, it
is very doubtful if the tragic ev-
ents of Sunday morning would
have happened. If, with equal
significance, the people had made
it known that concealed weapons
are carried at the peril of the
carrier, 'smart" boys would not go
about town with big revolvers in
their pockets. 1t is idle to attempt
to shift the blame altogether on the
officers, on the boys, and on the
saloon men. When the officers at
tempted to give vigorous penalties
to the gang" public sentiment
prevented those penalties from be-
ing carried out. 1t was then and
there, that the officers got their
fingers burned in vigorous law en-
forcement, and it is not surprising
that Officer Osburn did not dare
FIRE Sunday morning, but followed
and followed. and counseled and
counse1ed until he fell wounded.
He knew that he dared not fire, be-
cause if he had all Corvallis would
have risen and criticized and con
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