Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-30
.IE SUPREME OBJECT
Trivial Differences Should Be
Laid Aside In Campaign
Against Vice
JUSTICE BREWERS REMEDY
Delivers Notable Address in Chicago
Before Municipal League Association
On "obedience to Law and the First
Civic Disqualification of Law in
Cities and Country Compared
JUSTICE BREWERS REMEDY

Chicago. March 30.-"Waste no time
or strength on trivial differences which
concern modes and methods. Enlist
under the single banner of civic purity,
righteousness and obedience to law.
Enlist not for one campaign only, but
the publication of vice offered by JUS
tice David j. Brewer. of the United
States supreme court, in an address
here last night under the auspices OF
the Municipal League Association.
Justice Brewers theme was "Obedi-
ence to Law the First Civic Duty and
his discourse was listened to with
marked interest by an audience that
filed the Auditorium theater. He
spoke as follows:
1T is a truism that all should obey
the law. 1t is a part Of the Anglo
Saxon's political creed. Especially is
this true wherever the lay is not made
for the citizen, but where the citizen
makes the law. If a number of men
unite in a partnership On equal terms,
Undoubtedly the majority should con
troll and the minority submit to their
judgment or quit the partnership. Ours
is a government. of the people, by the
people aud for the people. The under
lying principle of republican institu-
tons is equality. Each is entitled
to n vote ard no lore. One mans
vote is as good and no better than an
others. Never. however, look upon it
as property, something for barter and
sale. 1t should be to every true
American like the water Of life, with
cut money and without price. This
rule of equality is the basic principle of
cur political life. however short we
may come of realizing it. The declara-
ton of independence Is still a living
and glowing truth and not a mere
chrome of dead tho glittering generali-
ties. According to this the majority
determine and make the law and the
minority must obey or go elsewhere, In
cur thought there is no place for re-
sistance to law or for revolution to
overthrow the. decisions of obedience
of the ballot. We do not live in Pam
anna, and we have no canals TO sell.
This duty of obedience TO the law be-
ing conceded, IL being confessedly the
principle upon which republican gov
eminent is founded, why stop to con-
slider it in relation to municipal gov
ernmentg No VIII seriously con-
ter that there is an obligation To obey
the law OF the state or nation and none
to obey the ordinances of q city. There
fore. why discuss hat Which all ad-
nit to be trusl
And the first thing which l wish to
suggest Is that there is more violation
oil law In a city than elsewhere. This
is not a matter of mere mathematics, 1t
Is not simply because there are more
laws to be ol,eyed, the ~rdsnancss of
the city in addition to the laws OF the
state and nation. There is more crime
In a city than in the country. AS proof
OF this take the statistics from peni-
tentiaries, for instance. Each year dur
ing the last three years more than half
the corvicts came from Cook county.
Consider also the number in Chicago
jaila. n other places where lesser
criminals are punished. Contrast the
0SnNe ~ ypdA ~ lllOSE
OF like court in the country. and then
In addition go any morning into the po-
lice courts and see the crowd gather
ed there for violations of your ordinan-
ces, and you will have no question of
the truth of The proposition that crime
is more aburpdant In the city than in
the country.
I is not strange that the most wide
ly abused official Is the policeman. He
is the active agent OF the municipality
in enforcing its ordinances. the visible
representative of all obnoxious, petty
and irritating city regulations. AS
those regulations touch the life of the
at more points and more fire.
quently han any other enactnents, ma
tional or state, it is not only natural
that he who 'enforces them should be
most dislikedl and consequently fire.
quently wronglycriticized. You seldom.
the United States marshal or the
sheriff or ever the constable, but
you see the policeman at every cor
ner.
The laws of the nation and the state
while far reaching and by reason there
of profounding affecting the social life,
are nevertheless not brought to our at
so constantly as the police reg
of the municipality. We know
is d statute defining murder, and
furnishing murder, and we are thankful
there is. We know there are courts
to try and officers to execute that stat
ute, yet we never think OF, committing
a murder, or OF violating any other
mandate of state or nation.