Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-21

~ SASCulltS. IL lA0 law Is uOI a
proper one, then as Grant said enforce
1t that it may be improved. No other
principle is sound government, to re.
sort to any other process is to vitiate
the whole system of government.
Laws are only So much waste paper
and courts are farce If every Irish.
man that happens to wear a blue coat
with bross buttons is the high court
of appeal in the municipality, and his
sweet will the only standard of public
administration. And while say
Irishman may say it does not alter
the case to make it Dutchman or a
Yankee.
Now,it has been the unfortunate con-
dition of Ottumwa for number of
years that her public servants have
beeen disposed to relegate to them
selves the entire prerogative and have
assumed that they were at liberty to
consult their own pleasure or opinion
as to whether the laws should be en-
forced or not. If they did not suit
their taste they have simply stood
aside and left them a dead letter. This
has especially been their attitude
touching the saloon situation in our
city. They have not made the slight
est shadow of pretense of enforcing
the laws of the state in this matter.
l do not need to ask you to accept
that statement upon my mere word,
can refer you to the records of the
district court where you will find am,
pie proof of my assertion. For in
stance, three years ago every liquor
dealer in the city of Ottumwa, went
into the district court and plead guilty
to the charge of conducting his bust
ness unlawfully. There was not one
solitary exception to this sorry spec
tacle. Now that was not because the
authorities had put any pressure upon
them. They had been standing by for
years consenting to this very condi-
ton of lawlessness. They had not
lifted q finger of protest or given a
sign that they were in any way OPP
posed to this state of affairs. While
these men we're elected to enforce
the law, while they had taken their
solemn oath to perform the same,
while they received the city's money
for doing that work yet they stood
aside and made it necessary for pri-
vate citizens to take this matter up
or look on, at the Decentralization. If
there is any duty that is an unpleas
ant one it is for private citizens to
feel compelled to step into such a
breach as this, subject themselves to
the possible reproach of being med
dlers in other mems matters, pay out
their own money after they have al
ready paid their taxes and with the
imperfect equipment at their hands be
called upon to do that which the city
has the perfect machinery Of law to
perform but simply refuses to put that
machinery in operation. 1t is not
pleasant for an employer to engage a
man to do some work either in his
shop or office, pay him for doing it and
then see him loafing around on the
street corners while he is compelled
to take off his coat and do it himself.
1t Is enough to arouse all the right.
eous wrath any man feels stirring in
his nature to go down street and see
lot of big policemen standing right
before a saloon that is violating the
plain law before their eyes and still
not lift finger to bring offenders to
Justice. Yet that has been precisely
for years as far as the saloon business
goes.
Not the Worst Of 1t.
Now that is bad enough, but that is
not the worst Of it, The administra-
ton not only positively agreed to this
lawlessness, but according to the tes-
timony Of the saloon men they actu-
ally entered into an arrangement with
them that they should have certain
privileges that the law did not war.
rant and would be unmolested in the
matter.
say this is the testimony of the sa-
loon men themselves. To specify.
When our attorney, acting for the Anti
Saloon league brought suit against the
places that were operating illegally,
and they were threatened with the
penalties of the law. many Of them pro-
tested to us that it was unfair, that
they had made an agreement with the
city authorities whereby they were
permitted to have those privileges and
it was unjust to disturb them after
they had made that agreement. OF
course we gave them to understand
that we could not be party to any
such Ubiquitous arrangement and went
on without our action and carried our
end at that time.
Now another thing. When there
was a little furry few weeks ago
arising from some fresh action taken
in the matter Of the saloon violations
by our organization, a prominent
liquor man came to my own study, and
in the course of the conversation he
said to me: II want to know what you
men want. do not want to spend my
time and money fighting in this bust
ness" OF course told him that all
he needed to do was to live up to the
law with reasonable sincerity and
there was not the slightest disposition
on our part to prosecute any one, and
he need not have any fear that we
would modest him. He insisted that
such was his intention. and if ever
saw anything in his business that was
out Of character. to speak to him about
it, and he assured me it would be made
right.
Now this man went on to say that
he was closing his place at 10 O'Clock
:oc