The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-07-07
ENFORCEMENT OF LAW.
Mayor ParkilI Gave Some Plain Talk
Sunday Night at the Patriotic
Service in the N. &. Church.


the Brotherhood of st. Paul, an organi-
zation connected with the church, hay
ing charge of the program. The speak
ers were Mayor Parkill, of this city,
and Hon. Webster Davis, of Corunna.
Mayor Parkill's address was on the
subject of The Enforcement of Law"
and was applied entirely to local condi-
tions. To stand for the enforcement of
our laws is as much the duty of good
citizens as to attend prayer meeting or
pay ones debts. If the church men do
not take an interest in this matter who
will2
One hundred twenty-nine years ago
one of the most remarkable bodies of
men ever assembled in the world met,
and in spite of whatever may have been
the opinion of King George in the mat
ter, they met in the interest of the en-
forcement of law. The nation was we'll
born with such men for the fathers.
And Owosso was we'll born too Think
of the great, kind hearted, genial B. o.
Williams, of DR.. Barnes, good and
strenuous, of the kind and gentle heart
ed Deacon Guile, and the many others
Today it is the duty of the citizenship
of Owosso to keep up the high standard
set by the fathers. And now, as this
nation was born in the midst of political
discussion, what is more proper at this
commemoration of its birth than dis
cussion of our political conditions.
Is Owosso we'll governed city, Yes,
as cities go-better than some, no worse
than others. But it is faint praise to
say that one rascal is no worse than
others. Is Owosso governed as well as
it might be2 We have few robberies,
burglaries, no murders; incendiary fires
are limited to false alarms-and they
are decreasing-all good record as far
as it goes, but how about aggressive
work for the enforcement of law?
We have police, constables, deputy
sheriffs who search the city with fine
toothed comb in their search for tramps.
A tramp can hardly get into the city
without being picked up by an officer.
The officers arrest these tramps, take
them to Corunna, draw mileage; bring
them back to the justice court and draw
mileage; secure their conviction and in
default of fine take them back to Cor
unna and draw mileage; and then you
and have to pay the mileage and the
cost of boarding the tramp for thirty
days at Corunna. This is serious
question however and the tramp evil il
not an easy one to solve, but while the
officer is going back and forth looking
for tramps and taking them to and from
Corunna what else does he dor He
passes by saloons with screens not prop
erly drawn, goes by poker joints run
ming full blast passes blind tigers and
disreputable houses. Are there any ar
rests of these offenders? There has beer
one in the last six months. At that
time the officers raided house and
rounded up fifteen or twenty men. In
spite of the evidence submitted by the
officers the prosecuting attorney allow
ed the case to go through adjournment
after adjournment until ten weeks went
by before the examination. Then they
were bound over to the circuit court.
want you to watch the further develop
ments of this case.
A few nights ago | called the atten-
tion of two policemen to saloon which
was not complying with the law for
closing. l instructed the officers to do
their duty in the matter. l would like
to have you watch this case also.
wish you might hear what l have
heard, stories told by wives and moth
ers, of husbands and sons who have
spent their Sundays in the back rooms
of saloons, drinking and gambling,
then returning home with abuse and
mistreatment for their families. And
what l asked of the saloon keepers on
assuming Office was so little that | an
almost ashamed to mention it in q
Methodist church. asked them to dc
three things, close at the legal time
draw their curtains wide, as required
by law, and stay closed until the lega
time for opening And yet these three
simple requests brought on unpleasant
ness with the council fathers
Policemen are not all to blame. They
are human beings One of them mo-
long since was credited with the re
mark that it seemed as though the sa
loon keepers were the only friends tina
they had. They need encouragement
and the sympathy of their fellow citi
zens as much as any one. How man.
of You have spoken any word of en-
couragement to one of them2 Blu
the saloon men know better. The.
show an interest in the members of tn
force. The fact is that the city govern
ment of Owosso is absolutely in tn
hands of the law breaking power. Pu
out an officerH Yes, and get in a wors
one The law breaking power ha
again interfered. You are city tina
] is ruled by law breakers.