, 1906-11-16
rerms OF Subscription
THE r S S

When a community is irrepressibly
rending occurrence some good usually
results therefrom through the lesson
to others. The sympathy aroused for
the sufferers creates a lasting impress
sion on the mind and has a deterrent
influence in the future actions of all
to whose minds 1t appeals. Generally
speaking, the law can have little effect
only as a preventive. All states have
laws providing penalties for what is
called criminal carelessness, but rare.
ly II gel are these avs enforced. A
crime cannot be committed without in
tent to do wrong. hence intent must
be shown or the offender is held to be
guiltless.
In the management of a great rail.
road system hundreds of accidents
constantly occur because of lapse of
memory-the carelessness, as it is
commonly called, of the employees.
When death results from such unin-
tSutlOhhl ACTS, OlleH q lttllnB OIL re-
sentiment is aroused and sometimes an
engineer or other employe is arrested
upon the charge of criminal careless
ness. Invariably such arrests come to
uaght, for tho reason that criminal in,
tent cannot be shown, hence no crime
1t is probable that this condition will
always exist, yet 1t is no argument in
opposition to the law against criminal
carelessness and does not warrant it's
repeal. The law stands as a constant
reminder to be careful; as a menace to
the conscience of those who are by ma
ture needless in their actions and
therefore liable to lapses of memory.
There is another class of accidents
which has been brought forcibly to the
attention of the people of Wyoming up
on at least three occasions during the
past two years. Reference is had to
those awful tragedies wherein men and
boys have lost their lives through the
swapping at them of 'unloaded guns"
The dead are past suffering, but the
anguish of the living is excruciating,
Immediate relatives of the one laid
lew suffer not only u~nspeakable an
guish but an i%rreparable loss and the
principal actor and his relatives and
friends suffer unspeakably great agony
OF mind. Nothing can be done that
will atone for the careless act; that Is
past the power of man to recall. 1t is,
however, within the power of the lfv-
ing to make of each occurrence of this
terrible nature such a lesson that it
will bear good fruit. The awful conse-
quences make for unusual power in
this particular. The offender should
bear his cross not only with fortitude,
but with abject humility, By example
and rprecept he should eve after warn
his fellows against the consequences
OF careless and thoughtless actions,
The community at large, and particu-
lRrly the friends of such offenders
against society, should not permit
themselves to be worked up through
anguish n keen sympathy into a
state of mind bordering upon adula-
ton, and thus take from society the
only compensation 1t has for such dire
calamities-the moral lesson.
AS The Republican has said before,
the state should step in and make it a
misdemeanor for a person to even
point a gun at another, no matter
whether it is loaded or unloaded. And
If, through such violation of law, the
%wounding or death of a person occurs,
a severe penalty should attach. Under
such an act there would be intent to
violate the law at least in the pointing
of a gun at another, n such being
the case, it would have a salutary ef-
feet in lettering any person from COM
hitting such a grossly careless act.