The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-01-27
SHOULD ALL LAWS
BE ENFORCED?

SHOULD ALL LAWS
BE ENFORCED?
Should all the laws; of the statute
books be enforced? It.is observed that
corrupt officials sell to favorites the
privilege Of breaking certain laws, US
ing these laws as instruments of graft
and hlackmaM: ,.-
Good citizens agree that this should
be stopped sAs q means to this end
some favor q: rigid enforcement of all
the laws on the statute books.
1t would be better than .administrat-
i've corruptton.< But it. Is not TRUE that
a law is necessarily sacred because it
is law, and there are legitimate OK
ceptiops to the rule that all laws should
be enforced.
Some laws are repealed by formal
acts Of legislature. Qthsrs are simply
forgotten The attempt to enforce dead
laws might result in: their formal re-
peal. But 1t IL not vital matter that
obseQuies' should be held over laws
already buried:
Some Dead Lava.
II you ride or drive faster than Z
walk across, the suspension bridge you
break a law of the. state. Nine-pi
alleys and shooting galleries are out
lawed. Whoever keeps an artificial
pond on his place, whoever bets q hat
on IN election. whosvsr exhibits a
puppet-show,: or goes fishing. on Sun
day, and whoever rides or. drives a
horse, mule, Ally, mare colt, jackass,
janet, or. other animal faster than six
miles an hour withtns@two hundred
yards Of Spring Grove cemetery" vio-
lates q state law. -:
Governors: and mayors should leave
such laws whore they md them. in the
oblivion Of the law libraries. To the
antiquarian they may be Of interest,
but not to. the proctioal. statesman.
Governors and mayors are compelled
to use their judgment as to what laws
to enforce and what. to ignore, their
maxinns to- the contrary notwithstand-
ing.
Test Of Official Fidelity.
Government is not a perfect machine.
Technical snd arbitrary rules will not
work. A man may, violate the spirit
Of his oath hi an tW4Gdvtsed, attempt to
American people there is a higher test
OF fidelity than tho rigid enforcement
Of all laws. They: should edo the best
they can with their limited strength
ands:ttha :inperfsq tools att lat ha1M :sto
I 4aatsasl Z, ps,sl q l.aestly
.Ands Afflclently and to- execute q: thu
wishes which were appefnost i'm the
minds of the people who elected them.
Some laws are more important than
others and a good official. will do the
important things first. There are GER
tain underlying principles:-to our con-
stitution. which would be a guide to
governors and mayors in determining
tne~relat1ve importance Of laws.
Laws to Enforce First.
For instance, it is more in accord
with the spirit Of our institutions o
prevent the aggression Of one class
upon the another than it is to impose
the private scruples OF one class upon
another
Our constitution contemplates that
laws shall reflect the will Of the ma
jority. 1t is higher duty, therefor,
to enforce laws that meet with popular
approval, than it is to enforce laws
which are obnoxious to the people,
One of the most sacred principles
OF our American system Is that the
support Of law shall never be given to
any religious opinion. While our Sun
oay laws may be justified on secular
grounds, and are not technically in
violation Of our constitution still any
special insistence upon them is apt to
be inspired by religious motives For
instance the Ohio law 1orbids all COM
mon labor on Sunday. BY this law the
operation Of railroad trains and street.
cars is illegal This law was passed in
1881. To revive and enforce it now
would violate the spirit if not the let
ter, Of the constitution. A fanatic in
the mayors chair might turn such a
law to sectarian account. A good may
or will And more important work
Herbert s Btgelow, pastor Vine
Street Congregational Church, Cincin-
natl, o., Jan. 2l 1906.