Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1908-01-02
NO. 1863

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r prieving BIodgett, confessed urdeser
, OF his female companion, on the groznds
that the District Attorney had referred
briefly to other redhanded murders n
D his argument to the jury. Many other
csses u equal seriousness could be cited.
The effects of ten years preacisia on
law observance by the press and by in
yiduals can be crushed by one Official
act such an those just mentioned Whe1
this kind of outrageous lie 1iency ard
maudlin sentiment is shown the oold-
blooded, savage murde.ers OF our cour-
try by those VINO stand at the very head
OF our legal system, and to whom VIC
look for inspiration and guidance ia ti o
dispensation OF law and justice, ~dae
can we reasonably expect from the COM
mon herd of humanity, an astonishing
proportion of whom are natural born
criminals? Snch cases of leniency and
the triumph of harsplitting technicality
over common Justice has strong tea-
dency to RussIanze this country
The lowbrowed, irresponsible desen-
crate cannot possibly do more to aring
on state Of red-handed anarchy ia this
country than do acts of the above csRar-
acter, committed by those in supreme
authority. The criminal element "a the
first to notice and profit by these trsvess-
ties on justice. and of course ttaere is
nothing surprising about the cheap esti-
mate placed upon human life in Oregon
and throughout all America. In uro-
portion to the population three Tunes
more murders are committed in Arssrf-
ca today than in any other country Gu
earth. ls it hard to trace the capse?
The outrages committed by our courts
OF justice and by the pardoning prociiy-
tiles of the Governor breed contenpt
and irreyerence for law, and eneourage
mob violence. We as Nation are r0fea
too much by impulse and bassion, and
not enough by calm, deliberate iadg-
ment. However. can We blame tho
honost. hard.working. lberty-lovimg
PCoPAS ASi 'oh'hS VIC III tIlct% O%
hands after the courts of justice have
repeatedly and persstently failed "a do
their plain duty in melting out jussio. to
law offenders?
/ have always been decidedly opposed
to mob law, and am yet, and both IS
newspaper editor and Sheriff Of tho
county, have for many years naade
vigorous, open fight for the enforcement
OF all laws on the statute books, good or
bad. The quickest and best way to get
rid of bad laws is to rigidly enfaUe
them while; but in advocating urls
policy the hardest struggle OF the xtsRe
battle is the coming in contact with dne
extreme tenderness with which tins
Governor and courts deal with tie vic
ious, law w-breaking element.
We need not look farther then Mor-
row COUNTY to see the work of Guberee-
torial delinquency. For instance, atpe~f
three years ago Morrow county ep-nt
$500 of the taxpayers hard-eaued
money to convict two horsethieves, ~ho
were sentenced to three years ia dbe
peni.entiary. In IL me nths they were
pardoned out bv the Cover nor-;use
alter election.
Another evidence that the law and
courts are being played with is the rs
cent "lapse of memory" of the GeUeur--
or. when be failed to notify the cears
that be would allow three judicial days
to slip by, thus throwing all pending htS-
CATION throughout the State of Oregon
into bad mix'up. This playful! htdo
trick will cost Morrow Comfy asaGs
hundreds of dollars for holding prisc Bees
for FIVE months until the next regSLsr
term Of Circuit Court, besides csssSaE
endless less and inconvenience to atasr-
neys, officials and individuals. Wh&A
mon partisan" lapse that was suyssy-
No one OF sound sense, of course, DE-
leves that this was due TO an oversight
The interests and welfare of socisty Sa
general are Of vastly more impcrtsVc=s
than is the welfare Of any one indiviGzGt
or set OF individuals, and If our GoveEHar
and our judges snd our juries Eat.1
quit temporizing and symphazing &Jlh
criminals, and would try as hard 70 cna-
Wet and duly punish the maleiactot -
they now do 10 find loophole through
which he may escape justice, The a.EUn-
ing growth OF anarchy and disresae.S
aud contempt for law would sooE ts
checked in this country, and we voI.1
DIN the ranks of Canada, Aust-al'A
and the other law-respectlng corDsrss
Of the earth.
Newspaper men of Oregon, s rr.lE
confronts you. 0psG ~
your powerful batteries of publoity add
turn them onto those high in autkcsI1v
every time they deserve it. The oraso-
nisn has set splendid pace, aud let all
follow it until our country is redeemed
from the certain fate which ar;ts & Il
the present trend Of affairs is peSultrd
to continue, Z. VI. SBErr.