The Opelousas courier., 1908-02-15
|(mce a Week, One Dollar a Year,

States of this Republic. The good people
everywhere recognize the enormous in
crease of bloody and violent crimes
throughout the country Everywhere
there are seen murders and violen out
RACES OF the most atrocious nature. In
some of the States, organizations of citi-
z9ns are determined that no tobacco
shall be produced, and none of the exist
ing crop in the hands of the farmers shall
be sold, so that by such holding of the
staple the price may be forced up to
some figure demanded, and in order to
maintain the desired conditions might
riders" as they are called, are infesting
the tobacco districts, murderin, all who
attempt to violate their behests, and
burning the barns, factories and store
houses of the delinquents. These oLs-
RACES are of nightly occurrence in more
than one State, and nobody is punished.
No attempt is made to arrest the guilty
parties, who reign supreme in wide
agricultural region, and furnish an ex-
ample and precedent for any other organ
ization of citizens who may want to con-
troll the stocks, and prices of other
American products.
The unwillingness of the American
people to punis'' or adequately punish,
any atrocious criminals by judicial pro-
cess has resulted in the fact that
while capital crimes are reported by
thousands, cases of capital punishment
by process of law are numbered by tens
only Yet, while the public opinion of
the countrk is manifestly unwilling that
such criminals shall be seriously pun
ished, if at all, their crimes are naturally
deeply deplored, and the effort is being
tried to make the frightful condition bet
ter by what are called prohibitive meas
ures. There could be no bloody murders
if there were no pistols and other deadly
weapons, and therefore the sale and the
carrying of them concealed upon the per-
son is prohibited by law.
I But that law, like those against mur-
der and outrage, is seldom enforced, and
SO it comes about that while the orderly
and law-loving citizens never carry arms,
they are at the mercy of the larg9num-
.bers and classes that constantly violate
and defy the law by going always armed.
But the notion. is now cherished that
there would be. no desperate and lawless
classes but for the f4uors which are on
sale at every corner and with which
otherwise quiet and peacea BILE ssltlzens
infame their evil passions and then 60 out
to murder, outrage and plunder at their
pleasure, and so to meet that situation a
law is enacted prohibiting the making,
buying and selling of liquors in such and
such States.
Well, what happens? Why, the people
in such States, being absolutely deprived
of pistols and intoxicating liquors, are
rapidly developed into the most inno-
cent and lovely of creatures,
with angelic wings sprouting out OF
their shoulders, and halos of sacred light
beaming around their heads. That, at
least, is what ought G. take place, but it
does not. There are just as many pistols
and lust as many drunken desperadoes
and criminals, not from the failure OF the
laws, but from the failure OF the people on
one hand to obey the laws, and the fail
ure on the other to enforce the laws.
There is no limit to legislating on the
best Way to stop crime. Laws are piled
on laws until few know, and fewer care,
what they are, because laws which are not
enforced are mere nothings. We are Bit
terly opposed to Furnishing our fellow
creatures. Their crimes are the result OF
mere human weaknesses, and If we could
only cure those weaknesses we would all
be good. This is the notion which has
taken possession Of the American people,
and SO we legislate to make everybody
good by tender and gentle means. But
there is one Overwhelming difficulty and
one insurnnountable obstacle in the way.
We spend all our good intent pms and
resolutions in framing and enacung laws,
and then we never enforce them. Prob
ahlv we never intended to edforce them,
h,,+ ~ onv rafo the innlirnerable and