The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-18

passed
AS the harvest Of hypocrites Is so
great In Ogden because OF the gambl
Ing and social evil laws Ogden de
mands their repeal and the substitu-
ton of such laws as viii reduce the
number of this element
The last great clinching argument
is this: that almost everybody went
about the city last Monday in the
densest kind of gloom. Business was
suspended, The police forgot to send
assurances of alfectionatc regard to
the gamblers, There was but one
question upon the lips of all, What
is becoming Of Chrlstianity?"
Let us hasten to assure an agitated
public that Christianity does not rise
OF fall with the unholy utterances OF
a lone Ogden preacher. 1t has ele-
ments Of greatness in itself which
make 1t impervious to the erratic
Inuttering6 of even its mightiest de-
fender
All of which goes to show that the
Issue was not squarely met. The issue
Is not Elderl1in nor his Christianity.
The question we are set to decide is
Lhe right of the authorities whom VIC
pay to enforce the law using all theic
power In the protection Of law break
els.
am so stupid and thick-headed that
l cannot understand why out OF 25,Oo0
people few like our queen" and our
gamblers should be selected as the
only ones who may openly and without
fear violate the law. l mentioned the
fact yesterday morning to one OF our
city officials that il / violated the bi.
cycle ordinance the whole mechanism
Of the law would be set moving
against me. and he interjected, why,
yes, of course it would. You are no
better than any one else in the eyes
Of the law" But" | asked, are
Belle London and ]. s. Smith or Creig.
baum &c Peterson better than the rest
of us in the eyes OF the law? "Thcy
seem to be-" he said
Anciently law was the guardian OF
special privilege, but Bantham i'm
posed upon this. the doctrine that law
should concern itself not with the pro-
tectlon or privilege, but with the great
est good of the greatest number. The
next move was toward the doctrine of
indiyidualism, which insisted that law
should protect the rights of the indi-
yidual, leaving all individuals free tn
pursue their own happiness in their
OVID way. Disastrous results fol.
low ed this theory. Misery came in
cohorts and on the double quick In
dividualism let the owner of the fac
tory do what he would, He Thought
only Of his own happiness and be-
came a dangerous member of society
Iudividualism failed dismally and gave
way to a collectivism which sought to
help all
Up here in Ogden we are relapsing
into the ancient state. The privileged
Characters OF Ogden are gamblers and
saloonkeepers and other puryeyors OF
vice. If the law Is against them, they
Insist upon its suppression. 1t never
enters their heads that they ought 10
be suppressed. They refuse to allow
the police to enforce any laws which
i'll any way abridge their rights"
We give way to them every day. we
have stood at the edge of the sidewalk.
hat in hand, for many years while
they pompously passed. They are IN
control Of our city, we frankly con-
fess. The political parties will not
put men on their tickets who are an
tagonistic to them. The police ara
their faithful protectors day and
night. Their businesses which are
now unlawful might better be made
lawful. That is Ogdens insistent lie
mand OF the legislature.
The charges / made last Sunday
evening ought to be denied a SELL
respecting community would reselE
such accusations against It's officials
[ mentioned places where gambling
was openly carried on. with the full
knowledge and the implied consent
Of the police forces and the legal de-
partments Of city and county. i gaze
names and street numbers. | gave a
list of those who paid $299 last month
ior the privilege of violating sta;e
laws and city ordinances. Why no5
prove that in these places they Were
playing pit or old maid? l think that
can be done very easily. and 1 could
be prosecuted for criminal libel. Why
lot show that the list from the city
hall books was list OF the violators
say | think these charges ought to be
denied openly. But they haven't been
and here 1t is Sunday night again.
1t is our conviction In America thar
public opinion Is the mother of law.
In some communities there Is no such
thing as public opinion. In most com
Blunities the fight Is always upward
Letter laws and better enforcement OF
the laws In Ogden the tendency is
all the other way There is no healthy
demand for better laws and there is
emphatically no demand for the ell
foroement Of such good laws as we
have on our books.
And we expect and demand that
this militant public opinion of ours,
mighty in huge and unbroken silence,
shall be considered, 1t is not as II Og.
den were In Russia, where the peas
antry by their opinion can In no way
affect the legislation of the bureau
cracy. We claim the right to be heard
In the legislature. We arc citizens OF
the second city in the state.
Not only does Ogden demand the re-
peal OF oil anti-gambling Legislation,
but it also demands that the present
laws regarding the social evil be with
drawn from the state books. This de-
mand comes from the officials of the
county, the officials of the city and
from all the unprotesting citizenship,
Therefore, Ogden units and en-
phatically urges the legislature to re-
zeal the following laws:
Compiled Laws of Utah. 1907. Title
60, Chapter 81, of the Penal Code, Sec
fto0o doE1 opd doS0