The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-09
LAWLEssNEss PLUS LAWLEssNEss.

LAWLESSNESS Plus LAWLESSNESS.
In Newark Ohio liquor has made anothe
riot cost two lives, one through homicide an'
the other through lynching, disgraced a tow
and State.
The man who was killed saloon kecpe
In a dry town. til man who slew I..r
professional detective in the employ Of the Anti
Saloon League and the victim of the mob tn
man who made victim of a breaker of the law
These are the bald facts, out Of which will b
manufactured much false sentiment on eithe
Standardization of Liquor interests b.
temperance advocates on account OF a spirit 0
lawlessness In the community at large; denun
citation, on the other hand, by liquor interests o
people who were, whether mist akenly or not, dc
ing nothing more than attempting to enforce tn
law. Only incidentally does either of these fac
lions contribute to the position IN which Newar
and Ohio now find themselves in the eyes of tn
country: the blame is with the spirit of lawless
ness among the people Of the town IN the frs
instance. which melted contempt at law by tn
paid agents of the Anti-Saloon League In tn
second place, which resulted in the dethronmen
OF all lay in the interest of temporary anarch
in the final outcome.
Examine this situation and you will find a
the crux Of it this familiar condition of a de
termination the part of defeated element o
the community to put the law at defiance. New
ark, as the result Of local option election, wa
ssdry'' But the sentiment that voted out hquo
stopped at sentiment. 1t was evidently, indeed
largely sentimental. It was not enlisted for tn
war, but, having carried one assault, left tn
field to the enemy. According to human nature
the enemy took advantage of this lethargy.
proceeded 10 treat the law which had been voted
in a democratic election as no law at all. De
pending upon a lack Of interest implying wan
of sincerity it defed the law of the majority
l AS result, the Anti-Saloon League Of the Stat
attempted to do in Newark what the people ongh
to have done, but did tit sent detective
who attempted to meet lawlessness with lawless
ness Acting as peace officers they met salool
tactics on the ground of saloon sentiment AM
Event them one better They committed per
sonal assaults. Finally, they took life. The'
the storm broke
Apart from the Indictment to community muI
Y der which IS involved in Iynching, beside the dc
grading effects upon the community and thu
1 country whenever il happens that the mob lay
violent hands upon the law, the genesis Of thu
riot cannot fail to have a confusing effect upo
the fact that the whole train Of lawlessness whic
has marked this proceeding arose from the initia
lawlessness of the community. 1t cannot fail Il
q in measure, prejudice the cause of temperance
for temperance expresses itself first of all IN Of
servance of the law. IL defeats itself when
4 embraces force. II pillories itself a shan
when it substitutes for its protestatlon the pra'
tice of intemperance. We say the lawlessness q
the community, because it depends upon tn
communitv's submission to the law as expresse
by the majority whether or not others will brea
B the law Upon the real sentiment OF the com
munty depends the license of law breakers lin
the people Of Newark acted as they voted, Their
would have becnsno blind tigers, there woul
have been no Interference by detectives, ther
would have been no riot and bloody disgrace
y There is IN the confusion of issues and the rt
proach upon this community lesson and war;
Il ing for the whole country.
Z For there il one thing that every people ougf
D to hold fast as the principle guiding action ths
the law is the law that the law is the democratl
endorsement or substitute for personal opinion
and that there is for the maintenance OF the lay
D personal obligation. The Newark tragedy onl
N points again the truth that there is no room 70
the exercise Of communities discretion as I
whether il will permit the violation of this Law
while insisting upon the enforcement of thai
3 Nisdemeanors are, in effect, as dangerous a
felonies, when they 60 UNPUBLISHED. The breakin
III the law against selling liquor involves III
breaking of the law against taking life A hal
q dozen .sblind tigers" mean thousands of complac
ent people getting education IN anarchy. TIL
81 way to prevent liquor riots-and all other sorts
81 yiots--is first of all TO obey the law, whateve
II il. regardless of personal opinion; and t
,void-as the re-y plague itself-the huma
& 81 hut demoralizing temptation to meet a cond
son Of hwlessness with determination 10 STAN
ID q out with lawlessnes. In such action are mike