The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-06-11
estimate the efficiency of legislation.
seem t think that the lie

and the our can do all things:
when as a matter of fact they can do
but very little. The law suit is. after
all. merely the last resort. which the
individual and society have. 1t takes
the place of the armed force and of
the personal conflict. The criminal
statute is in a measure a p%reventa-
offense that is prevented by the fear
is enforced by the courts. there are
a thousand which are %r""Hented by
the social consciences of the people
themselves. For every contract that
is enforced by the caurts. there are
a hundred thousand that are lived up
to, because Of the sense of ~nnor that
exists among business men. The real
fact of it is. that necessary as the
child labor laws and laws directed
against the ordinary criminal offenses
may be. a public sentiment against
such things. is of infinitely more i'm
p%ortance. AS a matter of fact GRIM
inal laws. and statutory regulations
Of industry. even II enacted. are lev
err generally enforced. until the sem
timent Of the majority is with them
and If that sentiment were universal.
they would be absolutely unneces-
sary. The only things that stand in
the way. of a social Righteousness and
a reign Of justice and equal opportu-
nifty. are individual selishness Nhe
wrong kind of sel1shness) a class
conscience, and a false conception of
wherein true in~dividualism exists. If
we had broad civic conscience and
the real kind Of patriotism. laws
lartions of faith. and the sheriff
would be unknown. What the in
dividualist has clamored for during
the ages has beer the right to run his
business as he pleased. and withou,
dictation. He has clamored for what
he terms personal liberty" and
government dictates and there
is a false conception Of individualis,n
and wherein the individual rights
will be trouble and differences. The
important thing is to make men in
dividually, do what is right. I
would like to see the legislature Of
this state pass A statute which would
do away entirely with the buying of
speculative law units. and the pur-
chasing Of defective titles. as matters
Of speculation: would like to see
the law to make 1t possible for a man
to hunt through the public records
to hnd some flaw in the title Of one
who has been in the honest posses
sion of property for years with the
firm belief in his title. by a quit
claim deed of the original owner for a
few dollars. the original owner him
self being ignorant of these rights.
and then sue to dispossess the man
in the honest possession. I would in
infinitely however. rather see h NOR
al sentiment Of the community and
of the individual so high that no man
would buy such a title and no man
would press such a law suit. I would
like to sec sharp practices. n un-
considerable business bargains. so
much frowned upon and despised by
society and the individual. as the
more vulgar. but more manly offense
of highway robbery. But these
things the law seldom reach. You
canno by legislation make men eth
er christians or Rentlemen; you cam
not by legislation compel to be
a good Samaritan or to rescue a
drowning man: o cannot except in
a general way compel one to he his
brothers keeper. Christianity in
deed. has been the fine to be. the plus
element in society which induces men