Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1913-04-11
HAS TOO MANY INSPECTORS.

recently and in it he told the county
attorneys that there were too many
state jobs to do things the county
attorneys and local officials ought to
do. He also told the county attorneys
that the policy Of the state admins
tration was that the local officials
should get cut and hustle for law
violators an not wait for citizens TO
file complaints. In his address the
governor said:
1T has become a custom in this
state to appoint inspectors to enforce
each new law enacted. Thus We have
pure food inspectors, the health in
spectors, the fish and game wardens
and numerous other special inspec-
tors. In my judgment this is unnec-
essary. These special inspectors cost
the state an immense amount of
money for salaries and a still larger
sum for travelling expenses and do
nothing that the law does not require
sheriffs and police officers to do.
They are not able to do as good work
as are sheriffs, county attorneys and
police officers, for their work is at
best spasmodic, while that of officers
constantly on duty on Z e ground can
and should be, continuous The spas
modic enforcement of law is not to
b. compared in efficiency with the
steady, continuous enforcement by
county attorneys, sheriffs, mayors,
city attorneys and police officers who
have a sincere regard for the sacred-
ness of their oaths Of office.
Remove FaithIess Officers.
while in the senate l helped write
on the statute books a law that gives
the attorn"" general and county at
torneys power to cause the removal
Of officers who do not do their full
duty, and am anxious that you gen.
tlemen shall see to it that this law
is used on those officers who fail to
fully execute the laws in their juris-
diction. l have no sympathy with the
idea that county attorneys and other
officers should act only when COM
plant is made. 1t is the duty of
sheriffs and other police officers to
SEQ that the laws of this state are
obeyed in their particular juriSdic-
tons whether complaint is made or
not, and such a standard of duty, or
disregard of duty, will not be tolerat-
ed. Sheriffs and other police Off
GERS must be active in appreheend-
ing violators of our fish and game,
prohibitory and health laws as they
are in cases of murder, robbery or
forgery. Anarchy is a disregard of
law. 1t does not make any difference
whether CT not the law is good or
bad, it is the duty of sheriffs and
other police officers to protect the
community against anarchy CT law
violation in any of its forms.
Must Give Good Service.
you gentlemen, | am sure, will
Give to the county the same service
You would give to an individual client
You are not employed to file cases
and prosecute alone, but are employ
ed to assist and advise in the en-
forcement of each and every law in
the state, and that means far more,
as you we'll know, than simply filing
information upon complaint and try
ing the cases. 1t means keen and
energetic attention to the interests OF
the community that employs you and
careful protection Of its interests
against lawlessness or anarchy
The short session of this body ant
the multitude of laws presented fol-
their consideration. necessarily means
haste-ill digested legislation. 0ul
enactments lack definitenesS. They
are more or less ambiguous, verbose
and are not easily understandable
Men of different temperaments have
different view points and your in
dividual Interpretation means differ
emf constructions of these enactmentS
and necessarily, divergent views as Il
the proper method of law enforce
ment as contemplated by our session
laws. This is not only theoretically
but fundamentally wrong. Each Of
you gentlemen, as county attorney:
from the 1O5 counties of Kansas
should, and must, have the same un
derstaanding of our Knasas statutes
that you may work in harmony viii