The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-05-21
fed that public wrong is being COM

fed that public wrong is being COM
mitted."
Editors are only human, and
editors are, ofttimes, darn fools. AS
a general thing you cannot trust them
in the matter of what is proper roast
ing, and what is rotten and wrongful
scandal. Simply because a man has
his name at the head of the editorial
page of a publication is not absolute
proof that he has any special supply
OF gray matter, or that he knows the
difference between truth and fiction.
In fact, we are inclined to believe,
after several years of observation,
that there are more pure unadulter-
ated chumps in the newspaper bust
ness than in any other line. Some
times we think that any mans a
chump who will go into it at all!
But the editor is not the only weak
mortal when it comes to public morals.
The woods are full of them.
Walk about any town and you Will
hear something like this: "Well,
when such-and-so gets drunk the local
police quietly slide him home and say
nothing, because he has a lot OF
IL 5SeS
drunk they throw the hooks into him.
| That statement, as a general thing,
| is a pipe dream, and people who SO
talk are generally unfamiliar with
real facts. The only way to know is
to keep record of all cases, and
strike an average. Countless upon
countless worthless drunken cusses
are sent on their way with warn
ing. .Unnumbered dozens of poor
offenders are passed by and escape
arrest through the kindness OF police
officers On an average, all over
there are more of the drunken rich
arrested than of the penniless kind
1t is thus done because the arrest o.
the man unable to pay fine means
the loading up of public expense
and a more or less unnecessary filling
of public jails.
Unfortunately, in the poorer class
es, there are more cases OF lntoXica
ton to be contended with, because
working upon the reverse Of cause anc
effect, many man is poor for the
reason that he INDUCES in the fire!
stuff. 1t has been the financial down
fall of many rich man. 1t has beer
the unhappy consoling balm OF many
Door man. And, for that matter,
man who is weak and foolish enough
to let liquor be his master, onght moi
to kick if it does result in dlscrlml
nation against him on the part o.
police power. He simply has it com
ing" for the unfortunate condition II
which he has, either willingly or un
willingly, placed himself.
There are intolerant ones today wht
insist that every drunken man shoult
be summary dealt with. They have
lack of the finer elements OF discrim
nation which were so frequently eX
emplitied in the life of Jesus Chris
the Savior who was always stoopinS
to lift up the fallen and help them t(
noDler and better efforts. Jesus hat
no tails and favored no jails. He wa:
the wrongful victim of Jail system
His antidOte for all the ills Of life wa:
love and charity, and it prevailed
wherever His gentle touch was laid
He was not of the intolerant kind, a:
are many of His alleged followers O.
the present time, who believe in sum
mary punishment for those who are
the victims Of stuff which takes away
the mind and drags humanity into
the cutters. No Jail ever cured MAI
of drink, while countless records show
where love and help led him to TEN
perance and sobriety.
When we turn to other kinds of evil
and investigate the record of genera
public offenses, then the heavy hant
of the law should become more active
A man who, in sober moments, com
mits crime, if of the kind who need:
the curbing influence of houses OF cor
rection. This is not saying that the
drunkard, who commits crime
should not, likewise, be punished fol
he should. We do not believe any
crime resulting from drink should be
excused or tempered with by the law
The man who drinks thing thai
takes away his right mind, commits
the crime in that moment, and not ar
hour or so later when he strikes dowr
his fellow man or steals his neigh
boris property. In other words, If ne
does not want to be punished fol
crime, he should keep his mind from
discriminating influences.
But we started out to talk about
newspapers. The newspaper man Is
up against it" all the time with the
general public. There are doodles Of
folks who know better how to run the
paper than the man who is trying it