The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1913-07-12
On tho Enforcement Of Law IN Cities
BIZ BRAND WHITIOCH

been thinking Of violating it. OF intend
to violate 1t. will be deferred from
doing SO and that still other men, who
were bad or are about to become bad,
will be kept good. 1t is considered
and believed that this will be the
effect, because it has been 50 stated
and written and printed in books. -
= Many Laws TO Enforce. ~
~ Now, whenever the act In which
the violation Of that law consists il
one which the majority Of the people
do not want to commit, and think 1t
wrong to commit. an act nahum lib &c,
as the lawyers say, that il, One in
and of itself immoral and. 80 con-
denaned by the universal conscience
Of mankind, then 1t is comparatively
easy to- go through with this process.
But when the act which violates that
law is venial, and nahum prohibftum
and, would not be wrong in itself,
when large numbers of the people, or
a majority Of the people wish to COM
NIT that act or have no objection to
others committing it-such an act. for
instance, as playing ball. going to a
'theater, drinking beer; trimming =
window, running a train, or having
ice cream delivered for the Sunday
dinner, then it becomes a difficult
matter to carry out such a process,
ana it becomes impossible to carry
out. such a process without resorting
to violence, namely, by rushing po-
licemen here and there in patrol
wagons, and forcibly carrying away
men and women to police stations,
courts and prisons, and when they
are out, doing the same thing over
again.
This process when attempted on a
large scale, is called a "crusade" is
invariably accompanied by. disorder
ana tumult, sometimes by riot, and
always engend ers hatred and bad feel
ing. Its results are harmful, and it
being found to be impossible to sus-
tain the high pitch Of excitement and
even hysteria which are necessary to
conduct crusade properly, that is,
according to the precedents, as. it
should be conducted, the enthusiasm
Of the crusading officials soon SUBJ
Sides other duties are found to de-
mand attention, and so the crusade
dies out. is abandoned, and things are
worse than before. g..
Such method I have not consid-
cred it advisable to adopt. 1t has
been tried, here and elsewhere, again
and again, and invariably has failed.
1t produces no per1tnanet good, and is
often more demoralizing than the
conditions it seeks to remedy. 1t
chokes +hA eour<e u-;+1, ~.sAo ,co,,,,,
ulated by a resort to those dilatory
processes of the law devised and in
tended to safeguard the innocent, and
it's, sporadic character and sensational
features but attract attention to the
evil instead Of to the good, and ex-
pose, in a manner out Of all relation
and proportion, conditions which
exist in all cities, and always have
existed in all cities and towns, and,
furthermore, by overshadoWing the
good qualities of the city, which are
in great .preponderance, it gives it an
evil and sinister reputation which 1t
does not deserve.
There is however, another method
that may be employed to enforce the
laws. This consists in a determined,
sincere, constant effort to correct evil
conditions, first, by seeking out and
wherever possible removing their
causes, secondly, by steady repression
and disbursement, and thirdly, by
striving to create higher concept o.
life and conduct. So far as relates
to the police this system consists in
a constant repression by them Of the
worst and most fragrant evils of a
positive character, such as wine
rooms gambling, disorderly saloons
and resorts, etc.
This method is the one that was
adopted by this administration, the
one that has been followed, the one
that will continue to be followed I'M
til some better system can be devised
or suggested. This plan has been
carried, in many instances, to the
length of placing a police officer in
uniform at the door Of a disorderly
saloon or house, which Invariably dis
courages and in short while ruins the
patronage of the place. Such, say,
has been the policy of this administra-
ton.
agree with you fully that wine
rooms, gambling, and the social evil,
Dc SuQQIeSSeu l. agree Win you as
not only In the form in which you
complain Of it. namely, street walk
ing, but in all other. forms, are in
defensibly bad. and that they should
to-. the evils Of intemperance and as
to all the evils that proceed from
the saloon. And I have tried, by the
use Of the means at my command,
and so far as my powers extend, to
do away with them all. l have in
structed the police to enforce the ord
inances against them, and for that
matter all the city ordinances. And
when your letter came, referred it
to the director of public safety with
instructions to. investigate the .condi-
tions you complained of, and to do
all in his power to remedy them.
1t will no doubt relieve you as it
did me, to learn that your Informal
ton was not on all points accurate,
but there was room for Improvement
and much of this has been wrought.
What has been done, you no, doubt
know already, but whether you do or
not, I am warranted in saying that
the -winA r0nm has heen elimin ef