South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-09-01
LETTERS TO EDITOR

Editor Ne1 Times:
Several hIngs stand out clearly as
a result Of the trial OF Hiram Linard,
patrolman, and illustrative OF the re-
currence of an ancient blight upon a
modern community, viz:
That there is a radical Juggling OF
policy and law somewhere, as dis
closed by the statement Of the officer
which was not denied-that during
the year last past, from August, t914,
TO August 1915, the patrolman had
reported 70 his superior violations of
the liquor laws by various saloons in
keeping open at prohibited hours. In
failing to remove screens, and in per
hitting improper persons TO be in the
saloons after hours; in the operation
Of gambling in saloons, and in other
parts of the city, carried on TO an
habitual degree: and in the operation
of at least one blind tiger and gam
bling den in the heart Of the business
district.
For the exhibition Of a short
sighted, not to say stupid, policy in
Taiding the Hepler joint on 5. Union
St, by employment of means first in
PRODUCED in this section by the cele-
brated and unsuccessful QuilhOt. Ana
the employment of these means at the
very time when public opinion every
where. after weighing the QuilhOt
methods in the balance had foun0
them wanting and open to severest
condemnation. The decoying or the
son os a prominent Penn township
farmer. now a resident OF this city
together with a less influential yOunl
man, into the S. Union st. house OF
ill-fame, with money furnished tn
decOys presumably from the funds o
the department, if not by the chic
himselg. and the subsequent cOnvic
ton and filming of these young men
the less influential of whom was sent
TO Jail, after being deliberately trick
ed into visiting the house in question
by the department itself, is a mile
stone in the law-enforcing game that
hitherto had never been reached IN
Mishawaka. and was inexcusable, In
an enlightened community, being re-
garded as an employment of the prac-
tice CT the ambuscade, BETTING the
tactics of the guerrilla and the savage
So crude and bungling was this job
performed that it is understood the
judge who fined the young men in
question and sent one of them TO Jail,
later, upon being informed of the
facts in the case, distinctly rebuked
the author of the plot for his barbaric
methods of depressing the innocent in
order to detect and apprehend the
guilty.
That one brand of law-enforcing is
| in vogue in this community for intoX-
icatiOn on a weekday, while alto
gether another statute prevails for a
! like offense on Sunday The only pos
/ sible excuse for this double standard
of punishment for intOXication is that
there is a probability that the Sunday
drunk has obtained his liquor illegally
on that day, whilst, "boozed" the
other six days of the week he might
have obtained his liquor legally. The
double standard test of the Sunday
and weekday spree is not placed up
on the high moral plane of promot-
| ing Sabbath dissertation. OF course
not especially by an administration
that openly permitted the operation
Of play tables and picture shows or
Sunday practice by the way, loud
! ly condemned in members of former
administration when the Incumbent
were then candidates for election.
PRO BONO.