The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-07-28
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tunate blunder in the enforcement O
the law. Condemnation of the blund
er has gone so far that it is equa
in its influence to condemnation O
law enforcement. The communit,
will show the high grade or Low
order Of its citizenship by the atti
ture it takes on such matters.
A few years ago the life of
faithful officer was snuffed out il
the performance of duty by an un
justitiable shot. A proper effort wa,
made to fix the responsibility and tt
punish the offender. In this late
case a faithful officer blundered ant
two or three shots were exchanged
part of which were unjustified
Proper efforts are being made to fl
the responsibility, but the community
has shown a disposition to go to the
extreme and to condemn the officer
for all he has ever done. And in
this frame Of mind it will undo much
of the good already done by the of.
acers and heretofore ordered and
sanctioned by the public.
This town is generally sane, but
when 1t ceases to be sane it is
vicious. The town cannot afford to
be vicious now. There is no need
of it. It will react upon itself ii
1t does.
A few years ago it was determined
that gambling and selling liquor and
the traffic in the souls of the inno-
cent and beautiful should cease, and
the people elected Officers to enforce
laws relating to those practices. For
many years they had trouble getting
officers who would do their duty. The
public finally elected a set who faced
the question squarely and for a year
and a half have been running the Of
tenders to earth regardless of who
they were. Nobody doubts their
loyalty or their faithfulness in ad-
ministering the laws as they are writ
ten, but distressing incidents have oc-
Cured and blunders have been made.
Some people have said that old
timers who wanted to sneak a little
booze into their cellars for their own
S should not be interferred with.
Others have held that a man who
sneaked liquor into his home for a
sick person and used it for no other
purpose ought not to be prosecuted.
But when a poor nan Of no standing
in the community is caught with the
goods nobody rises to the occasion
and asked for mercy to be extended
to him.
1t is hard to tell where to draw the
lines and yet administer justice temp
cred with a reasonable amount of
mercy. Officers have done their plain
duty in restraining men and women
from desecrating public buildings,
and the public have been divided as
to what punishment should be met
ed out. They have generally been
influenced by self interest rather than
by lofty principles. And when they
do these things those same acts will
rise to mock them. Over a year ago
many men in Blackfoot were starting
salacious stories about others-no-
body in particular-but just about
a number of other men-eight men
and one person who was young and
attractive-16 men, 26 men-32 men
and one who was young and attrac-
tive-and when they had enjoyed the
effect of the sensation, and it came
to be whispered around in their
homes, and their families began to
wonder whether the town was rotten
at the core, these same men began
to be incensed that such stories
should be circulated broadcast. Then
they read all about it in the big dali
les published at the state capital and
there was talk of making the papers
retract; there was talk of holding
public meetings to express their in
but after all it was simply
their own sowing returning to them.
1t bespoke the low order of citizen
ship of the town because a mountain
had been made of a molehill, and the
citizens had taken the molehill and
by their own acts magnified it into
a mountain and given it wings to
fly where it could do the greatest
damage, that place being in their
own homes and among their home
In the present calamity the COM
munity is doing itself as great a dam
age as 1t can by "unhorsing the law"
It does not say in cool and deliberate
council, Elk the responsibility for
the blunder and take steps to keep
It from happening again in any
1t says in effect, He who
has Numbered is absolutely without
Fire him; fire all his past
into the scrap pile and let
assay to go about enforcing
law that people r disagreeing
al.
The thing for the community to do
3 to determine that the majesty Of !,
he law shall stand. That every son
4 his mother, who seeks to gamble
nd handle liquor and buy OF sell the I
.'riceless things OF the soul and body, I
hall be considered at once outside
he pale of the law and shall have
protection in II. From the time I
UGH things cease let him be protect !
d and respected regardless Of wealth,
or past record. If the spirit l
nd principles Of the Nazarine are L
God to apply anywhere they are I
ood in the efforts of this county to I
can up the practices referred to. 1
extremes they may indulge in
ill be a backward step and the con- h
'quences will rise to mock them. t
AXE firm steps to prevent further t
unders. Let the punishment for C