Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-10-20
SPOKE ON CITIZENSHIP
Harry B. Catos Delivers Practical
Address in Young Peoples Build
ing Last Night.

s. An interesting meeting of the Lay,
81 mems League of this city was leiu
So last night in the Young feopie >
Building. Henry X. Field, CHAIRMAN \
sof the organization, presided, seiec-
IS tions from the Gypsy Smith hymn
sSbook were!rendered, after which Rev
F. b. Jackson, pastor of the Firs:
81 Baptist Church, delivered an invo,
cation.
The feature of the evening was
an address by Harry B. Caton, Po
lice Justice of Alexandria. He spoke
On @Christian Citizenship" which
he handled in a practical anc
interesting manner. Re suggested tt
his audience that itsis the bounder
! duty of all citizens to act well theil
4 Earts in connection with the enforce
J He}st 8of laws. His remarks had di-
4 Tee reference to the prohibition law
: salcft Viii become operative CURING
We next few days.
speaker announced his sub
,jject as Law. Enforcement and the
Duties $ef Christian in Relation
Thereto" At the outset he Impress
ed upon his hearers that he did not
intend to criticise any officer or set
of officers, nor did he wish to eN-
cuse the failure of an officer to en-
force the law, but rather to point
how church people OF the community
could and should assist those
officers who by election or appoint
ment were clothed with the powers
to enforce the law.
While in the beginning, he said,
a few laws were deemed sufficient
for the government of state, the
idea now prevails that every social
evil can be cured by legislation. And
when the law is passed the best
people of community are inclined
to convince themselves that their
duty ends there, instead of of realiz-
ing that their greatest duty iss-stlll
before them. Clean and able law en-
forcing officers are necessary, bat
they are often helpless if the
responsible element of city refuses
its encoura cement and assistance.
Criticism of an officer has never help
ed him to enforce law while encour-
agement and moral support has Of
ten times been most effective.
To obey law is the first civic duty
of a christian citizen and he should
refrain from doing those things that
will cause an officer to be asked,
why some people are allowed to do
in the name of social, fraternal or
charitable organization those things
that man is forbidden to do for the
sake of his livelihood. This question
is asked and it takes wise man
to frame an answer. A second and
important duty is jury service.
Every man seems to think it the abso-
lutte duty Of every other man to
serve as juror. He should spend less
time concocting a reason for being
excused and more time to thinking
of the good he can do in that SER
vice. If the best and most respon.
sible men are excused by the court,
who is left to perform the duty?
In conclusion the speaker said en-,
forcement of law was impossible
without conviction of violaters and
conviction depended upon evidence.
The best evidence is. often kept out
of court by fear. No better friend
of the law breaker exists than the
supposedly good man who has
knowledge of facts yet says 81 don't
want to be known in it." They eX-
pect court to unravel fact from
a mass of unreliable testimony and
then are quick to condemn the court
or law officer if his action in the
matter does not follow the facts
that he is hiding. Such a man can
not honestly say he believes in en-
forcing law.
The ladies of the NJ. E. Church
served a buffet lunch, at the close
of the meeting.
Another meeting will be ileId next
week, when an out of town speak.
err will deliver the address.