El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-05-03
Law Enforcement

Editor New Mexican:
| am glad to see that the columns OF your
fearless paper are open for the discussion
OF various topics OF public interest. There-
fore ! wish to say o few words on the sub
ject OF law enforcement, or rather on the
subject OF the lack OF law enforcement. i
know OF some families who have left Santa
Re giving as an excuse that the lack OF
law enforcement makes Il very dinicult to
raise their children properly. There are
other families who would leave Santa Fe for
the same reason u they could sell,out rea-
sonably. We have lawmakers, lawsbreak-
ers, and law-enforcers. Some or the above
are very much At fault, II the laws are, not
good the lay.makerg are at fault, II the,
laws are good, then, the fault rests with
the other two classes. Which class is more
at %fault--the law.breakers or the law-enforc-
ers? If there were no law-breakers the law
enforcers' have nothing to do in that line.
II the lawsenforcers would do their duty
there would be very, very few law-breakers.
Every once, in a while notice statements
In this paper to the effect that IL such and
such laws or regulations are not observed,
dire penalties are to follow. / have lived In
Santa Fe for almost eighteen years and to
the best of my knowledge | never knew
any such threat enforced. Such proceed
ings cause people to pay no attention to
such statements. Nearly every year / have
seen statements that If taxes were not paid
by a certain time. penalties would be added
and suits brought to collect such taxes.
Occasionally I have known Of some person
singled out and made to obey the law, but
this has been the exception rather than
the rule. As a result only about 65 per
cent of our taxes are collected each year,
and those who pay are~not always the ones
who are the most able to pay.
There are notices posted up in the court
house saying: mo smoking allowed in this
ROOM If that is a good law it should be
obeyed, and If it is not a good law the no.
tees should be taken down. Otherwise
young people and Older ones are taught to
disobey a known lawsin the hall of Justice.
| have noticed the statement: Five dollars
fine" for doing SO and so, or for not doing
so and so. I have yet to hear of a case OF
the fines being imposed, although the law
is disregarded with impunity. Better take
the sign down or enforce 1t.
During the Blancett trial it came out
very forcibly and plainly that the law
against gambling is totally disregarded, al
though we have officers whose sworn duty
is to enforce the law without fear or favor.
Better enforce the law or repeal it, the ex-I
ample is bad for the young men. But the
men are not the only ones who disobey the
gambling law. Recently I heard of a per-
son who had been sick and she asked her
friend why she had not called on her. The
friend (?) replied that she had been so
busy with other duties that she could not
take the time. At the same time it was
known hat the friend () had attended four
bridge parties per week. 1t is being told
around that it had been proposed at a GER
tain card party that each member hereafter
give the fifty cents with which to buy prizes,
to the Red Cross Society instead, but the
motion was voted down. l have noticed that
in the report of at least two grand juries,
the members failed to bring in any report
gambling. Was it because it would
too many of the women? Why will
the womenNlet the mel hide behind them in
Respectfully,
OBSERVER,