Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-29
PASTOR SCORES
PEACE OFFICERS
ASFAITHLESS
Enforcement of Law Is Great
American Joke, Declares
McMasterS.
Text: by their fruits we shall know
hem."-MattheW 7:20.


Text: by their fruits We shall know
them."-Matthew 7:20.
We are a lawless people and our
peace officers belong to a criminal
class was the statement of the Rev.
ID. McNlasters of the First Baptist
church, in his Sunday morning sermon,
in which he analysed the causes for the
failure of law enforcement in America.
The enforcement of the law he declared
to be a great American joke. His SER
mon follows:
The enforcement of law is the great
American joke; it is not funny. but it
is Il joke. Among the many causes of
this farce to stand out most promi-
nently but are rarely mentioned and
less frequently acknowledged. We are
Il lawiess people and our peace officers
belong to the criminal class.
w are a lawless people. When we
ditched the king with his divine right
we enthroned ourselves with our W
wills as the divine law of the
land. When we do not like a law we
look upon it as our oppressor and pro-
ceed TO rebel against it as our fathers
revolted against King George. We do
not respect law as law. From Chief
Justice Taft down to the meanest
criminal in our Jail we have a decla-
ration of Independence that reads about
like this: All men are created free and
lawless and have a right to life, license
and the pursuit of cussedness. The
chief justice does not like the prohibi-
for all the lawlessness of the country
nH IfSnrndIt ~ try nthnr ,,on -,
dislike another law and start the same
work of destruction. This is sheer an
No Man Likes All Laws
THE laws people do not like cover
a multitude of potential anarchists.
The result is inevitable. No man dis
likes all the laws but every man dis
likes some of them. Joseph Folk saws
to violate it, When we dislike
a law, we can and will do one of two
things: If we are good citizens we sup
port it because il is the law and we
believe III law and order; if we are not
good citizens we make war on the law
because we do not believe in law and
This last may be anarchy with
4 shave and haircut but ii is anarchy
and will breed true to type. When
pays fabulous attorneys fees
% be shown how to violate the law
md keep out of Jail. and the little thug
a shyster all ne has to keen him
out of Jail they are brothers and com
AIDES in their war against society and
heir country. ] say country advised
y. for our country is not q thing of
plains and hills. rivers and lakes.
These can never be more than the place
where We have put that which we know !
Is our country. Our country is the So
we have formed by our laws. If
We break down these laws we DESTROY
,ur country.
When John ID. Rockefeller laughed
II Judge lands face. he fired on the
lag and the flag went down. Lawless-
less is treason and the law breaker a
raitor. Many of our wise men have |
'ald when we lost our respect for law
he country would be doomed. That
ime has come. The ~undercurrent of
Contempt for law is appalling. Who
aspects law when the law crosses his A,
lesires? This undercurrent does not
from petty criminals or red-hand-
ID murderers.. Its source is higher IN
We, the people, do not respect law. be-
it is law. We have nothing to
ear from such anarchists as |. w. W
Is Emma Goldman and Big Bill Hay
wood. They had no influence but slch
Is we gave them by putting them in
all. and now that they have gone to
he anarchists heaven no one mourns.
The anarchy that imperils our
is IN our own hearts. SO long
Is we smile and smirk over the violation
# law we show the spirit of anarchy
written in our own hearts. If IA law
: bad we have n right To repeal it,
'ut good citizens will do this AS good
'itizens and not as anarchists. They
will never seek the repeal of Il law bv
'iolating it and thus hold all law up to
contempt.
Belongs to Criminal Glass
Our peace officers belong to the
class. This is a very serious !
tatement and the most serious part
# it is that it is true. When would |
e reformers tell us our officers cannot
nforce the laws without the help of
he preachers and w. G. r. L. they
re talking bunk. You and ! are not
officers. We pay taxes to sup
these men in their jobs. When
hey fall down on their jobs it sounds
silly for them TO come whining
0 the breaches and women CRYING for
hem to turn sleuths. Peace officers
eek the office, draw the pay and
linds.' said he. 1t is the flag and what
stands for. 1t is the firesidc and the
ONE. 1t is the high thoughts that are
] the heart, porn of the inspiration
'hich comes of the story of the fathers,