The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-12-11
START REFORM
AT INDIVIDUAL
Luke Grant Says Reforms
Must Start With the
Individual.
FORM PUBLIC OPINION

Laws should be observed as long
as they are on the statute books" de-
clared Luke Grant, manager of the
publicity department of the Chicago,
North Shore and Milwaukee railroad,
in an address delivered at the Deem
Der dinner and meeting of the st.
Matthew's Mems club, held in Guild
hall Tuesday evening. Mr.. Grants
subject was Tendencies of the Times,
and he paid particular attention to
the present growing disregard for law
and also the increasing tendency to-
wards the passing of mass of legis-
lation which cannot be backed by
public opinion.
81 am a firm believer in reform as
understand the word" said Mr..
Grant. II am believer in a higher
and better type of citizenship, but
do not believe it can be attained by
the passage Of sumptuary legislation.
think we must begin with the indi-
vidual and begin at a very early
stage in his life. I think the
first lessons in good citizenship must
be taught at the mothers knee and
when they are learned in that way
they stay with us in later life, making
laws to regulate human conduct large
ly unnecessary"
$50 many of our modern reformers
seem to wish to begin at the wrong
end. They seem to think that reform
begins with the mass. / don't believe
it. If we begin with the individual
if we teach the individual proper re-
spect for law and for the rights of all
other individuals, we will not need
laws to regulate the conduct of the
masses. For the mass is only col
lection Of individuals. It is quite true
as those who have made study of
mob psychology tells US, that mobs
will and frequently do things which
the individuals composing that mob
would not do singly. Nevertheless my
contention that real reform must be-
gin with the individual holds good.
eff the people could be made moral
by legislation, America would be a ma
ton of moralists, the most law-abid-
ing in the world. We are the greatest
lawmakers in the world, and, while
do not like to admit it, think in
many respects we are also the greatest
law-breakers. And the remedies we
seek to- apply only tend to aggravate
that condition. We go on the theory
that we need more laws to curb the
natural tendencies Of the people,
while it is my candid opinion that
much of the lawlessness we see, and
which as good citizens we deplore, is
due to a multiplicity of laws that are
now cluttering up the statutes of our
cities and states, one-tenth of which
are not known even to the lawyers
who make it their business to know
the laws"
Mr.. Grant cited the notorious case
of the law maker who served hard
cider in Maryland and showed from it
that the thing needed was to get pub
lie opinion behind laws and that it was
useless to multiply laws which could
not gain public opinion. He also rapp-
ed the laws which have increased the
costs of government by the increasing
of bureaus and commissions to a
ridiculous degree.
He declared many such laws were
OooCo 1iO1C JCdAOuSJ CAaA OAA J0o
tice and condemned them for that rea-
son. He raped the manner in which
the Teapot Dome investigation was
carried on declaring it showed the
present mania for investigation which
is not always for the best. The pub
LEGATION of income taxes paid to the
federal government was likewise
branded as the same sort of unfair
investigation.
In closing his interesting address,
Mr.. Grant pointed out that each indi-
vidual must do his part to bring back
the respect for law which seems to
be on the wane in America.
Judges of our courts and police
officials will tell you that the most
serious obstacle they encounter in the
suppression of crime is the influence
exerted in behalf of the criminals" he
said. "Many times this influence is
exerted by citizens who are them
-