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Show - ' ENFORCING THE DAWS. Tho Tribune has always beou in favor of tho ouforccmcut of the law all over tho country. It has never been iu favor of making Utah an exception to that rulo. Wc belicvo that tho law should bo enforced in Utah, and wo believe be-lieve that it should bo enforced everywhere every-where in this Ropubljc. In view of tho recent riots aud bloodthirsty blood-thirsty rage of the mob in Springfield, Illinois, tho Dcserct Nows has an-uounccd an-uounccd itself as in favor of tho enforcement en-forcement of tho law in Illinois. Tho Salt Lake Herald yesterday morning quoted tho opinion of tho State's Attorney At-torney of Sangamon county, in which Spriugfield is situated, as tho only rcasonablo rca-sonablo explanation of the riots, as follows: fol-lows: "It is a situation which has been approaching from ten years of unrestricted un-restricted lawlessness, packed juries, and a studied refusal of tho authorities having tho power to secure the enforcement enforce-ment of tho laws." Which the Herald pronounces "tho bitterest indictment a community could have brought against it." And the Herald concludes thus: "Tho obvious moral is the ucccs-sity ucccs-sity for a. revival of regard, for tho law;" and it thinks that this should apply "to tho whole country at large," tho most urgent uced being a "reverence "rever-ence for the law, and such rigid enforcement en-forcement of it that there will bo no pretext for such outbursts as have disgraced dis-graced Springfield and made its name a byword among civilized peoples." And yet neither the News nor the Herald has anything in particular to say about tho enforcement of tho law in Utah. There was never in Springfield a greater laxity in the enforcement of tho law than thero is in Salt Lake. Thero was never in Hlinois any greater great-er reign of "unrestricted' lawlessness, packed juries, and a studied refusal of tho authorities having the power to secure se-cure the enforcement of the laws" than has exsitod for tho past twelve years in Utah, There has never been anywhere any-where iu tho country an- such deter' mined and powerful conspiracy to annul an-nul tho laws as exists right hero today. to-day. There has never been in any part of the country such a clogging of the wheels of justice as wo aro familiar with right along in Utah. And 3'et wo aro told that to call attention to it is to stir up strife, to work evil, and to show a malicious and malignant spirit. Wo do not believe that it necessarily follows that such a condition as is described de-scribed by tliG State's Attorney of Sangamon county must result in riot and bloodshed. On tho contrary, wc believe that to be the exceptional outcome, out-come, brought about by an immcdiato blaze of indignation, caused by an outrage out-rage that the community considered unbearable. un-bearable. Tho more usual result of such a reign of apathj', disregard for the law. aud the clogging of tho wheels of justice, is a revival of public spirit, a cleaning out of tho old obstructionists, obstruction-ists, a popular revival at elections, aud tho oiling of tho legal machinery, so that it will work promptly aud powerfully. power-fully. It would bo a shuddering thing to think of to coucede that such a condition con-dition of affairs as is described by the Stale-s Attorney of Sangamon couuty, couu-ty, and such as exists in Utah toda-and toda-and has existed for twelve years, lo imagine that tho only cure for it was by mob violence aud bloodshed. We look to sec, on the contraty, a peaceful peace-ful solution of the question here, just as iu St. Louis, San Francisco, aud in other places that mjght be named, through tho energetic action of tho law. The revival of the public conscience, con-science, the call for capable aud industrious indus-trious judges, who will act under their conscieuccs, and with power, for the enforcement en-forcement of tho law, the vindication of public justice and law-abidingncss, wjll solve the problem peacefully. When that time comes there will be no such thing as self-confessed criminals posing pos-ing as pious and holy leaders of a. religious re-ligious sect. There will be uo such thing as "our most revered citizens" being shameless, self-confessed breakers break-ers of the law, not only by confession of past misdeeds and present law-break-iug, but by vile aud wicked professions of intention to continue such law-break-ing in the fhturc. Nothing of that kind will be tojerated when the rofonnatory spirit strikes the community and the public conscience is aroused. Tho people of Springfield took the worst possible course lo show their indignation in-dignation at tho paralyzing of the processes' pro-cesses' of the luw, as described by the State's Attorney who is quoted. Their proper course would have bcou to agitate, agi-tate, b- public meetings and otherwise, tho revival of the public spirit, civic duty, and tho individual consciences of the voters as applied tc public affairs. Aud this should have boon kept at white heat until on election day they would have the opportunity to retire to private life the judges who havo so richly ca-uia. -tuch retirement, aud nut in thoir places active, energetic judges, men who kuow. the law aud who arc i not afraid to execute il. as agaiust any class of criminals whatever, uo matter what their pretensions, nor how specious spe-cious their claims of tho right lo "take their chances agaiust thu law." |