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Show PUBLIC P0LICIE8 AND LAW ENFORCEMENT. EN-FORCEMENT. Rev. Elderkln, In his sermon Sunday night, missed a great opportunity to fix responsibility for open gambling, but he lost sight of this main point In his eager pursuit of tho police. In the slums of London, where tho police arc a power for good, the toughs and even tho roapectable people, manifest mani-fest approval when a policeman Is attacked. at-tacked. They delight in seeing the officers pumraelcd. The London police po-lice say this mania is contagious. Now Rev. Elderkln Is not from the alums of London, though he has been in London, but at some tlmo and somewhere some-where he has been lnoculatod with tho gorms of tho anti pollco mania. Ho Is 'a young man of high ideals, but he lacks contact with tho world. Ho expects too much from the police; ho offers too many excuses for those who are the superiors of tho police; he falls to. fix responsibility at tho source of authority. Rev. Elderkln has been in Ogden long enough to know that when a mayor Is elected, the people inquire as to the policy he is to pursue in regard to those evils of which Mr. Elderkln complains, In fact Mr. Elderkln was a member of a convention which exacted from the present mayor certain promises prom-ises In the control or suppression ot certain evils, in case of election. Why did Mr. Elderkln seek those promises If he did not recognize In the mayor tho responsible head of government, and why did he exact those obligations if tho enforcing or failure to enforce the ordinances against those evils did not involve a question of public policy? pol-icy? The mayor of this city , receives a command from tbe people to carry out certain policies. For his derelictions lie must, answer back to the people. Now why Fhould the chief of police or the officer on his beat presume to override over-ride the authority of the mayor and proceed to declare what shall be tho policy of the city government in relation rela-tion to saloons or the social evil, and thus placo himself above hla superior and above those who must answer back to the people for the sins of omission omis-sion or commission; why should a police po-lice force be other than responsive to the will of thoso in authority; how can discipline bo maintained, if orders from the crown head are not to bo implicitly obeyed? This rule applies to not only a police force but to tho army of tho United States, with the President of tho United States at its head. What does Tennyson say of the "The Charge of the Light Brigade:" "Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die." There Is no reason for the reverend gentleman attacking even the mayor or city council for failure to enforce the law. It Is a well-known fact that laws concerning the liquor and kindred questions can only be enforced where the people are earnestly in favor of such enforcement Let Mr. Elderkln educate the people to his ideas and when he has created a large and healthy sentiment in favor of his Ideals, then he has but to convince the mayor and city council of that fact and tho pollco department will receive instructions in-structions which will cause action favorable to the ordinances the people want enforced. |